Updated 07/14/10
Jessica Brannam has had tremendous success on the track as a driver but is finding the business side of the sport a much more difficult competition.
Brannam, 19, from McHenry, has been racing go-karts since 2000 and has won 24 national championships. She also has spent many years racing mini-sprints.
Now Brannam is looking to move up to the Star Mazda Pro Series, an open wheel series. She said the move from karts to the Mazda series was significant particularly in the weight of the cars, speed and shifting/clutching.
“The difference is just unbelievable,” she said. “I don’t know if you could really compare it [to karts].”
Brannam said while Mazda presents some big challenges she was anxious about moving up. With more than nine years of experience racing karts she said she was ready for something new.
“I’m so excited to get into something that challenges me,” Brannam said. “I’ve been in go-karts since I was nine, it’s time to make something of myself.”
Brannam signed a letter of intent to compete with Stars & Stripes Motorsports in the Mazda Series and is looking for funding.
She said it was a rude awakening when she realized that success as a racer isn’t solely dependent on success on the track.
“It was a big wakeup call. It’s not as enjoyable as the racing side,” Brannam said of the business side of racing. “I’d say it’s 80 percent of the racing experience. It’s something you’ve got to do.”
The move up to Mazda not only means bigger and faster cars but also the need for more money.
“Doing karts, sponsors came so much easier,” Brannam said. “It was so much easier to get 200 bucks versus thousands.”
Brannam said that she was happy that her mother and manager, Diane Brannam, handled much of the business side of racing.
Diane Brannam said that the poor economy had made finding sponsors difficult.
“All the companies are cutting back,” Diane Brannam said. “I feel like I’ve failed, but when I hear everybody else is struggling I don’t feel so bad.
Diane Brannam said that it was frustrating to have money be the only obstacle in the way of her daughter’s progress.
“There’s people that Jessica has beat that are racing now because they have the money,” Diane Brannam said. “It doesn’t matter how good or talented you are, they want the money.”
For now, Jessica Brannam is working toward getting certified in physical fitness training at McHenry County College and working at Health Bridge Fitness Center.
• Rob Smith is a sports writer for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at rsmith@nwherald.com.
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