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ST. LOUIS, MO. SX RD 12 04/06/02

Branden drew the first 125 heat race last night, and from the line-up call on the EXPN audio webcast had around the 4th gate pick. Steve Boniface ( 36 ) would get the holeshot with Branden in 2nd. Branden got around Steve briefly for the lead, but by turn 4 in lap 1, Steve got back passed 28 for good. Then Tommy Hofmaster passed 28 briefly, Branden block passed him back almost immediately to regain 2nd position and they ran it out from there finishing finishing 1 – 2, 36 & 28. Mike Brown moved into 3rd in lap 2 of the 6 lapper, and went on to finish 3rd followed by Larry Ward in 4th. Boniface’s lead on Branden in lap 5 was 2.1 sec., at the flag it was 1.3 sec., so 28 was charging hard at the end of that race. The 2nd place in the heat ensured Branden of at least 4th gate pick in the main event, very nice.

Grant Langston would take the flag first over Chad Reed in 2nd for the second 125 heat race win, followed by Buddy Antunez in 3rd, and newcomer/Frenchman Eric Sorby in 4th. Sorby, the 22 year old, imported by the ProCircuit/Kawasaki team to race the remainder of both the 125 East & West schedules finished 3rd in his first effort two weeks ago in Houston, proving he could serve as a bit of a spoiler for guys looking to improve their positions in the 125 overall point standings this year.

The stage set for the main event, the gate falls and Kelly Smith gets yet another holeshot ( his 4th this year), followed by Larry Ward, Chad Reed, and Eric Sorby. The run down in the first lap had Branden’s first call @ 9th, or so, as close as I could tell. Good racing up front for a couple laps predictably put Chad Reed up front with Smith and Ward between him and a surprising Ryan Clark and a hard charging Grant Langston in 5th, Branden’s call at this point was 15th… I’m guessing, feeling a sense of urgency to pressure the front early there was an incident that dropped him 6 places. It would not be the last! About mid-way through the race, after getting around Clark, Langston is working on Ward for 3rd when they come together in a tricky rhythm section of the track and take each other out. Lots of shuffling going on now leaves Smith in 2nd now dogged by Sorby, Branden’s call at this point is 10th. A couple of laps later Kelly Smith would go down under a yellow flag in the same section of the track, Sorby inherits 2nd, it’s wild, he would finish there behind Reed. Greg Schnell ( tied with 28 for 7th overall coming in ) greatly helped himself with a podium 3rd place finish, with Jeff Gibson & Josh Woods between him and Branden Jesseman in 6th for the day. A fine effort, again, in a move from a near the rear early situation.

While the top two East spots are all but settled, barring unforeseeable catastrophe Reed & Brown, last night’s race significantly tightened spots 8 through 3. Langston & Ward dropped from 5th & 6th respectively to 7th & 8th, replaced by Schnell & Jesseman in 5th & 6th, respectively… the two were tied in 7th with 61 pts. With only Pontiac, next week, remaining in the East series, plus the Vegas finale after the last two West series races in Dallas & Salt Lake City, here’s a kinda’ before/after comparison of the top 8 overall point positions in the East:

Going in Pts. Coming out Pts.

1. Chad Reed 125 Chad Reed 150

2. Mike Brown 102 Mike Brown 109

3. Steve Boniface 76 Steve Boniface 88

4. Buddy Antunez 69 Buddy Antunez 82

5. Grant Langston 69 Greg Schnell 81

6. Larry Ward 68 Branden Jesseman 76

7. Greg Schnell 61 Grant Langston 70

8. Branden Jesseman 61 Larry Ward 70

While I’m sure Branden is not real happy with letting Greg Schnell gap him into 5th, and probably views it as a missed opportunity to close more on Steve Boniface in 3rd, last night’s performance was solid. Only 6 pts. out of 4th, and 12 pts. out of 3rd… it could have been worse, as evidenced by many others misfortune @ St. Louis. That’s why they run the race every week, anything could happen… and usually does. I’m really looking forward to Pontiac, and I can’t even describe Big Eric’s anticipation. Branden, I believe, still has positive momentum going into this last race of the East series, and will be devining ways to orchestrate the outcome all week.

See ya’ in Pontiac.

Sled Dog & Big Eric

[email protected]


	BRANDEN JESSEMAN.NET \| home About Me \| Heads Up \| This Hurts \| Little E's Page \| Race Results \| Photo Album \| Slide Show's \| Favorite Links \| Contact Me \| Race Results District 5 \| Overall Points \| Downloads \| Race Schedule \| Other Racers From Fombell Area Heads Up ST. LOUIS, MO. SX RD 12 04/06/02 Branden drew the first 125 heat race last night, and from the line-up call on the EXPN audio webcast had around the 4th gate pick. Steve Boniface ( 36 ) would get the holeshot with Branden in 2nd. Branden got around Steve briefly for the lead, but by turn 4 in lap 1, Steve got back passed 28 for good. Then Tommy Hofmaster passed 28 briefly, Branden block passed him back almost immediately to regain 2nd position and they ran it out from there finishing finishing 1 – 2, 36 & 28. Mike Brown moved into 3rd in lap 2 of the 6 lapper, and went on to finish 3rd followed by Larry Ward in 4th. Boniface’s lead on Branden in lap 5 was 2.1 sec., at the flag it was 1.3 sec., so 28 was charging hard at the end of that race. The 2nd place in the heat ensured Branden of at least 4th gate pick in the main event, very nice. Grant Langston would take the flag first over Chad Reed in 2nd for the second 125 heat race win, followed by Buddy Antunez in 3rd, and newcomer/Frenchman Eric Sorby in 4th. Sorby, the 22 year old, imported by the ProCircuit/Kawasaki team to race the remainder of both the 125 East & West schedules finished 3rd in his first effort two weeks ago in Houston, proving he could serve as a bit of a spoiler for guys looking to improve their positions in the 125 overall point standings this year. The stage set for the main event, the gate falls and Kelly Smith gets yet another holeshot ( his 4th this year), followed by Larry Ward, Chad Reed, and Eric Sorby. The run down in the first lap had Branden’s first call @ 9th, or so, as close as I could tell. Good racing up front for a couple laps predictably put Chad Reed up front with Smith and Ward between him and a surprising Ryan Clark and a hard charging Grant Langston in 5th, Branden’s call at this point was 15th… I’m guessing, feeling a sense of urgency to pressure the front early there was an incident that dropped him 6 places. It would not be the last! About mid-way through the race, after getting around Clark, Langston is working on Ward for 3rd when they come together in a tricky rhythm section of the track and take each other out. Lots of shuffling going on now leaves Smith in 2nd now dogged by Sorby, Branden’s call at this point is 10th. A couple of laps later Kelly Smith would go down under a yellow flag in the same section of the track, Sorby inherits 2nd, it’s wild, he would finish there behind Reed. Greg Schnell ( tied with 28 for 7th overall coming in ) greatly helped himself with a podium 3rd place finish, with Jeff Gibson & Josh Woods between him and Branden Jesseman in 6th for the day. A fine effort, again, in a move from a near the rear early situation. While the top two East spots are all but settled, barring unforeseeable catastrophe Reed & Brown, last night’s race significantly tightened spots 8 through 3. Langston & Ward dropped from 5th & 6th respectively to 7th & 8th, replaced by Schnell & Jesseman in 5th & 6th, respectively… the two were tied in 7th with 61 pts. With only Pontiac, next week, remaining in the East series, plus the Vegas finale after the last two West series races in Dallas & Salt Lake City, here’s a kinda’ before/after comparison of the top 8 overall point positions in the East: Going in Pts. Coming out Pts. 1. Chad Reed 125 Chad Reed 150 2. Mike Brown 102 Mike Brown 109 3. Steve Boniface 76 Steve Boniface 88 4. Buddy Antunez 69 Buddy Antunez 82 5. Grant Langston 69 Greg Schnell 81 6. Larry Ward 68 Branden Jesseman 76 7. Greg Schnell 61 Grant Langston 70 8. Branden Jesseman 61 Larry Ward 70 While I’m sure Branden is not real happy with letting Greg Schnell gap him into 5th, and probably views it as a missed opportunity to close more on Steve Boniface in 3rd, last night’s performance was solid. Only 6 pts. out of 4th, and 12 pts. out of 3rd… it could have been worse, as evidenced by many others misfortune @ St. Louis. That’s why they run the race every week, anything could happen… and usually does. I’m really looking forward to Pontiac, and I can’t even describe Big Eric’s anticipation. Branden, I believe, still has positive momentum going into this last race of the East series, and will be devining ways to orchestrate the outcome all week. See ya’ in Pontiac. Sled Dog & Big Eric [email protected]