Story and photos by Allison Kennedy  

British Columbia's Brady Sheren grew up battling with the likes of Kyle Beaton and Colton Facciotti. But while he spent time racing with his quick Canadian counterparts, Sheren also competed south of the border in the big US amateur races like Lake Whitney and Loretta Lynn's. Since Sheren made his leap to the pro class, his speed has been accompanied by a string of injuries that have kept him from the finishes he's capable of. This weekend in Toronto, Sheren posted the fastest lap time of any Canadian in race action with a 1:01.74 in his heat race. He finished seventh, just behind Blackfoot's Mitchell Cooke, making him the second Canadian finisher in the Lites class. It was a great moment for Sheren, who is gearing up to ride the Amp'd Mobile Supercross Series in the Western region. We caught up with Brady to see how he's feeling about heading to Vancouver.

RXC: Congrats on a great finish in Toronto this weekend. How pumped are you about the weekend?
Brady Sheren: It was really good actually. It turned out really well. I started out kind of shaky in practice but it got better throughout the night. Every time I rode, I felt better and it just went from there. I got a half decent start, I came out all right, passed some guys and it just worked out in my favour. I was the second Canadian finisher and I was happy with that. It was a good night overall.

Since you graduated to the pro ranks, you've had mixed results. Was your Toronto performance a highlight so far?
Toronto was definitely a highlight for me. I've been waiting to ride supercross as a pro for a long time. Even before I was pro I wanted to ride it. That's pretty much my strong point and I've known that for a while. I just couldn't wait to get out there and show what I could do. It's been a long time; I've been hurt outdoors and I kind of struggle outdoors, being smaller and lighter. I just wanted to get indoors and do the technical stuff, which I liked, so it worked out.

When I spoke to you Friday night at the industry party, you didn't sound all that comfortable with the track and the situation, what changed on Saturday for you?
I just had more riding time, I was getting used to it. At first, I don't know why, I was getting really nervous, kind of shaky, and I just couldn't seem to ride like myself. I think it just got better with time. The track changed a little on Saturday and it was a bit easier too. I just got more comfortable I think.  It's hard too, not having had many good results in the last few years, and being injured, confidence is really hard to maintain. I think that plays into it a bit. But this weekend I am definitely going at it a lot harder. I know what to expect now and I know what I can do, so I just have to get it done.

Even before the main event, you had a strong ride in your qualifier. Tell me about that?
Yeah, the qualifier went really well also. I got a great gate pick on the very inside and I could sneak around and come out up top. I managed to pass Ryan Lockhart in the second corner and came out in fourth, so that was good.

Rumour has it you set the fastest Canadian lap time in that qualifier?
Really? That's awesome.

Tell me about the main event? You were really close to holding Mitch Cooke off and finishing as the top Canadian in the Lites class.
I almost held off Cooke. I was going strong the whole time but I screwed up a couple of times and couldn't jump the triples. I just tried to hold my own, I got a little tired towards the end. I just rode my own race and unfortunately Mitch got by me, which made me the second Canadian. But it's still way better than any of my other results so I was happy just finishing in the top 10. My first goal was to qualify and my second goal was to do the best I could in the main. So I just did that, I didn't really put too much pressure on myself in the main, I just kind of waited to see what would happen. Anything would be better than what's happened in the past.

You finished third in both classes at the Future West Canadian AX championships. How was that series?
I got a third overall in both classes. I just tried to stay consistent. I didn't have the best finishes at some of the rounds but I was the only one to finish every moto. Consistency ended up paying off for me in the end.

What did you think of the competition in that series?
That series actually went really well. John Hellam put on a great event. The competition was really good between Darcy Lange, Ryan Lockhart, Kyle Beaton, Colton Facciotti. Everyone was there every weekend. It was just really good. On any given night, about seven riders could have won the race depending on what happened. It made for some really good racing and you learn a lot from that.

Heading to Vancouver, what are your goals?
My goal, since I got a 7th this weekend, is just to do another top 10 if I can. I just want to stay out of trouble, ride my own race, and just try to be comfortable out there and get ready for the supercross series in the states, it's going to be a lot tougher down there for sure. I just have to learn as much as I can every weekend and take that down there with me.

What is your plan for the supercross series?
I am going to do all the Western rounds, I'm not sure if I'll make the Texas rounds. But I am doing all the California ones, Phoenix, Vegas. Whatever I can.

Are you doing it on your own?
Yeah, just kind of on my own, Richmond is giving me some support so that helps. Ryan Lockhart and I are going to head down there in my Fun Mover and really just wing it. I mean we have a plan, we're just going to ride as much as we can and try to do the whole series.

That's great. The Canadian fans are really looking forward to having someone to cheer for.
Yeah, everyone can't wait for us to get down there. I even saw on www.mxforum.com they were trying to make their own team to get Canadians down there…Team MXForum. It should be good.  

Thanks Brady and good luck this weekend.
Thanks.