comments link fixed
Wed, Jul 11 2007 05:48 | Read Comments
Tue, Jul 10 2007 06:28 | Read Comments
Jessica's Race Recap
Championship Enduro Series Race #4
Grattan Raceway
Grattan, MI
June 29-30 & July 1 2007
Friday June 29:
It just seems like we have used up some of our good luck over the past few years. Friday practice days have not been very kind to me this year. I know it is just a test day, but without the testing time, we are trying to catch up with the competition on race day.
Saturday June 30:
We are finally staring to get enough track time with the Animal kart and it is starting to show. In the 335 Animal race I was very fast. Early in the race I was in the lead and feeling really good about how things were going. Unfortunately that good feeling did not last. 4 laps into the race my exhaust header came loose. This made my motor loose power and I fell back from the lead pack. I finished the race in 7th place. I am not happy with my finishing position, but I am happy that we were FINALLY fast enough to lead an Animal race.
As always, I was very excited before the start of the CIK SSX Yamaha race. I was very fast in practice and my kart was handling well.
The race was as competitive as I expected it to be. My best friend and biggest competitor, Josh Lane, was right in front of me and my teammate, Regan Verhing was right on my rear bumper.
We raced each other hard for the first 4 laps. That is when my teammate lost his exhaust and dropped out of the race. After that it was just Josh and I. I knew I could pass him with no problem at the end of the race and take the win.
That was just not meant to happen. On the last lap I was “bumped” off line by a faster kart in another class. When this happened, I just barely hit the exhaust that Regan lost earlier. It split open my left rear wheel and cut my tire. I was able to limp around to the finish line and finished the race in 3rd place.
Oh, by the way, I broke the track record by 3.5 second during the race.
Sunday July 1:
Yes! Things are starting to look up for us with the Animal kart. I was fast once again in the 360 Animal race. I stayed with the leaders and finished the race in 4th place. This is my best finish yet in an Animal kart.
We still have a lot to learn, but it was nice to finally be fast.
My crew made some changes to my kart before the start of the CIK SSX Yamaha race. We wanted to try some experimental things to see if we could go even faster. We can take some chances in this class on Sunday since I am leading the points standings.
Well, the new ideas my crew had worked like a charm. We lead most of the race and took the win. It was not an easy race however. Regan raced me hard all the way to the finish. I ended up beating him to the finish line by only 2 inches.
The changes my crew made not only helped me win the race, I also broke the track record for this class by almost 5 seconds!
Championship Enduro Series Race #4
Grattan Raceway
Grattan, MI
June 29-30 & July 1 2007
Friday June 29:
It just seems like we have used up some of our good luck over the past few years. Friday practice days have not been very kind to me this year. I know it is just a test day, but without the testing time, we are trying to catch up with the competition on race day.
Saturday June 30:
We are finally staring to get enough track time with the Animal kart and it is starting to show. In the 335 Animal race I was very fast. Early in the race I was in the lead and feeling really good about how things were going. Unfortunately that good feeling did not last. 4 laps into the race my exhaust header came loose. This made my motor loose power and I fell back from the lead pack. I finished the race in 7th place. I am not happy with my finishing position, but I am happy that we were FINALLY fast enough to lead an Animal race.
As always, I was very excited before the start of the CIK SSX Yamaha race. I was very fast in practice and my kart was handling well.
The race was as competitive as I expected it to be. My best friend and biggest competitor, Josh Lane, was right in front of me and my teammate, Regan Verhing was right on my rear bumper.
We raced each other hard for the first 4 laps. That is when my teammate lost his exhaust and dropped out of the race. After that it was just Josh and I. I knew I could pass him with no problem at the end of the race and take the win.
That was just not meant to happen. On the last lap I was “bumped” off line by a faster kart in another class. When this happened, I just barely hit the exhaust that Regan lost earlier. It split open my left rear wheel and cut my tire. I was able to limp around to the finish line and finished the race in 3rd place.
Oh, by the way, I broke the track record by 3.5 second during the race.
Sunday July 1:
Yes! Things are starting to look up for us with the Animal kart. I was fast once again in the 360 Animal race. I stayed with the leaders and finished the race in 4th place. This is my best finish yet in an Animal kart.
We still have a lot to learn, but it was nice to finally be fast.
My crew made some changes to my kart before the start of the CIK SSX Yamaha race. We wanted to try some experimental things to see if we could go even faster. We can take some chances in this class on Sunday since I am leading the points standings.
Well, the new ideas my crew had worked like a charm. We lead most of the race and took the win. It was not an easy race however. Regan raced me hard all the way to the finish. I ended up beating him to the finish line by only 2 inches.
The changes my crew made not only helped me win the race, I also broke the track record for this class by almost 5 seconds!
Road America Recap
Tue, Jun 12 2007 06:26 | Read Comments
Jessica's Race Recap
Championship Enduro Series Race #3
River Valley Kart Club Race #2
Badger Kart Club Road Race #1
Road America
Elkhart Lake, WI
June 8-10 2007
Friday June 8:
Different day same old story. We had nothing but troubles with our Animal motor all day. We did not even get one good practice session in. I don't know what it will take, but we need to work with our motor builder and get things fixed. I am always behind on my performance because we have not been able to get any testing done with my Animal kart.
My Yamaha kart was running great and I was very fast in it.
Saturday June 9:
It is very hard to have confidence before a race when you have not had any practice and you don't know what your kart is going to do. At least the good people at Briggs and Stratton loaned me a motor so I could race.
At the beginning of the Briggs Animal 335 race I got a good start. I was just as fast as the the lead pack. I was pushed off line by a slower kart and lost the lead draft for a moment. I pushd my kart and myself very hard. By the end of the race I caught up to the tail end of the lead pack. I made a few passes and worked my way up to a 6th place finish.
I have so much confidence in my Yamaha kart. I know that I am usually the one to beat and so does everyone else. They are all gunning for me and it forces me to push myself to the limit all the time.
Today was no different. I pulled to the front and was well on my way to another win in the CIK SSX Yamaha #1 class. 2 laps into the race I was out front with 2 karts right on my back bumper. As we came out of the last turn to start the next lap my motor revved up high. I knew my race was over, but I did not know what the problem was. This was my first DNF in I don't know how long. I finished the race in 19th place.
When we got back to the pits my crew discovered that the crankshaft on my motor broke. This is the 2nd motor we have lost in the last 2 weekends. I don't know how we are going to pay to get it fixed since our budget is so tight. If anyone has $1,000 laying around, please feel free to contact me!
Sunday June 10:
At the beginning of the Briggs 360 race I got my best start ever. I was right up front and feeling very good. 2 laps into the race my motor started to rattle. One lap latter my clutch came apart and locked up. I was able to finish the race, but I was way behind. I finished in 9th place and lost even more ground in the points chase. If we ever get in a good day of testing I know we can figure things out.
As bad as things were going I was afraid to even go on the track for the CIK SSX Yamaha #2 race. My crew put my back-up motor on the kart and we felt like we were ready to go. When the green flag dropped I went straight to the front, again. The race was exciting for awhile. It was me and 3 other karts racing hard for the lead. One by one I was able to shake them all off until I was out in front all by myself. I took the win by 25 seconds over 2nd place. Along the way I also broke the old track record by 3.5 seconds. At least I had some redemption after such a bad weekend.
Championship Enduro Series Race #3
River Valley Kart Club Race #2
Badger Kart Club Road Race #1
Road America
Elkhart Lake, WI
June 8-10 2007
Friday June 8:
Different day same old story. We had nothing but troubles with our Animal motor all day. We did not even get one good practice session in. I don't know what it will take, but we need to work with our motor builder and get things fixed. I am always behind on my performance because we have not been able to get any testing done with my Animal kart.
My Yamaha kart was running great and I was very fast in it.
Saturday June 9:
It is very hard to have confidence before a race when you have not had any practice and you don't know what your kart is going to do. At least the good people at Briggs and Stratton loaned me a motor so I could race.
At the beginning of the Briggs Animal 335 race I got a good start. I was just as fast as the the lead pack. I was pushed off line by a slower kart and lost the lead draft for a moment. I pushd my kart and myself very hard. By the end of the race I caught up to the tail end of the lead pack. I made a few passes and worked my way up to a 6th place finish.
I have so much confidence in my Yamaha kart. I know that I am usually the one to beat and so does everyone else. They are all gunning for me and it forces me to push myself to the limit all the time.
Today was no different. I pulled to the front and was well on my way to another win in the CIK SSX Yamaha #1 class. 2 laps into the race I was out front with 2 karts right on my back bumper. As we came out of the last turn to start the next lap my motor revved up high. I knew my race was over, but I did not know what the problem was. This was my first DNF in I don't know how long. I finished the race in 19th place.
When we got back to the pits my crew discovered that the crankshaft on my motor broke. This is the 2nd motor we have lost in the last 2 weekends. I don't know how we are going to pay to get it fixed since our budget is so tight. If anyone has $1,000 laying around, please feel free to contact me!
Sunday June 10:
At the beginning of the Briggs 360 race I got my best start ever. I was right up front and feeling very good. 2 laps into the race my motor started to rattle. One lap latter my clutch came apart and locked up. I was able to finish the race, but I was way behind. I finished in 9th place and lost even more ground in the points chase. If we ever get in a good day of testing I know we can figure things out.
As bad as things were going I was afraid to even go on the track for the CIK SSX Yamaha #2 race. My crew put my back-up motor on the kart and we felt like we were ready to go. When the green flag dropped I went straight to the front, again. The race was exciting for awhile. It was me and 3 other karts racing hard for the lead. One by one I was able to shake them all off until I was out in front all by myself. I took the win by 25 seconds over 2nd place. Along the way I also broke the old track record by 3.5 seconds. At least I had some redemption after such a bad weekend.
Badger race #4 results
Thu, May 24 2007 03:01 | Read Comments
Jessica's Race Recap
Badger Kart Club Race #4
Badger Raceway
Dousman, WI
May 19&20 2007
Saturday April 28:
Saturday testing went pretty well. We had plenty of power, but had a hard time getting the kart to feel comfortable for me. We also found out latter in the day that our clutch was not quite correct. Even with all this said, it was still a decent day.
Sunday April 29:
There are some National level driver that compete at Badger almost every weekend. They are very tough to beat and it is even harder for someone like me that does not race at Badger all the time. I know that sounds like excuses, but what I means is that when you do good against these guys, you know you are doing well.
Heat race #1:
I started in the middle of the pack and quickly moved to the front. I finished the race in 4th place. I was happy that I made some passes, but I knew we had some work to do if we were to compete with the “fast” guys. The kart did not handle very well and we would have to fix the problem before the next heat race.
Heat race #2:
Once again I started the race in the middle. I went into the lead and held it for most of the race. I missed the apex heading into the infield portion of the track on the last lap. This aloud second place to get by me and take the win away. I made a mistake and it cost me. Oh well. We still had the feature to race and I now knew that we were fast enough to win.
Feature race:
Because of the mistake I made in the first race I had to start the feature in 3rd place. As we entered turn one at the start of the race I was forced off the track. I was pushed back to 4th place and that is where I stayed. I was just as fast as the winner and finished right behind him. This track is just so tight and small and it is so hard to pass another kart. I know 4th place does not sound like a very good finish, but believe me, we made HUGE improvements from the last time we raced at Badger. If we keep making gains like we did this time, we will win a race very soon.
Thanks
Jess
Badger Kart Club Race #4
Badger Raceway
Dousman, WI
May 19&20 2007
Saturday April 28:
Saturday testing went pretty well. We had plenty of power, but had a hard time getting the kart to feel comfortable for me. We also found out latter in the day that our clutch was not quite correct. Even with all this said, it was still a decent day.
Sunday April 29:
There are some National level driver that compete at Badger almost every weekend. They are very tough to beat and it is even harder for someone like me that does not race at Badger all the time. I know that sounds like excuses, but what I means is that when you do good against these guys, you know you are doing well.
Heat race #1:
I started in the middle of the pack and quickly moved to the front. I finished the race in 4th place. I was happy that I made some passes, but I knew we had some work to do if we were to compete with the “fast” guys. The kart did not handle very well and we would have to fix the problem before the next heat race.
Heat race #2:
Once again I started the race in the middle. I went into the lead and held it for most of the race. I missed the apex heading into the infield portion of the track on the last lap. This aloud second place to get by me and take the win away. I made a mistake and it cost me. Oh well. We still had the feature to race and I now knew that we were fast enough to win.
Feature race:
Because of the mistake I made in the first race I had to start the feature in 3rd place. As we entered turn one at the start of the race I was forced off the track. I was pushed back to 4th place and that is where I stayed. I was just as fast as the winner and finished right behind him. This track is just so tight and small and it is so hard to pass another kart. I know 4th place does not sound like a very good finish, but believe me, we made HUGE improvements from the last time we raced at Badger. If we keep making gains like we did this time, we will win a race very soon.
Thanks
Jess
Gingerman results
Thu, May 24 2007 02:58 | Read Comments
Jessica's Race Recap
Championship Enduro Series Race #2
Gingerman Raceway
South Haven, MI
May 11-13 2007
Friday May 11:
Once again Friday was an up and down day for my crew and I. During the first lap of the first practice session my Yamaha motor broke. My crew was so busy working on my Animal kart the rest of the day that they did not have time to put my back up motor on my CIK Yamaha kart.
The good news was that we were able to test with my Animal kart for the first time this year. We used our time wisely and learned a lot.
Saturday April 14:
My first race of the day was in the Briggs Animal 335 class. I was more confident now than I was at Gateway. We got in a good day of practice on Friday and I felt I was ready for the race. Things started out well. I was able to race with the leaders for the first half of the race. Then just as I felt good about how things were going, I was knocked off the track by a lapped kart. This caused me to loose the leaders draft and I quickly fell behind. I finished the race in 6th place. I was not happy with 6th place, however it was an improvement from what we did at Gateway.
The next race of the day was CIK Yamaha SSX #1. I was a little nervous since we did not get to practice with this kart. When the green flag waived my nerves went away. I took the lead right away and never looked back. Even though I did lead the race from start to finish, it was still a hard fight. My teammate and I started the race nose to tail. It did not take long for another driver to work his way in between us and break our draft. I was followed VERY closely for the whole race. At the last corner on the last lap the second place kart made a hard charge to take the lead from me. He could not do it and I ended up winning the race by about 2 feet. During the race I also set a new track record, beating the old record by 3 SECONDS.
Sunday April 15:
I felt a little bit better today since we did so good the day before. The CIK Yamaha SSX #2 race was almost a repeat of the Saturday race. I took the lead from the start and never gave it up. My teammate was able to stay with me for most of the race. After about the half way point I was able to shake him off of my draft. From there the race was mine. I went on to take the win by almost half a lap over second place. I also improved the time I set on Saturday by breaking the track record in this class by 3.1 SECONDS.
With each Briggs Animal race I compete in, I gain a little more confidence. We keep learning more each time we race in this class and it shows. In Sundays Briggs Animal 360 class I felt like we had a chance to do well. I was just as fast as the leaders, and I was able to take my first top 5 finish. I was happy with my 5th place finish, but I can't wait to win my first Briggs Animal race. We are new to 4 Cycle racing and we still have A LOT to learn. I know we will get there. I just keep looking at how strong we are in the Yamaha classes and that gives me the confidence to know we will start leading races in Animal very soon.
Thanks
Jess
Championship Enduro Series Race #2
Gingerman Raceway
South Haven, MI
May 11-13 2007
Friday May 11:
Once again Friday was an up and down day for my crew and I. During the first lap of the first practice session my Yamaha motor broke. My crew was so busy working on my Animal kart the rest of the day that they did not have time to put my back up motor on my CIK Yamaha kart.
The good news was that we were able to test with my Animal kart for the first time this year. We used our time wisely and learned a lot.
Saturday April 14:
My first race of the day was in the Briggs Animal 335 class. I was more confident now than I was at Gateway. We got in a good day of practice on Friday and I felt I was ready for the race. Things started out well. I was able to race with the leaders for the first half of the race. Then just as I felt good about how things were going, I was knocked off the track by a lapped kart. This caused me to loose the leaders draft and I quickly fell behind. I finished the race in 6th place. I was not happy with 6th place, however it was an improvement from what we did at Gateway.
The next race of the day was CIK Yamaha SSX #1. I was a little nervous since we did not get to practice with this kart. When the green flag waived my nerves went away. I took the lead right away and never looked back. Even though I did lead the race from start to finish, it was still a hard fight. My teammate and I started the race nose to tail. It did not take long for another driver to work his way in between us and break our draft. I was followed VERY closely for the whole race. At the last corner on the last lap the second place kart made a hard charge to take the lead from me. He could not do it and I ended up winning the race by about 2 feet. During the race I also set a new track record, beating the old record by 3 SECONDS.
Sunday April 15:
I felt a little bit better today since we did so good the day before. The CIK Yamaha SSX #2 race was almost a repeat of the Saturday race. I took the lead from the start and never gave it up. My teammate was able to stay with me for most of the race. After about the half way point I was able to shake him off of my draft. From there the race was mine. I went on to take the win by almost half a lap over second place. I also improved the time I set on Saturday by breaking the track record in this class by 3.1 SECONDS.
With each Briggs Animal race I compete in, I gain a little more confidence. We keep learning more each time we race in this class and it shows. In Sundays Briggs Animal 360 class I felt like we had a chance to do well. I was just as fast as the leaders, and I was able to take my first top 5 finish. I was happy with my 5th place finish, but I can't wait to win my first Briggs Animal race. We are new to 4 Cycle racing and we still have A LOT to learn. I know we will get there. I just keep looking at how strong we are in the Yamaha classes and that gives me the confidence to know we will start leading races in Animal very soon.
Thanks
Jess
Site updates
Thu, May 24 2007 02:49 | Read Comments
Hello everyone,
I am sad to say that my webmaster is experiencing some serious family problems right now. Therefore, he is not going to be able to update my website for awhile. For the time being, I am going to post my race results on the blog page of my website. Please keep checking back for updates.
I want to apologize to my fans and most of all to my sponsors for this inconvenience. I hope that you all can understand why I have told my webmaster to take his time in dealing with the events that have taken place. I ALWAYS believe that family comes first.
I will post a blog letting everyone know when he is back to work. Like I said before, in the mean time please keep checking this page for updates.
Thanks
Jess
I am sad to say that my webmaster is experiencing some serious family problems right now. Therefore, he is not going to be able to update my website for awhile. For the time being, I am going to post my race results on the blog page of my website. Please keep checking back for updates.
I want to apologize to my fans and most of all to my sponsors for this inconvenience. I hope that you all can understand why I have told my webmaster to take his time in dealing with the events that have taken place. I ALWAYS believe that family comes first.
I will post a blog letting everyone know when he is back to work. Like I said before, in the mean time please keep checking this page for updates.
Thanks
Jess
Lyn St James Luncheon
Tue, May 22 2007 07:24 | Read Comments
I am being honored for the 5th year in a row at the Lyn St James Women In The Winners Circle Luncheon. It is such an honor to be chosen as one of the top female drivers in the world. I truly appreciate Ms. St James recognizing my accomplishments and rewarding my hard work by selecting me to be honored at such a prestigious event.
Please go to http://www.lynstjames.com/ for more information.
Thanks Jess
Please go to http://www.lynstjames.com/ for more information.
Thanks Jess
jessicabrannam.com relaunch
Sun, Apr 22 2007 04:33 | Read Comments
Hello to everyone. I would like to welcome you all to the new and improved jessicabrannam.com. It has been redesigned to be more appealing and user friendly.
Please let me know what you think about the new format. Also, I would greatly appreciate it if you would let me know if you find any errors on my new site.
Please check back often to view updates.
Thanks Jess
Please let me know what you think about the new format. Also, I would greatly appreciate it if you would let me know if you find any errors on my new site.
Please check back often to view updates.
Thanks Jess
Post a Comment (1)