Hi from Florida. I had a few fans ask if we were able to snap any pictures of the whales when we were in Mexico. I’m going to place the pictures on my website, but I have also added a couple here. I will be spending more time updating KarenStoffer.com with all the new and exciting things that are happening this year with the team. So keep your eyes open for updates there, too!

Each year the GEICO Motorcycle race team gathers at Virginia Beach headquarters for a celebration of the year successes. The big GEICO news is always wrapped around their increased growth, and this year was no exception. This time they announced two new members to the GEICO competition family, Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) racer J.T Bennett and Bass Pro Fisher Christiana Bradley. The day we met, Christiania was heading straight to Texas for her first tournament of the season. J.T and his wife Gretchen were furiously preparing for the season that was quickly approaching. Here is a picture of the new GEICO GNCC bike. I think they are wrapping their Motor Coach also. Gary was busy bending J.T.’s ear while Debbie, the avid fisher, was trying to work out some time in our racing schedule to attend one of Christiana’s tournaments. Each year, we leave the headquarters of GEICO Motorcycle, inspired, excited, and overall very fortunate to be part of a great family. I tell them that I really need to bottle up all that team spirit they have and bring it to the races with us. It would guarantee to pull us out of any “funk” we would get in.

We all flew home on Thursday. Gary and I spent a quick weekend at our home before packing up and heading back to the central states. Gary was flying into Indianapolis to pick up the race rig out and head to Florida so we could begin testing. I was flying out the same day but my destination was Cleveland, Ohio, for GE work. If you remember, I spent a significant amount of time there last year and I’ll be doing the same this year.

Gary flew out of Reno in the morning and had a plane change in Las Vegas. That was about as far as he went with his scheduled ticket. We were both scheduled to fly out on the same day the largest snowstorm of the season hit the Central United States. Gary eventually arrived in Indianapolis around midnight that night. I didn’t make it to Cleveland. I had to reschedule and attempt it again the following day. I made it the second day, and it was a pretty easy trip. No, neither of us flew Jet Blue. Lady Luck helped Gary out as he was able to drive the transporter out of town during a break in storms in Indy. We’re fortunate to have a great neighbor next to our Indy race shop property who plowed the roads for us.

We’re at Doug and Debbie’s house now, here in warm Florida. Well, not so warm, but warmer them Cleveland or Indianapolis right now.

Gary made it here on Friday and I flew in from Cleveland on Saturday. With the holiday weekend, Presidents Day, it was a perfect time for us to test.

Doug and Debbie have been furiously working to get their motor coach in their hands before we test in Georgia early in March. Debbie is having some customizing done to it, and it’s running down to the wire now. They have to pick it up in Indianapolis and drive it back to south Florida to pack and prepare it for the race season.

Well, we are at the track now, so I have to go.