ONLY THE BEGINNING Although their
racing journey began the same, their paths
branched in very different directions: Jianna
to Pro Stock Motorcycle and Jasmine to
Top Fuel via Top Alcohol Dragsters.
“I love how many women are in the class, and the Pro Stock Motorcycle
community reminds me of the Nostalgia racers. They all just hang out in
the pits, and they’re super calm. I feel so comfortable and at home there.
It’s like a breath of fresh air.”
Through careful research and talking with a handful of teams in order
to find the right fit, Jianna hooked up with the Stoffers to learn the ropes.
“They’re just amazing people,” she says. “Karen and Gary took me under
their wing, and now I call them my race parents. It’s just really fun to have
even more family out here. Every team we talked to is really nice, but it
was hard to find the right fit and people that I have a connection with. I
instantly had that with the Stoffers.”
Finding the right folks to learn from and race with is one thing, but for
Jianna, the challenges of maneuvering about on a Pro Stock Motorcycle
became immediately evident. “The very first time I ever got on the bike was
at Gainesville last year,” she remembers. “We didn’t even start it up, they
just pushed me around on it up and down the return road. That’s when
it really hit me. I was like, ‘Oh my God, what am I getting myself into?’ I
was kind of in a panic. I was thinking, ‘Wow, this is a really big bike. Can I
even hold it up myself? How do people even ride this? How?’ Karen helped
me stay calm and told me it was super easy, and everybody said that the
hardest part about riding the bike was getting pushed around and trying
not to hit people – they told me not to freak out and that it was no big deal.’”
The girls and their mother again share a chuckle, acknowledging the
Dr ag Illustr ated
unusual circumstance of learning the intricacies of the 200-mph machine.
“Karen helped me put on all my gear and explained that she wanted me to
get a real feel for everything,” Jianna continues, then pauses before adding,
“But the first time they pushed me, I fell off the bike. I was so embarrassed.
I was thinking, ‘If I can’t even stay on the bike while getting pushed around,
how can I expect to ride it when we start it?’”
The next lesson was a month later in North Carolina following the
NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte’s zMAX Dragway. “We spent
pretty much the whole day with them pushing me down the track and
back again. They would talk me through it and tell me, ‘OK, now pretend
like you’re going into second gear, third gear,’” explains Jianna. “It was an
amazing experience for them to teach me that way, especially because I
had zero experience. Most people come from bracket racing, and at home
I ride street bikes – I have a ‘48 Sportster. When they asked me if I had
ever ridden before, I was like, ‘Does that count?’
“I definitely remember feeling extremely nervous when they told me that
they were going to let me ride it off the starting line. My nerves started
going crazy, but when I got to about half-track and started shifting, it hit
me. I was hooked. When I got back, they asked me how I liked it, and I
told them I wanted to do it again. It was really fun, and I knew I needed
more speed.”
Along with developing her Pro Stock Motorcycle skills, Jianna has been
in the trenches at San Jose State. She is majoring in child development
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