Cox Competition Co-Driver Bio:
Kaari is not a "natural gearhead" like driver/husband Jim. For her, rallying initially fell under the heading "The Things We Do For Love" ("can you come out to the garage and help me wrench on the truck?" "But it's 11:30 at night!"). However, after their unexpected fun and success at their first rally, Sno*Drift, she is just as hooked as he is--which is a good thing. "We're both very obsessive people," Kaari explains, "and we're happiest when we have an obsession we can share."
Kaari's racing experience in the past has been in off-road motorcycle events called Enduros and Harescrambles (another Jim-inspired obsession), mountain bike races, and speedskating. "It's strange that I've been involved in so much racing, because I'm really a speed wimp," Kaari says. "Speedskating is the only kind of racing I've done where I've actually felt the thrill of going fast, and where I've just wanted to go faster and faster--probably because the consequences of crashing are so minor." Athough she has been the Minnesota Women's State Champion in Enduros or Harescrambles six times in the 13 years she has been racing, she attributes this success more to consistency than to speed. "After co-driving Sno*Drift I know why I'm so slow on my bike. Every time Jim went into a corner I was sure he was going WAY too fast to make the turn. My instructions were like "90 left in 50, slow down, there's the turn, slow down, OK, next instruction...SLOW DOWN!" Although Kaari thought co-driving was a lot of fun, Jim obviously doesn't have to worry that she'll want to take over the driving duties someday!
Kaari is a Special Education teacher with the Minnetonka School district. She lives in Corcoran with husband Jim and dog Fletcher. In addition to rallying and dirt bike racing, the couple also enjoys snowmobiling, mountain biking, and playing broomball.