Brook Jensen Proves Her Resilience
Story By: Cody Carney
Photos Provided By: Brook Jensen
Off-road racing is more than just a sport, it is an art. Every individual drives differently from the next. Not just that, but the conditions they drive, their vehicle, competition, environment, preparation, the list can go on forever, and may very well be the most exciting aspect of the sport. It’s unpredictably ever-changing, making battling with all the challenges on a racecourse a task in itself, but seventeen-year-old female off-road racer, Brook Jensen, simultaneously faces another challenge. One that extends far beyond her racing, and she uses it to encourage those around her. Truth be told, this challenge is something she’s been facing nearly as long as she’s been driving. Her challenge and story started when she was very young.
Brook: “I have been driving since I was three years old. When I was little, my Dad would take me out to the races in Barstow, Ca, and we would watch the trucks back when they were old, and a lot different than they are now. Ever since then, I’ve had a niche for it, and I’ve always wanted to do it. When I was eleven years old, I asked my parents to get me a trophy cart. They were like, ‘Nooo… we don’t have time for that’ because they’re busy owning their own company. When I was twelve they surprised me. My Dad said, “We’re gonna go pick up a trailer of wood in Fallbrook.” On the trip, we made a pit stop in Lake Elsinore. We had the trailer attached to the truck and I think we’re getting wood, we go down and my cart is sitting there with my name on it. I definitely wasn’t expecting it. It was amazing. I would say a month after we got the car was when I started racing. Though I wasn’t the best right away and had a lot of learning to do, I definitely jumped right into it.”
Even though Brook and her family live out in the desert, no one in her family races other than her. However, they do spend a lot of time outdoors. Brook was raised around camping and being a tomboy, so this pushes her to continue in off-road. Her goal is to get her feet wet in everything she can with racing, and plans on being in a trophy truck sometime in the future. This year she has talked to a lot of people who are already racing in trophy trucks, Sara Price being one of them. Aside from that, she can’t imagine being where she is now without her supporters.
Brook: “My two biggest supporters right now are Method Race Wheels and Rugged Radios. They’ve supported me since I first started. They’ve seen me grow and become the person that I am today. My parents also back my racing 110 percent, but I’m kind of at the age right now where I need to start branching off and learning how to support my own racing. Cause they’re not always going to be there, even though I know they would love too. That’s my plan, I’d love to do whatever I can to stay in the racing as long as I can, but money doesn’t fall out of trees, so we’ll see how it goes.”
The people that support and are around Brook know very well the strength she’s grown to have. She is one of the most competitive individuals out there. A big part of her competitive spirit comes from the perseverance she acquired while contending against a particular opponent nearly her whole life.
Brook: “When I was four years old, I was bitten by a tick while riding a dirt bike and as a result, was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. I’ve been battling for thirteen to fourteen years now, and it’s been really hard. I’m not completely healthy, I’m a lot more at risk than a lot of people are with my immune system. I do home injection every night and morning by taking about twenty-four pills a day and then a liquid too. It’s a bunch of medicine. I’ll literally put it in a cup and mix it into some juice so it’s not all separate. I definitely struggle a lot with it, but at the same time, it’s been a huge motivation for me. I mean, when I’m racing Vegas to Reno, I’m in the car for twenty hours and I have to make sure my body doesn’t give out on me. It pushes me to keep going.”
“Jessi Combs was a huge inspiration to me and since she passed, I’ve been trying my hardest to get out and talk to more women. Our hashtag is #girlscantoo. Anybody getting into the sport, I love helping them as much as I can. I’m not someone who is scared when I get older that another person is going to be better than me, because you know what, the talent is there. Of course, I always want to win, but I’m always helping people. I do training here and there. I used to race in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, and I was pretty big out in that, so then I started helping. When I left and took things out to the desert, I started helping a lot of the youth there too.”
Brook does a lot of speaking for Lyme Disease and helps encourage people by telling them they are capable, and can do anything that they put their mind to. There is a big lime ribbon right next to her name in her logo. She uses it to push herself and show people that it shouldn’t hold them back. This year Brook is graduating a year early from high school, and after plans to go somewhere with business. She has aspirations of starting her own company and tries to push her name as much as she can so hopefully she can start somewhere there. She is very open to sharing her story or advice. So to reach out to Brook, or to keep up with her efforts, check out her Instagram @brook.jensen.racing.
