I’m Kersten Heling, the one & only daughter of the spectacular Steve “Doc” Hopkins. My lineage is deeply rooted in motorcycling. My Mother tells me I was born with a shop rag in my hand. I’ve been testing the limitations of various vehicles ever since. Following my Dad’s lead, I developed a fond love for drag racing nitro Harleys. At the ripe age of 4, I professed that I would one day ride one of these fierce machines. In 1995, at 16 years of age, my Dad helped me put my tenacity to the test & I was licensed as the youngest Nitro Harley pilot in history. To present, there are still very few women to have ridden a nitro Harley & no one 16 or younger. For over 23 years I’ve indulged my passion for Nitro Harleys at various drag strips across the country acquiring a personal best ¼ mile of 7.55 seconds @ 178 MPH.
In addition to drag racing, I have dedicated my life to the family business, the greatest dealership in the world, Doc’s Harley-Davidson of Shawano County, Wisconsin. I’ve worked my way through every facet of the dealership & I’m proud to say that I currently serve as General Manager. It was through the dealership that I met my amazing husband, Shannon. Shannon began working for our dealership in 1989 at 15 years old. He has dedicated his life to learning every aspect & co-manages at my side. We are a great team at home, at work, & at the drag strip.
In 2016, I had the honor of assisting in sharing my Dad & Dawn’s Cannonball Journey with the World. I was deeply inspired by that initial Cannonball experience. In 2018, I was one of the first three women to complete every mile of the Cannonball. Stewball 2 & I also received the honor of being the 2018 1919-1928 Division Class 3 winner. Riding alongside my Dad as he completed every mile of his 2nd Cannonball with a sidecar & passenger was a life changing experience. The bond that I have developed with the 1922 Harley-Davidson that my Dad so thoughtfully built for me to ride is hard to put into words.
Prior to Cannonball 2018, most of my endurance run experience had taken place in a minivan full of kids. “Perfect days” in that setting are far & few between & I rarely get a sticker at the end of an arduous day. With that said, my greatest love & pride in life are my three boys, Ethan (11), Aksel (8), & Aidan (3). One of my greatest challenges will be the time spent away from my precious boys. I am thrilled to be once again, carrying the #53 plate on “Stewball 2” in Cannonball 2021 & perhaps one day my boys will aspire to do the same.
For more info on Doc’s Harley-Davidson visit WWW.DOCSHD.COM
And also Follow Our Journey on at Facebook
www.facebook.com/
My name is Sean Jackson, I have been in love with motorcycles since the age of 10 when My step father took me on my first ride on his 1979 lowrider. At that time it was his only motorcycle and he had been in every state except Hawaii and Alaska on it. To say I was hooked is an understatement. I began building and learning from him and his best friend on mini bikes and then working up to larger projects. I had my first Harley when I turned 15. It was a 1988 883 sportster and I would ride it to school. I was able to legally drive a motorcycle by myself before I could drive a car. As I got older I began fabricating and learning machine trades to be able to build bikes from the ground up. All I have ever wanted to do is travel the country on motorcycles and build them. This year has been one of the best for me and it just keeps getting better. I met George and Tom banks and they immediately took me in as one of their own. They are some of the most genuine good people I have ever met. I cannot wait to race across country with them and start this new chapter. I will be riding a 1913 Harley Davidson single for team Bankwitz.
John has been kicking over, riding, and collecting Harley Davidson’s for over 40 years. He has always had a love for old Harley’s. After John started following the Motorcycle Cannonball, he knew he had to be part of the experience and threw his name into the hat. After finishing every mile on the 2018 Cannonball on his 23 Model J, and now excited for the 2020 Motorcycle Cannonball
Born in 1958 Boston, MA
Married to Andrea Labarbara, #98, who placed third overall in the 2018 Cannonball on a 1913 Henderson prepared by Mark Hill and his team at 4th Coast Fours.
Father of one son, 28 Yr Old Bobby the 3rd, who hobbies include race cars, skiing, and surfing. I began riding at around 13 yo with my dad and then friends and have had motorcycles in my life ever since. Andrea and I met at Daytona bike week back in 2001 and our mutual love of the outdoors, motorcycles, skiing and adventure in general have given us some fantastic memories. Looking forward to sharing the road with her on the race of the century.
I work with my son at our company, American Anchor, Foxboro, MA which designs, manufactures, and installs, fall protection systems, tie back anchorages, and powered platforms for exterior building maintenance through out the US.
With help from Jay Souza of Fault Line Customs in prep and as my/our chase team, I hope to pilot my 1925 Harley Model JE to a perfect score in 2020. The energy, friends, and camaraderie we felt from the cannonball in 2018 is contagious and we look forward to catching that bug again.
Team Unfinished Business
In 2016 I had the opportunity to witness the start of the cannonball in Atlantic City.
I am riding a 1915 Harley Davidson 11F “Lucille” in the 2020 Cannonball. This will be my fourth Cannonball and my third on Lucille. She successfully completed all the miles in 2016 and 2018. I keep entertaining attempting this on a different motorcycle, but the 1915 Harley is so much fun to ride. This is such a great event. There is no better way to see the country then to do it at 45 mph and on secondary roads. We get to ride with people who end up becoming our close friends. Getting to talk with the people who come out to see this bit of insanity is great – we hear a lot of interesting stories. Late in 2019 I will disassemble the Harley to inspect and refresh anything that needs attention. In the 2018 Cannonball I did have some issues with a worn-out clutch that resulted in a broken rib when the bike threw me while accelerating through an intersection. Cannonball staff and fellow riders were nearby and helped me get back on the road again. My goal this time is no personal injuries… I’ll also miss Zeke Smith who was my support driver in 2018. He is my friends son and is starting engineering school in the summer of 2019. His parents were good enough to let him drive my support vehicle the “White Whale” by himself. I can’t imagine what it was like crossing the country by yourself just three weeks after turning 17! He did a great job and left some big boots to fill.
Special thanks to Jason, LeeAnn, and the entire Cannonball staff for continuing to put together such a great event and taking me places in our great country I have never been to before! I am still looking for the largest ball of twine – hopefully it’s on our route this time.
Regards,
Erik Bahl
#63
I have been riding motorcycle since I was very young. I have always been fascinated with the early
motorcycle and the CANNONBALL HOOKED ME! This will be my 2nd Cannonball race. My first cannonball
in 2018 was so much fun and challenging I just had to do it again. The 2020 Cannonball will be even
more difficult for me riding a 1911 single belt drive. The motor is only a whopping 4 hp engine. This is as
close to a bicycle with a motor as you can get! Challenging Yes! But I’m up for it!
Watch out 2020 Cannonball here I come!
TEAM DAKOTA