Donna Sydor

Driver: "Fearless" Donna Sydor;
Announcer Calls me "First Lady of Renegade"
Class: EFI Renegade a Heads-up Qualifing Class
Residence: Dearborn Heights, Michigan
Spouse: Chris Sydor
Proud Supporter: Autism

Career Highlights & Achievements:
Finished in the top 5 in more than 75% of events entered.
Qualified for and in all races ever entered.
Holds title to first and only woman in the Nation to qualify and compete in "EFI Renegade"; A Professional Heads-up Series.
Rookie Year: Finished 4th overall in points with National Mustang Racers Association (N.M.R.A.)
Acknowledged by Automotive Hall of Fame and Woman's Automotive  Association International for professional achievement and support in racing.
Backed and Supported by Ford Racing Performance Parts (F.R.P.P.) as a Test/Project Vehicle.
Long time I.H.R.A. Stock Eliminator.
Recorded best ET and MPH in 2000 and 2001.
Achieved first Heads-up EFI Renegade win in 2003 with the NMRA at National Trails Raceway.
Finished 5th overall in Points during 2003 season in the toughest field to date.

Goals:
To Step-up my driving skills to the Professional ranks as a Pro Stock Driver in the N.H.R.A. POWERade Championship Series.
To help raise Awareness and Funding for Autism through Racing.
To become the First Woman to compete in N.H.R.A. Pro-Stock and achieve
a N.H.R.A. Winston Championship.

Memberships:
Current N.H.R.A.
Current N.M.R.A.
Current Ford Motor Enthusiasts (FME)
Current Woman's Automotive Association International (WAAI)
Former I.H.R.A.
Former SVO Crate Motor Team.

Publications:
Michigan Post Newspaper - Summer 1998.
Detroit Newspaper - Memorial Day Parade 1998.
SpeedVision Television from World Ford Challenge (WFC) - 1998, 1999 & 2000.
World Ford Challenge (WFC) Video - 1998, 1999 & 2000.
SuperChips Commercial - 1998, 1999 & 2000.
HorsePower TV on Spike TV (Formerly TNN), full Interview and Vehicle profile - 2001 (still showing to date).
Ford Racing Centennial Festival - 2001.
Minimum of 50,000-100,000 Spectators per showing at Ford Fan Appreciation Days.
Race Pages Magazine - November/December 1999 Feature.
Super Ford Magazine - June 2000 Feature.
Muscle Mustang Magazine - September 2000.
Race Pages Magazine - July/August/September 2000.
300,000 Fan Guides, with car photo and description - 2000.
Race Pages Magazine - February/March 2001.
Race Pages Magazine - January 2002 Press Release/Feature for Support of Autism.
Undetermined number of Signed Racer Cards, Baseball Cards and Posters.
Numerous highly profiled Internet sites.
Article/Press Release in WFC's rulebook for 2002.
Society of Woman Engineers (SWE) Convention - 2002.
Race Pages Magazine - August 2002 Feature/Press Release.
Various Mentions & Photos throughout the 2002, 2003 & 2004 seasons in - 5.0 Mustang Magazine, Race Pages Magazine & Muscle Mustang Magazine.
Cover & Header Shot with mention - Popular Hot Rodding Magazine 2003.
Radio Interview in 2003 while at World Finals in Bowling Green, Kentucky - Sept. 2003.
Race Pages Magazine Feature - October 2003.
Inside Drag Racing on ESPN2 - Coverage and Interviews throughout 2003 season.
5.0 Mustang Magazine Feature - January 2004.
Various Car Photos and Mentions in Company Ads - such as for 5.0 Mustang Magazine in the Race Pages Magazine, Borla Exhaust in several different Magazines.
Muscle Mustang Magazine Feature - November 2004.

Class Entry:
Our custom built 2002 Mustang, with its multicolor design and Donna Behind the wheel, has been the focus of every event. With coverage by Promedia Publishing, ESPN2, Primedia Publishing and local event Radio Stations to name a few. The points series Donna competes in, the National Mustang Racers Association (N.M.R.A.), is a class know as "EFI Renegade." This is a heads-up, all run, qualifying class, which carries and average of 20 cars per event. Originally established as a 16 car-qualifying field, the class has changed to allow a higher car count making for stronger competition. "EFI Renegade" is a very intense class with various limitations. These limitations include stock suspension, maximum 10.5" rear tires, full interior trim, several motor limits and no wheelie bars. Renegade is a heart pounding, wheel standing, bumper dragging, none-to-nose finish class. This class has grown in leaps and bounds making it the most anticipated class in the series.

Amongst other things, Donna partakes in several other events, which include match-racing and shows, such as the Ford Fan Appreciation Day and many other charity events. She particularly enjoys using her racing to raise funds and awareness towards Autism and finding a cure. During Donna's busy schedule she always takes time to help children in need.

Helping to Find a Cure:
Imagine...if you were not able to Communicate; If you could not tell anyone you were in Pain; Feeling distracted, Frustrated, Obsessed and Frightened but you did not know why. Imagine...feeling this way everyday, all day. That is what living with Autism Spectrum Disorder is. Donna's goal is to launch a one-person campaign in hopes to help raise funds towards Autism research, along with raising awareness of this devastating lifelong neurological disorder. Autism is a brain disorder that affects a person's ability to communicate, to reason and interact with others. One out of every 250 babies born today will develop some form of Autism. This means that an estimated 1.5 million Americans (children and adults) have Autism today and another 15 million Americans are directly impacted by Autism. Four times more common in boys than girls, Autism is usually diagnosed by the age of three. It is found equally in all walks of life and in all populations around the world. Autism is more common than childhood cancer, cystic fibrosis and multiple sclerosis combined. Signs of Autism include the inability to communicate (little or no eye contact), socialize (severe language deficits), play and thing (gestures or points instead of speaking). Autistic children may suffer from a dysfunction in neural processing that manifests itself in a physiologically based sensory overload. With all this in mind, Autism has no known cure and research toward a cure only receives a small amount of funded support mostly due to the lack of awareness and knowledge of the disorder. This is where Donna hopes to make a difference. During her events she will be collecting donations and selling Autism awareness ribbon pins and window stickers.

During a benefit classic car cruise for Autism, Donna spent the day with several Autistic children. Donna was touched by one particular little boy named Matthew Syros, a 5 year old, who was diagnosed with the Autistic disorder when he was 2 1/2 years old. To this day Matthew's vocal skills are very limited and socially he's is extremely withdrawn. This special day is what changed Donna's life forever; she knew this was something where she and her racing exposure could help make a difference. All funds collected by Donna and the CDS Motorsports team will directly benefit the Autism Society of
America Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Autism research. For more information on the Autism Society of America Foundation and its research program, please visit: www.autism-society.org/foundation/foundation/html, email: asaf@autism.society.org Or call (800) 3AUTISM.

Donna's Bio:
The average description of a drag racer given by a motorsport enthusiast would not be Donna. She has become more than just average in everyone's eyes and that is what keeps Donna motivated. She pushes to be the best and accepts no less from herself or her team. It has to be that way in order for skeptics to know this is no joking matter and Donna has proven drag racing is no longer just a Man's sport. "I have demonstrated, along with a handful of other woman, that drag racing requires concentration, fast reflexes and does not depend on how big or strong you are. This is one of the few great sports that gender is not the deciding factor."

It all started for Donna when she was a little girl growing up watching many types of motorsports like Motocross, Hydroplanes, Monster Trucks and especially Racing. Through growing up in Detroit, Michigan; Donna admits she was not a typical teenage girl. Instead of having teen idols or making sure her hair and make-up was perfect, she was more interested in fixing cars and being around Hot Rods. Before she was old enough to get her drivers license, Donna was riding Dirt Bikes and jumping Odysseys (1 person dune buggy). The need for speed poured into her adult years and with the support of Chris (husband) and her family, she dove into drag racing headfirst. Donna's first car was a '86 Mustang GT that she entered into bracket racing and did well at every event. Chris then received the opportunity to purchase a '94 Mustang Cobra that gave them the opportunity to start traveling and enter into bigger events. Donna campaigned the '94 Mustang for a couple of years in several different classes such as N.M.R.A's Open Comp Eliminator and I.H.R.A's Crate Motor. This allowed Donna and Chris to get a feel for several different classes until one main class could be decided upon. A heads-up class is what they sere striving for and after watching and learning about "EFI Renegade," with its competitiveness and fan attraction, they made their decision. This now brings us to the 2002 Mustang Donna is campaigning today. This car was custom built by her husband, Chris, to fit every aspect of this extreme class.

To everyone's surprise Donna qualified in the top half of the latter at every event and even held the points lead for a while during her rookie year. To this date she is still the only woman running in the "EFI Renegade" series and is the only woman competing in the Heads-up classes. "The attention I draw is sometimes overwhelming and exciting at the same time. The competition is very tough and being the only woman I had to prove my driving skills. When I am not competing, I enjoy displaying my car so the Fans can see the car up close and I can answer any questions along with sign some autographs.