From a press release issued by Safety First Racing:

Safety First Racing adds young gun to rider line up

Safety First Racing is proud to announce the addition of 16 year old racer, Jesse Janisch, to the team. In an interview with team owner, Kevin Hanson, there were several reasons for the move. Hanson stated, “My dream was always to race at the AMA level and eventually be a team owner that groomed young and upcoming racers. Originally, I planned to race the entire season and add young riders to my team next year. However, an opportunity came up and I’ve known Jesse and his family for a couple of years so I gave him a chance to ride my backup bike at Road America in Superstock. Jesse finished a very respectable 16th place in his first ever AMA race. The great thing about Jesse is he has been dirtracking for years and is a smart, polite young man with all the qualities to become a great road racer. It’s my job to provide him an environment he can thrive in. Jesse will be racing my bikes the rest of the season in Superstock and I will assume the role as team owner/manager.”

Another addition to the team will be current sponsor, Jim Rashid, of 4&6 Racing. Hanson related, “Jim has been a great mentor to me for the last couple of years and has sponsored Jesse as well. Jim will be serving as crewchief/mechanic for the remainder of the season. The great thing about the addition of Jim and 4&6 is he is one of the few privateer team owners that has won several races against the factory teams at the AMA level. By putting good people in place, this allows me to focus on the management side of things of promoting Safety First Racing and our safety program for kids, which Jesse will also be directly involved in.”