CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki Season Finale at Sam Boyd Stadium

Sam Boyd Stadium has long been the final stop on the FIM Supercross Series. A perfect place to hold a grand celebration of a tremendous year for the entire Supercross community.

The East / West Shootout brought out the top riders from the East to take on the top riders from the West for Lites Class bragging rights. CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki has 3 Lites riders that qualified for this event. Branden Jesseman would represent the East side for CANIDAE while Kyle Cunningham and P.J. Larsen would represent the West for the team. During the second practice session, Jesseman would go down hard over a tricky, triple in, double out section and knock himself out of the event. Kyle Cunningham would go down with 2 laps to go in his qualifier then suffer from a bad start in the LCQ which would result in him not making the main. The lone CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki Lites rider would be rookie, P.J. Larsen.

P.J. got pinched off in the first corner, resulting in a bad start as he flew off the ski jump in 19th place. Larsen looked like he was riding tight, as he could not cleanly get around obviously slower riders early on in the race. After lap 3, Larsen calmed down and started to move forward. On lap 6, Larsen was 17th. By lap 9, he was up to 16th then up another spot by lap 11. On the 13th lap, Larsen would move into the 14th place spot where he would eventually finish the race. This was a good ride for this young, up and coming rider. Look for him to run up front next year.

As the season ends, P.J. Larsen finishes in 10th place and Kyle Cunningham in 11th in the West Coast Points Championship with Branden Jesseman finishing in 6th place and Hunter Hewitt in the 33rd position (Hunter has missed most of the season with a broken femur) in the East Coast Championship Series.

Tommy Hahn was set to do battle in the Supercross Class and battle he did. Tommy would figure out the tricky Las Vegas track and qualify out of his heat, directly into the main event. In the main, Tommy would get a bad jump off the start and cross the finish line in 17th place. He would however show his speed and move up quickly through the field, ending up in 12th place by lap five. After a 3 lap battle with Bowers, Hahn would cross the line in 13th place at the halfway point in the race. As Hahn closed in on the riders in front of him, Hahn’s bike malfunctioned as he pounded his way through the treacherous whoops. The night was over for Tommy as was the 2009 Supercross season. Hahn would finish the Championship Series in 19th place and looks forward to heading out doors for the MX Nationals.

CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods sponsors the "Lucky Dog" L.C.Q., which is the final opportunity for all remaining riders to make it into the "Big Show.” In the “Lites” class, Daniel Blair and Chris Blose transferred into the main and in the “Supercross” class; Robert Kiniry took the win followed by Kyle Partridge to move into their respective main events.

Next up for the CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki Team is the 2009, AMA Outdoor Nationals. This will be a tough series but the CANIDAE team should run up front all year. Come check it out as the season kicks off May 23rd in San Bernardino, CA. See you there!

Jason Cobb

AMA Supercross Wraps up in Jacksonville Florida

When the AMA Monster Energy Supercross Series made its second visit to the state of Florida it was not just another race, it was history. Why you may ask? Because this was the first time the city of Jacksonville has hosted an AMA Supercross Event and boy did they make a great debut. The track was in mint condition, the fans were great and the racing was even better. This was the final round of the East Coast Lites Series and the #74 of Branden Jesseman was looking to go out with a bang.

Qualifying in 4th for his Heat Race Jesseman was looking primed to put his CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki up front in Heat Race #1. After a bad start the #74 was on the outside of the top-9 looking in. Midway through Heat #1 Jesseman was battling bar-to-bar trying to get into the top-9 when the #981 of Austin Stroupe ran into his back tire causing Jesseman to go down. Jesseman was able to regroup and make a hard charge at the ninth spot but it too little too late for the #74 as he found himself outside the top-9 and heading to the LCQ.

In the LCQ Jesseman was able to put his Heat Race behind him and jump out to a great start. He quickly found himself up front and never looked back, leading his CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki to an easy win in the LCQ.

Jesseman faced a tough challenge for the start of the Main Event seeing as the #74 would have the second to last gate pick and found himself placed way on the outside. When the gate dropped for the Main Event Jesseman quickly found himself pushed to the outside and buried deep in the pack. After the third lap Jesseman was still buried mid-pack and fighting his way to the front. A few laps later Jesseman had fought his way into the top-10 and was steadily gaining momentum. As the checkered flagged waved in the wind Jesseman found his #74 crossing the line in 8th place. While he didn't end the series how he wanted too, he proved he could fight his way through the pack and into a top-ten position. Jesseman ended the series one point behind rookie Blake Wharton for fifth place, (Jesseman finished in sixth place). While the East Coast Series has ended watch out for Jesseman when the Supercross Series heads to Las Vegas for the East/West Shootout.

Coming off a DNF in Toronto in the #48 of Tommy Hahn was looking to finally put it all together as the AMA Monster Energy Supercross Series returned to the states. After failing to qualify in his Heat Race Hahn was staring down the barrel of the LCQ. But instead of letting the past affect him the #48 pushed as hard as ever and pushed his CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki to a second place finish in the LCQ. Having a similar gate pick to the CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki Lites rider Branden Jesseman, Hahn knew he was going to have to come from the middle of the pack if he was going to put his #48 in a top-ten position.

As the gated dropped for the Main Event, Hahn found himself pushed way to the outside and buried deep in the pack. But Hahn would push his #48 to his best ride of the year as he found himself inside the top-ten after lap 8. Instead of being satisfied with his first top-ten of the year Hahn would battle his way up to the 7th position as the checkered flag dropped. This was the best finish of the year for Hahn and after a season of injuries and bad luck the #48 of Tommy Hahn is looking like he has finally put it all together.

Jacksonville marked the end of the season for the East Coast Lites series, but don't worry Supercross fans, the West Coast Lites Series returns in two weeks when the series heads out west to Seattle. And look for the CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki West Coast Lites Team of P.J. Larsen and Kyle Cunningham to be as strong as ever after having six weeks off to work out any adjustments.

A quick injury update for the CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki Lites Team. Hunter Hewitt is still rehabbing his broken femur and hoping to return for the outdoor season in May.

Check back in two weeks for the Seattle Race Report.

CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki – Canada Hosts Series in the Rogers Centre in Toronto

When the AMA Monster Energy Supercross Series headed north of the border for round 7 of the East Coast Lites series the #74 of Branden Jesseman was looking to rebound after failing to qualify for the main event in St. Louis. With one of the fastest qualifying times coming out of practice Jesseman was feeling confident going into Heat Race #1.

When the gated dropped for Heat Race #1 the CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki rider Branden Jesseman was off to one of his best starts of the season as he found his #74 in the top-five. After making quick work of the couple of riders in front of him Jesseman had his sights set on the Flying Frenchman (Christophe Pourcel). As the seconds quickly turned into minutes it was clear that Pourcel was going to take the victory in Heat #1. But Jesseman wasn't out of the woods yet as he had to fend off the hard charging rookie Darryn Durham. Jesseman quickly showed the young rook that experience is everything in the sport of supercross and took home second place in Heat Race #1.

Getting a great start and finishing strong builds confidence in your Heat Race but transferring it to the main event separates the greats from the average. When you're a past Supercross Lites Champion like CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki rider Branden Jesseman you know a thing or two about showing up to the main event. And when the 30-sec board dropped sideways for the start of the main Jesseman showed why he was a past champion. Bursting out of the gate for another top-5 start Jesseman was riding with confidence. After getting passed by the #981 of Austin Stroupe and ending up on the losing end of a bar-to-bar battle with the #43 of Broc Tickle, Jesseman had to make sure to keep his confidence and ride with determination. Midway through the race Jesseman showed why he was a past champion. He found his rhythm and made a hard charge at Tickle for a spot on the podium. While his effort came up a little short, Jesseman showed that he can take a punch and give another one back. Jesseman gained valuable points on rookie Blake Wharton but still remains behind Wharton in fifth place.

The struggles continue for the #48 of Tommy Hahn as the CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki rider wrecked in the main event and failed to finish the race. After qualifying 8th in his Heat Race, Hahn was looking to put the past behind him and put in a top-ten finish. Coming off the gate in 8th place. the #48 was looking to finally shut the door on his first top-ten finish of the year. But his bad luck continued as he made a mistake and went down. Hahn was unable to complete the race and finished in 19th place. Hahn is still hoping to finish the year strong as the AMA Monster Energy Supercross Series heads back to the states. Check in next week as the series rolls into Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida for Round 14. It will certainly be exciting!

Team CANIDAE Reaches Out to Race Fans Everywhere Over the Weekend

This past weekend, Team CANIDAE Racing struck out across North America, from Mexico to Florida to New Orleans to Texas and Arizona, supporting Independent Retailers and sharing the message of Responsible Pet Ownership to hundreds of thousands of race fans and pet owners on behalf of CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods.

It was a big week for Team CANIDAE with a total of six different events taking place. First up, Branden Jesseman continues to gather steam on the CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki Supercross team. After winning his qualifying heat, Branden finished on the podium Saturday with a strong second place in New Orleans at the Live Nation SuperCross East-5 race. This was Jesseman's best race of the season and he is in top form heading into St. Louis next weekend.  Read the full story

Jerry Toliver and Jim Dunn Racing turned in their best performance yet in the still-young 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Series season. Toliver has only had 10 total passes in the CANIDAE Monte Carlo so far and keeps improving. At last weekend's 40th annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in Florida, Toliver edged out Force Racing's Mike Neff in the first round. Toliver lost traction in the second round and was bested by veteran John Force. Read the full story

Managed by Ed Torrance, the CANIDAE Kawasaki Team Green amateur riders made their mark on the second amateur national of the new season by dominating the week in Texas, with an astonishing total of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishes to their name. The Team Green riders are one step closer to racing at the Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn’s. Full information coming to the CANIDAE Racing blog soon.

The 23rd Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 race saw 226 total starters with only 162 finishers. This grueling 232.4 mile race in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico concluded Saturday. In the Class 10 division, Scott Gailey and Scott Whipple shared driving duty and powered the CANIDAE Class 10 machine to a third place finish with a time of 6:20:30. Congratulations guys!

In sand drag news, the 2009 NSDA series completed its second race of the season in Yuma, Arizona with some awesome racing on eliminations day. After racing the same day and finishing 3rd at the San Felipe 250 in Mexico on Saturday, driver Scott Whipple and crew member Carl Boley raced back to Yuma making it just in time for the final qualifying session of top fuel.  Whipple and crew ripped off an amazing 2.382 on their only qualifying pass good for the #3 spot on the ladder. Whipple, with only one pass under his belt, went on to be narrowly defeated by only 6/100th's of a second by Matt Ludlow, who ran his career best pass of 2.34 and low ET for the event, in eliminations on Sunday. Shane Switzer went on to grab his first top fuel win. Congratulations to Shane, Mike and his entire crew for a great win. Whipple and the 2008 championship CANIDAE Top Fuel Team currently sit in 3rd place in their quest for another season championship just 12 points off the leader. Whipple was pleased with the team's efforts, and to be the first and only person to race in the Baja 250 and a Sand Drag event in the same day!

In the Top Alcohol bracket, our hats are off to Nick Januik who won his first NSDA T/A championship from our own 2008 T/A season champion Mike DeNunzio when Mike couldn't make it to the line in time after suffering engine damage in his semi final heat win. Take good care of that Nick. Mike wants it back soon!

Stay tuned to www.canidaeracing.com and canidaeracing.blogspot.com for more racing updates. Great job Team CANIDAE!

Jesseman Dazzles in the Dome!

Branden Jesseman has been on a roll as of late but in the New Orleans Superdome, he took it to a whole new level. From the first practice, Jesseman looked very comfortable and confident as he continued to be one of the fastest riders on the track. He continued his momentum in the final practice session and set the tone for the rest of the night.

As Heat Race # 2 started, Jesseman dodged a bullet as he ducked inside a huge pile-up entering the first turn. He exited the corner in 3rd and before the end of the first lap, had moved himself into 2nd place. After following race leader Matt Goerke for most of the second lap, Jesseman made a great move in the sand section to take over first place as he set his sights on the win. The win would not come easy as Austin Stroupe would make a run at Jesseman but the CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki rider from New Brighton, PA was too strong for Stroupe and took the win in the six-lap race.

  

CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods sponsors the "Lucky Dog" L.C.Q., which is the final opportunity for all remaining riders to make it into the "Big Show.” In the “Lites” class, Steven Clarke and Matthew Lemoine transfered into the main and in the “Supercross” class, Nathan Ramsey took the win followed by Troy Adams to move into their respective main events.

With the first gate pick in the Main Event, Jesseman placed his # 74 Kawasaki into the best position for success and shot out of the gate with a great start. He found himself in third place behind Daniel Blair. As Jesseman found his grove, he worked his way past Blair on lap 4 and set his sights on Austin Stroupe who had checked out as Jesseman was dealing with Blair.  The gap proved to be too much despite his near perfect race and Jesseman finished in the 2nd spot, behind Stroupe, while securing his best finish of the year for himself and the CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki team.

Tommy Hahn missed the event due to a shoulder injury sustained while practicing on Wednesday. Hahn is expected to be back on the bike at the next round in St. Louis.

It was a great night in New Orleans, and the CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki team will try to take that last step to the top of the podium next week as the series rolls into the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri. Come check it out, it will certainly be exciting!

Jason Cobb

Track Conquers All Racers at Daytona

Daytona has always been know for its rough tracks and unique format. Instead of the usual layout on the stadium floor, Daytona is laid out in the grass on the infield of the “tri-oval” on the front stretch of the Speedway. Because of the extra room and toughness of the track, lap times are much longer than that of a normal Stadium race. This year’s track caused problems for every rider at every level, which made for some amazing racing. 

In the Lites qualifying Heat # 2, Jesseman would have a rough go, as he would charge into the first turn at the front of the pack only to be hit from behind sending him to the ground with his handlebar stuck in the rear wheel of another bike. By the time they got untangled, he was over a 1/2 a lap down. He charged up to 13th by the end sending him to CANIDAE “Lucky Dog” Last Chance Qualifier. 

Heat Race # 2 for the 450 riders would feature CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki rider Tommy Hahn. Off the gate, Hahn would have a good start but be forced to the outside of turn one where he made contact with another rider. Hahn’s bike would become entangled with the other rider and ripped out from underneath Hahn and drug down the track as Hahn hit the ground hard. Hahn would rush to remount his bike but would find himself in last place. Never one to quit, Hahn put on a charge that was impressive to say the least. He would work his way past more than half the field and finish in 9th place, which was good enough for a transfer position for the Main Event. 

 

CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods sponsors the "Lucky Dog" L.C.Q., which is the final opportunity for all remaining riders to make it into the "Big Show.” CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki’s own Branden Jesseman would win the short 4 lap race to transfer into the Main Event along with Broc Tickle in the Lites class and Davi Millsaps and Andrew Short would be the final two 450 “Lucky Dog” riders to move on. 

In the Lites Main Event, Jesseman looked great off the start as he secured a top 10 start and stayed clear of the chaos to move up through the pack. As Jesseman flew through the air on the backside of the long track, Josh Lichtle would loose his front end and crash hard leaving Jesseman nowhere to land. Jesseman would experience a hard impact as he slammed into the downed rider’s bike as he hit the ground hard. Branden would remount and finish lap 1 in 17th place and would spend the rest of the race trying feverishly to make it to the front. By lap six he had moved to 14th but hit the ground again when was taken out by a block pass from the rider he was overtaking. Branden would rally to finish a respectable 13th place on this tremendous track. 

In the Supercross class, CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki rider Tommy Hahn got a great start as he avoided trouble in a huge first turn crash that collected some of the sports biggest names. Hahn would find himself in 3rd place for the first five laps as he rode exceptionally well up front. As the laps wore on, the track would deteriorate rapidly causing the riders to fatigue and struggle as riders jockeyed for position. At the finish line, it was Hahn in 10th after a long hard fought day.

Next week, the team moves to the Superdome in New Orleans for round 11 of the 18-race season. It should be exciting so check it out!

Tommy Hahn photo courtesy: cudbyphoto.com

Jason Cobb

CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki at Indy: Jesseman's Second Straight Week with a Top 5 Finish!

CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki rider Branden Jesseman’s hard work has been paying off big time. Following on the heels of his 5th place finish in Atlanta, Jesseman rode his best race of the season at Indy grabbing an impressive fourth place finish.

In qualifying Heat # 2, Jesseman shot out to a 6th place start and quickly moved his way up to fourth place by the third lap. By the time the checkered flags waved, he finished in a well-deserved 3rd place, earning his spot in the final.

CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods sponsors the "Lucky Dog" Last Chance Qualifier, which is the final opportunity for all remaining Lites riders to make it into the "Big Show.” Number 521, Kyle Gillis and # 96, Tyler Wharton were the last two "Lucky Dog's" Lites riders to qualify for the 20 rider Main Event. 

In the Lites Main Event, Jesseman was in 7th place early and fighting hard to reach the front pack. By the halfway point, his lap times were improving and had moved up one place. By lap 11, he had moved into fifth and was still gaining ground. In the end, the checkered flags saw Jesseman achieve a season best 4th place finish, and a huge jump in the championship points standings to fourth. Great job Branden!

In the Supercross class, CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki rider Tommy Hahn has been working very hard to finish inside the top ten every week. He drew heat #1 for his chance to make it into the Main Event and got off to a great start by shooting out of the gate in third place. Just before the finish line on the first lap, Hahn was slammed into from behind causing the CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki to crash hard. The crash left Hahn in last place and banged up. Never one to say, “quit,” Hahn put his head down and went to work climbing back to 11th. Unfortunately, Hahn ran out of time and missed his qualifying spot by only two places in a great comeback ride.

Next week, the team moves to the Daytona International Speedway in Florida for the most unique event of the Supercross season. This track will push every rider to their limits so make sure to check it out!

Jason Cobb

CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki takes on the Georgia Dome!

The CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki team pulled into Atlanta, GA ready to race for the 2nd round of the “East” series for the Lites riders and the 8th round overall. The last time the Lites guys raced was almost a month ago on January 24th, in Houston, TX. Since that time, the team has lost Hunter Hewitt to a broken femur leaving just Branden Jesseman to battle in the 250cc class and Tommy Hahn to fight for a win in the Supercross (450cc) class.

The #74 Kawasaki of Jesseman jumped out of the gate in the # 4 position when Heat # 2 got underway. As the pack filtered through the first corner, Jesseman was in 5th and working his way forward. As Jesseman went wide in the second corner, the # 309 bike of Spenser Dally went down forcing Jesseman to slam on the brakes and find a way around the downed rider, moving him back in the pack. Branden would recover nicely and work his way up to 7th by the end of the first lap. Branden would eventually finish the race in the 6th position, and advance on to the Lites Main Event.

Tommy Hahn took to the track in the first Supercross heat race of the night. Tommy would get out of the gate with a mid-pack start and finish the first lap in 12th position, well outside a transfer spot for the Main Event. Hahn would work hard and move his Kawasaki into a transfer position when the checkered flags flew, ending up in 8th place.

CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods sponsors the "Lucky Dog" Last Chance Qualifier, which is the final opportunity for all remaining riders to make it into the "Big Show.” # 20, Nico Izzi and # 34 Matt Goerke were the last two "Lucky Dog's" to qualify for the 20 rider Main Event in the Lites class and Charles Summey and Nick Wey would move on in the premier class.

The Atlanta crowd, at 68,933 strong, was ready for the main event and the racing left no one disappointed. When the gate dropped, all 20 riders shot down the long start straightaway and into the first left hand corner. Branden Jesseman was inside the top 10 trough the first section and would finish lap one in 6th. Jesseman would move back one spot to 7th where he would stay for the next 5 laps before making a pass on Will Hahn (brother of team CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki 450 rider Tommy Hahn) for the 6th spot and then up to the 5th position when he got around the stalled bike of Austin Stroupe. With 4 laps to go, Jesseman would pull to the back wheel of Matthew Lemoine in the fourth spot. With a great move, Branden would drive around the outside of Lamoine in a tricky section and take over the 4th spot but only to leave the door open for Blake Wharton as he would cut to the inside of Jesseman leading up to the triple jump sending him back to 5th where he would eventually finish. The excellent finish would move Jesseman up three positions in the championship points stands, into 7th. 

Tommy Hahn lined up for the Supercross Main Event ready to face the demanding Atlanta track and the rest of the stacked field. Hahn would get off the start line mid-pack but quickly find himself at the back of the pack after the first corner chaos. Tommy would put on a strong charge moving up as high as 14th but the night was not his and he would have to settle for a 16th place finish. 

Check back for the next report as the series moves into the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy!

Jason Cobb