| March 15, 2022
In what is likely her final season as a rider in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle class, Skillman Cars/Big St. Charles Suzuki’s Karen Stoffer turned what was easily the most impressive performance of her long and successful career to win the Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals, March 11-13. Stoffer not only won the event, but also set the NHRA elapsed time record with the three quickest runs in the history of the class. It was her 11th career win, and her third at Gainesville Raceway.
Karen Stoffer won the opening round of the 2022 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship at Gainesville. She set a record along the way, as well.
By Kevin McKenna, Photos by Matt Polito
“Gainesville is like my second home,” said Stoffer who resides in Nevada. “My first team owner [Doug Johnson] was based here and I love to come back every year. It’s a great place to kick off the season and to have three wins here is huge.
“What we did today, I don’t think it’s hit me yet,” Stoffer said. “I’m sure it will dawn on me tomorrow during my flight home. I almost didn’t race this year. I wasn’t planning on walking away, but thought maybe I wouldn’t do a full season, but my sponsors got together and we sort of reached a last-minute decision to keep going. I had until January 1 to secure a ride on the WAR bike, and we made that phone call on December 31. I’m certainly glad we did.”
VIDEO | Karen Stoffer Sets Quickest PSM in NHRA History
Weather played a huge role in the outcome of the event. For starters, persistent rains and unseasonably cold temperatures prevented riders from taking part in any of the three qualifying sessions scheduled for Friday or Saturday. That meant the qualifying order was established according to last year’s championship standings.
“That was sort of a collective decision made by the riders and NHRA,” Stoffer said. “On Saturday night, we knew the track was cold and the temperature was dropping. It was a very tricky situation. We had a meeting and sort of mutually agreed not to run. Personally, I didn’t say yes or no. I let my crew chief [Tim Kulungian] make the call.”
That lack of track time did not affect Stoffer in any way as she hammered the record books from start to finish. She opened eliminations with a 6.682-second run, easily breaking Andrew Hines’ longstanding 6.720 record. Stoffer actually improved in the quarterfinals with a 6.665 that easily covered Eddie Krawiec’s 6.92-second run. This is the first time that Stoffer has held the Pro Stock Motorcycle elapsed time record.
“This is the first time I’ve been the first in anything out here,” Stoffer said. “I wasn’t the first woman rider or the first to break a barrier. It’s something that’s really nice and will stand the test of time.”
Stoffer defeated her team owner, Jerry Savoie in the semifinals before finishing the job against Smith’s Denso Buell. The fact that there was an all-female final wasn’t significant since that happens often in NHRA racing, but Smith and Stoffer combined to make the quickest side-by-side run in the history of the class, 6.700 to 6.723.
Stoffer (far lane) went up against Angie Smith in the final.
“It’s so nice to come out and put our Ray Skillman Auto Group/Big St. Charles Suzuki in the winner’s circle,” Stoffer said. “We tried to improve in every round, but I bobbled a little in the semifinals. This win is for Jerry and Tim [Kulungian] everyone on the WAR [White Alligator Racing] team.”
The Pro Stock Motorcycle class has a different look this season as six-time world champ Andrew Hines has stepped off a bike to focus on his role as a crew chief for the Vance & Hines team. World champions Matt Smith and Eddie Krawiec have also returned to the Suzuki brand, which has seen a resurgence since the arrival of the new four-valve cylinder head last year.
In Gainesville, Smith was upset in round one by Lance Bonham while Krawiec lost in round two. Krawiec’s teammate, three-time world champion Angelle Sampey, was also upset in round one by Marc Ingwersen, who earned his first-round win in NHRA competition.
Angie Smith, the wife of five-time champ Matt Smith, proved that the Buell V-twin can still be a competitive platform with her quick string of runs that included a personal best 6.723 in the final. Smith was also over 200-mph on all four runs during eliminations.
The next stop for NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship is planned for Houston Raceway Park at the NHRA SpringNationals April 22-24.
For more information, visit NHRA.com
