PERSONAL
• Husband: Gary serves as her crew chief
• Height/weight: 5-foot-6, 115 pounds
• Hobbies: Riding four-wheelers in the sand
Teams throughout the NHRA Full Throttle Series are always on a quest for that defining breakout moment that changes everything.
Karen Stoffer and her GEICO Suzuki crew have run a solid top-10 Pro Stock Motorcycle operation for several years, capable of winning races and setting records at any stop on tour. The only thing missing is that breakthrough moment when all the pieces fall into place at the sport's most elite level.
After a 2010 season where that defining instance was seemingly just out of reach, Stoffer said there's plenty of reasons to be optimistic about 2011.
"This year, the bike, rider, and tune-up are going to be one," Stoffer said. "We've shown this GEICO Suzuki is capable of great things, and this year we're taking it to another level."
Stoffer swung for the fences right at the start of the 2010 season and set a national record with a quarter-mile elapsed time of 6.847 seconds at the first event in Gainesville, Fla. Midway along, she again showed a flash of brilliance by reaching the finals of the race in Denver, her best single outing of the season.
"We had some great moments last year, just not enough of them," Stoffer said. "Consistency in qualifying and turning that win light on every Sunday are the goals for 2011."
Along with her crew chief/husband Gary, the Stoffers are set for their 21st season of racing together. The Nevada residents have won five times in the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and have finished in the Top 10 for seven consecutive seasons.
"We're racing all the time it seems," Karen said. "If we're not at a drag strip racing, Gary and I will jump on our four-wheelers and ride around the desert behind house in Nevada. It's a great lifestyle that has suited us well."
As a female competitor, Stoffer has been a racing trailblazer throughout her career. She made her Pro Stock Motorcycle debut at the same time as Angelle Savoie and Stephanie Reeves, and was a part of the first all-female PSM final in 2002 when she squared off against Savoie in Reading, Pa.
"The bike class has always had a lot going for it," Stoffer said. "Last season's dramatic championship finish was just the latest example. I've been a part of some of these special moments in the past, and we're hoping the GEICO Suzuki and I will make some more in 2011."
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