NEW ZEALAND’S FASTEST FEMALES
This sesaon has seen more females on the drag strip than ever before here's the quickest of the quick!
With her father, Lindsay, heavily involved in drag racing during Karen’s formative years, there was never any chance of her avoiding the drag racing bug. Even when Lindsay took a break for a while, becoming involved in competitive jetboat racing, winning almost every title there was to win at the time and holding records for many years after, Karen was by his side. When the switch back from water to land was made in the year 2000, a 1932 roadster was the vehicle of choice, and Karen was always on hand to help out. When Karen got her first run down the strip — a 15.96-second pass — no one would have predicted the times she’d be running a decade and a half later. As the family’s knowledge and experience grew, the times recorded in their car tumbled — although, with it being essentially a modified street car, they were pushing the limits with low seven-second passes. In 2010, the decision was made to swap to a new, more suitable chassis. The supercharged big block engine was fitted into this, and Karen made her first six-second pass, becoming one of very few females to do so on local soil. The pair continued to improve their times, and, in 2012, took the record for the fastest trap speed recorded by a female, with a 208mph pass. It would be an agonizing wait until April 6, 2014, however, before Karen would claim the record for being the quickest, with a 6.62-second pass at 205.52mph. The 2013–’14 season was a rollercoaster for the team, which had swapped out their supercharged combo for a twin-turbo set-up, with many teething issues presenting themselves along the way. They’re now well on top of the technology, though, and the results are starting to become consistent once more. Karen’s not just fast; she’s also a very clever and competitive racer, winning the national title in Competition Class multiple times, as well as having individual event wins. As impressive as those may be, they haven’t been enough to satisfy New Zealand’s first lady of speed, though, as her goal of running a five-second pass is something she’d like to see through to completion. While there have been no shortage of wild rides over the years, including the time she ended up on two wheels in the paddock at Tokoroa, the highlights well outweigh them. One of the more recent highlights was when Lindsay stepped back into the hot seat and ran his first 200mph pass, making them the first father/daughter combo to reach the milestone speed. Of course, holding the title of the quickest and fastest female in New Zealand Drag Racing history is a very impressive bragging right to have, and one that shocks many people. Most people who meet the mild-mannered bank worker get a major shock when they find out that during the weekends she drives a 2300hp car that goes 220mph! While running a five on New Zealand soil is the real goal, Karen also mentioned that she’d love to take the car to Willowbank Raceway in Queensland to find out its potential there. Karen’s title looks to be unchallenged for the foreseeable future, although, as you’ll see over the next few pages, plenty of the new drivers who are stepping up would love to take her place.
PEOPLE ... GET A MAJOR SHOCK WHEN THEY FIND OUT THAT DURING THE WEEKENDS SHE DRIVES A 2300HP CAR THAT GOES 220MPH!