Jerry Hansen (racing driver)

Racing career

Jerry Hansen, a Minneapolis stockbroker and real estate investor, began racing in 1961 with an Echidna Racing Special in the SCCA C Modified class. In 1965 he switched to a Scarab Mk.II, but in his first race at Road America he crashed heavily at the Carousel corner, flipping multiple times and catching fire, though his injuries were minor. Hansen made his SCCA National Championship Runoffs debut in Formula Vee at Riverside Raceway, finishing fourth behind William Duckworth, Roger Barr, and winner Lewis Kerr.

Open wheel racing

Moving to Formula 5000, he won the Badger 200 at Road America in the 1968 SCCA Grand Prix Championship from pole position, beating a combined Formula A, Formula B, and Formula C field. That year at the Runoffs he placed second in Formula A, 5.5 seconds behind Ron Grable. In 1969 he entered most races but was hampered by technical retirements; for the final race at Sebring he drove for Carl Haas Racing Team in a Lola T190, starting eighth and finishing fifteenth. After a year away, Hansen returned to national Formula 5000 in 1971, winning a heat and finishing second in the main race behind David Hobbs of Hogan Racing.

That season he also made four USAC National Championship starts, failing to finish his debut at Brainerd International Raceway due to a broken valve, but later achieving two top-ten finishes in a doubleheader at Pacific Raceways, beating regulars Bobby Unser, Mark Donohue, and Billy Vukovich. Following a mediocre 1970 season, Hansen won three classes at the 1971 SCCA National Championship Runoffs—Formula A, A Sports Racer, and A Production—the first driver to win three classes in one year, earning the SCCA President's Cup. With crew chief Mike Lindorfer, he modified a Lola T192 IndyCar for USAC and IMCA sprint car races, and at the Minnesota State Fair he lapped the entire field three times in a win.

Brainerd International Raceway

Hansen purchased Donnybrooke Speedway in 1973 from original owner George Montgomery and renamed it Brainerd International Raceway. He appointed a new management team with Mario Andretti as a director for several years. After the track closed in 1972, Hansen reopened it in 1975 with the Trans-Am Series.

A drag strip was added in 1977, hosting NHRA events. The AMA Superbike Championship began at the track in 1982, and the Superbike World Championship visited in 1989, 1990, and 1991. Hansen sold the track in 2006 to Jed and Kristi Copham.