Interview - Jesi Stracham - The Next Big Thing

In the world of Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) racing, up-and-coming racing talent is constantly bursting through the ranks. But it's only on occasion that this new talent really grabs the attention of everyone and convinces us that they will in fact be the next big thing in this world of speed and determination. Born in Canton, Ohio, back in June 1992, Jesi Stracham was destined to be a racer, and over the past few years, she has definitely set the bar high for her competition. Until August 2008, Jesi lived in the house she was born into. Her parents, John and Jacki Stracham, knew she would be the fastest kid on the block, if only she had some wheels. They finally got their first glimpse into her need for speed when John brought home her very first off-road vehicle for her to try out, a Power Wheels Jeep. Jesi's dad installed a "custom engagement pedal" (read a block of wood) on the go button because she couldn't reach. "I was too short to reach them, and my Dad tied the steering wheel so I'd only go in circles," Jesi claims. "I'd fall asleep at the wheel with my sister Jodi in the passenger seat." Jesi is the middle child of three, Jodi is the youngest and also races the GNCC series while their oldest sister is named Hope.

This would only be the beginning for Jesi, as she would graduate from the Power Wheels to her first go-cart at three years old! On her fifth birthday, Jesi got her favorite cart of all time, though. Her father John took the custom Mini grand prix cart they had bought and painted it to resemble the DuPont Chevy of NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon. Who knew this would be the catalyst to her racing career? But it wasn't until Jesi was six that the first ATV would come into play. "When I was somewhere between six and seven, Mom and Dad bought me my first quad. Even though my Dad wasn't totally into the idea, he just wanted to make his girl happy." Jesi's ride at the time was a sparkling Polaris Scrambler 90, which helped her to start honing her four-wheeled skills.

After a while, the Scrambler 90 just wasn't cutting it anymore, so Jesi began begging Dad relentlessly for something with more power; Stracham would end up on a Yamaha Warrior 350. This was around her eighth birthday and it was on again. Things never slowed down for Stracham, as she graduated yet again, this time into dirt bikes. "A few years later I wanted in on the dirt bike scene, so I asked for a bike. I went into the garage one day and was surprised to find a Suzuki RM85 big wheel. Growing up I was always on something motorized," Stracham says. Her racing roots, however, would actually begin at a campground instead of a racetrack, oddly enough.

"My first race was at our campground's drag track. We raced everything from golf carts to go-carts, three-wheelers to four-wheelers," Jesi claims. "I was the only camper, let alone kid, to make every single race." After racing the lanes and competition out of the drag track on her mom's Suzuki Z400, Jesi stepped into the cross-country racing scene.

Now entering the GNCC race series, it brought on a plethora of new challenges for Jesi. The competition was much stiffer than she had ever imagined with riders such as Cheyne Gravley, Walker Fowler and Brandon Boso. And maybe it's important to point out that her competition consisted of mostly boys. "I had a hard time, but when the competition was rough, I just put my head down and charged with everything I had!" Jesi said. "After all, I was doing what I love." These challenges were welcomed, and they seemed to motivate Stracham to go even faster. And that's exactly what she did.