Stoffer racing hard to gain ground in Indy

Karen Stoffer

Photo by: Michael C. Johnson

Why? Because of the importance of the U.S. Nationals, many competitors in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class will pull out all the stops to try to win, something the wily veteran knows well.

"I'm looking at it is any other race but not everyone does," Stoffer said. "The goal right now is to go rounds and try and figure out how to beat those big V-motors. Right now, the Suzukis are racing past first round - and that's it. We've got to figure out a way to try to get them to screw up. Maybe there's going to be more antics on the starting line. Who knows?"

Stoffer isn't one to engage in games on the starting line, preferring to race competitors the way she likes to be raced.

"I don't try and change, but I certainly try to be aware of it," Stoffer said. "That's what's going to happen. When you're in extreme situations, you pull out extreme measures. I can do that, I used to have to do that. I'd prefer not to, just because I want to beat you fair. But right now, it's really not fair, so you're going to have to delve into it.

"I don't like playing games, but there certainly might be a little slower staging and maybe a few wars. Maybe a little, 'I've got to fix my clutch cable' right on the starting line. You've seen a little bit of that more and more. I guarantee you're going to see it more and more in the future if things stay the same. Right now, there's absolutely no chance for anyone but the 4-H club to win."

Stoffer has qualified in the top half of the field in seven of the nine races this season and has won at least one round in eight of the nine events, reaching the semifinals twice. She's a part of 23 motorcycles entered at Indianapolis.

"Indy will be interesting," Stoffer said. "There's always more competitors come to Indy, and a lot of new announcements are usually made. That makes it fun an interesting for the bikes. I've got to keep focused. We want to continue being the best Suzuki out there, and to do that, we've got to stay focused. We've got to make sure we put all the ceremonies and all the glitz and glamour in the closet, put it away and focus on racing."

Source: Karen Stoffer media