Sometimes you have those moments where you just have to pinch yourself to be sure you aren’t dreaming. This was one of those days. While I’m brainwashing Shep with kart racing, Gabe has a license and is able to race on a real track! I’m a big believer that we don’t invest enough time in driver education in the US, and that taking classes at racing schools will help make anyone a safer driver. You learn car control, how to stay focused and that you solve more problems with the gas than the brake. It is also a hell of a lot of fun!

Gabe and I escaped for a full day with ProFormance Racing School. We are incredibly lucky to have the Kitch family in the Northwest and for the passion they put into their racing school. Don Kitch Jr. started the school and is a very successful race car driver. He is the author of a fantastic essay, The Art of Racing in the Rain. It was this very essay, and much of Don’s life story, that later inspired my favorite book by the same name and eventually a much loved movie as well.

Don’s essay was focused on the “mental and physical disciplines for drivers to become efficient driving a car in the rain”, a topic that any driver, race car or not, needs to be familiar with living in the Northwest. Garth Stein, the author of the book, met Don when he enrolled in the driving school, became an instructor and went on to have his own racing career. The book is told through the eyes of Enzo, the Kitch family dog, and is one of my favorite stories. To live where it took place and to know the people (and dogs) that inspired the story would be incredible enough. To be at the same racing school with Gabe, spending the day being taught by the racing legend himself, was almost too much to take.

Gabe did an incredible job. We spent half the day learning car control skills. High speed slalom, emergency braking, accident avoidance, and losing and regaining traction. The second half of the day was spent driving the track with an instructor riding shotgun to provide coaching. We had everything from a soaking wet track (even hail) to a nice dry track which was perfect for learning.

At the end of the day, Gabe and I ended up in the same run group and I was lined up right behind him. I was going to have some fun with him…show him his old man still had some tricks up his sleeve. I knew I would be faster, but I didn’t want to embarrass him with an early pass. Not only did an early pass not happen, I never managed to get close enough to attempt any pass…the boy was a fearless natural!!