Doc's Harley-Davidson® - Nitro Drag Racing

The Story of Doc's Dragracing Career

Steve "Doc" Hopkins was born in Janesville, Wisconsin on April 21,1951. He moved to Algoma, Wisconsin in 1958. Even at a very early age he developed an interest in making things "go fast." As a kid, he was constantly tinkering with building his own minibikes, go-carts, snowmobiles, and even an airboat. In high school he built a V-8 360 Hemi-powered, push-button automatic go-cart. He was regularly seen "sailing" his bicycle down the streets of Algoma (yes, he put a sail on his bicycle). It didn't take long for his strong desire to lead him to his first Harley, a 1939 ULH Flathead that he purchased in pieces for $2. In about 1971, Doc & his best friend, "Big Jack" pooled their money and purchased his very first gas Harley dragbike & their common goal of "beating the import bikes" became a reality. Big Jack believed in Doc's riding abilities and together they raced every chance they got. A few years later, "Big Jack" lost his life in a motorcycle accident. Doc was devastated at the loss of his best friend, but vowed to continue his dragracing career. To this day, Doc's dragbike still has Big Jack's name on it. In about 1978 Doc built his very first Nitro bike. Over the years he made hundreds of passes on a progression of several different dragbikes. Dragracing Harleys remained Doc's true passion and he sacrificed a lot for it. One thing he never sacrificed was his reputation to be a fair, talented, innovative, & ambitious competitor. Over the course of his dragracing career Doc has held more than a few national championships & he even held a world record for 3 full years. His world record was only broken after a rule change allowed cubic inch size to be increased. He also achieved his own personal goal of reaching 200 MPH+ and to be in the 6 second bracket in the 1/4 mile. In 1995, his daughter Kersten made history as the youngest licensed nitro Harley pilot in the world at the age of 16. With over 30 years of Harley dragracing experience behind him, Doc continues to race his Top Fuel bike at various events across the nation. The Doc's Harley-Davidson raceteam continues to build a legacy that is second to none.
To be continued....

Doc (pictured below in the nearest lane) in his
early days of dragracing one of his first dragbikes
on the country roads of Northeast Wisconsin.

Kersten upgraded to a new bike for the 2007 season. The new bike features a wider 11" rear slick, a 120" Fast Cat motor, & a Bentec clutch. The new bike is about 100 lbs. heavier than the old one.
* 1st place at the Sturgis, SD AHDRA race
* Joined the 7 second club with a 7.85 E.T. at 166 MPH in the 1/4 mile in Bowling Green, KY
* 1.18 sec. 60' and a 7.83 ET and 4th place at Rockingham, NC
* 5th Place for the Pro-Dragster AHDRA Eastern Region 2007 season
* 1st Place AHDRA Nitro Outlaw Class Sturgis, SD 2008
* Personal best E.T. of 7.55 & MPH of 178 in 2009 season.

Bowling Green,
Kentucky Sept. 29, 2007

Photo by  Jerry- Eaglestar Photography

Sturgis 07'
Winner Circle

Looks like Dad approves of the burnout.
Doc's Legal Country
Drags Kaukauna, WI 07'

Photo by  Jason-Freeze
Frame Photography

A couple of last minute adjustments from Dad.
Doc's Legal Country
Drags Kaukauna, WI 07'

Photo by
Jason-Freeze
Frame Photography

Front tire off the ground & a cool rainbow too.
Union Grove 07'

Photo by
Mike Esser

My Story

I was born in 78' in Shawano, WI. My Dad, Steve "Doc" Hopkins, dragraced nitro Harleys since before I was born. While most little girls were playing with dolls, I was more interested in being in the shop with my dad learning about Harleys. Every day after school I'd ride the school bus to the shop. One of my favorite toys was a carburetor that my dad gave me to take apart & put together. My Aunt always said I was born with a grease rag in my back pocket. Thankfully, my mom, Esther, was always there to show me that I can still be a lady. She also taught me to be passionate, caring, & confident, but not to take crap from anyone.

In 83' my dad went from running a small Harley repair shop to being a Harley-Davidson dealer. I learned to ride a mini-bike at the age of 7 and never had much use for a pedal bike after that. I started going with my dad to every race that I could. I had a strong desire to learn all I could from him. I loved helping work on the bike, mixing fuel, and towing him back after every pass he made. For my 16th birthday, I got my first car, a 73' Cadillac Fleetwood. I started dragracing that same year & made history as the youngest Nitro Harley pilot in the world. I graduated from Shawano High in 97' and went on to college while still working full time at the dealership. In 00' I graduated from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College with high honors and a double major in Retail Mgmt & Marketing. My education has helped me a great deal to bring fresh new ideas to the dealership.

I married my husband, Shannon in 04'. Shannon has worked for the dealership since 1990 & is literally a walking encyclopedia of Harley-Davidson®. In August of 2010 we became parents & had a son, Ethan. In 2013, we had another son, Aksel. I absolutely love being a mom. Life is so much more vivid than ever before & they are by far my greatest treasure. I spend every moment I can with my sons. I also enjoy riding my street bike, boating, traveling, shopping, reading, cooking. I also have a fond love for animals.

The photos below are from the bike that Kersten ran from 1995-2006.