By Allison Kennedy
Photos by Allison Kennedy, Tim Dailey and Simon Cudby

Brady is getting his feet wet for 2007.

 
BC’s Brady Sheren wowed Canadian fans at the Toronto WSX when he posted the fastest Canadian lap time in the Lites class. Sheren had big plans to race the Western Lites series until a nasty bout with mono left him on the sidelines. Determined to gain some valuable SX experience this year, Sheren and his dad, Rick, joined forces with Ryan Lockhart to make the Eastern rounds an option for Brady. Lockhart, as we’ve heard, meets the Sheren family each weekend with their bikes and the 661 Funmover. We caught up with Brady on his way from class to the track, to find out how his supercross debut has been going.

RXC: Hi Brady. How are things?
Brady Sheren: They’re going all right, I’m pretty stressed out, but things are all right. I’ve just had a really hectic schedule right now with supercross. I have to go to school Monday to Thursday until 3 p.m. I’ve been going to the gym two of those days and then riding two of those days. Then I fly out to the races on Friday and fly home on Sundays. I miss school on Friday, so I have to make up that work in between going to the gym and riding, so it’s just been super tough.

Has it been worth it though?
So far, yeah. This year we didn’t really expect too much, it’s more just getting into the swing of things and getting ready for next year basically. I just wanted to get my feet wet kind of and try it out.

So are you done school after this year?
Yeah, I’ll be done in June and then I’m probably going to move down to California for a while and hang out there and ride and train and try to get faster.

How have you been feeling? Are you back to normal pretty much?
I’ve been feeling great. I’ve been going to my trainer a lot and I just feel 100 percent better than I did. I’ve got pretty much all my energy back, it’s just a matter of getting back into shape, and I’m pretty close right now. I feel good.

And how have you been feeling on the bike?
I only had a few weeks to ride before the series and one of the weeks I spent in California. The next week, I was just kind of at home and I only rode a couple of times. The first few rounds were tough and I kind of had to get back into the swing of things. Luckily I got to ride in California at a couple of the supercross tracks so that helped a lot. So I just went down there and did my best and I’ve been feeling a lot better on the bike lately because I’ve been getting more and more riding in.

Yeah, I guess the weather is nice enough to ride in BC now?
It’s getting better. It’s kind of raining off and on, once in a while. I wish I could ride supercross though, I am just riding at this clapped out sand track [laughs].

Isn’t that what being Canadian is all about?
Yeah, I know, you’ve got to ride a whooped out sand track and then you go and ride a supercross track. It’s pretty ridiculous but it’s time on the bike though, so that helps.

Sheren turned heads at the Toronto WSXGP.

You’ve always been a strong technical rider. What has been the hardest part of the SX tracks?
Well, with limited practice—we only get two 10 or 12 minute practices—the hardest part is getting the stuff down super fast. I am still working on that. The triples and stuff are pretty easy; it’s just a matter of getting the rhythm sections. That’s the hard part, getting the right combination in the rhythm section and getting it early enough. You have to pretty much get everything down in the first couple of laps because everyone else who’s going faster does that. They are already working on going faster and putting full laps together. So if you have to wait until the second practice to get all your jumps down, you are way behind.

And the qualifiers are so short. How have your starts been going?
Horrible. I’ve been getting horrible starts and it’s just been hurting me so much, because it’s three laps and unless you are like Stewart or something, it’s so hard to get up there.

So how did you feel the first three weekends went?
I made the night show at the first one and that was good and then at the second two, I haven’t made the night show. I’ve just been getting worse and worse starts. I don’t know, it’s been pretty good. It’s been pretty much a gong show every round so far with bike stuff and then my gear bag never showed up the last two weekends. Other than that, it’s been all right, and like I said, I’m just getting into the swing of things and getting used to it.

You had a great ride in Toronto. What’s it going to take to make that happen in the U.S.?
Just more experience, getting used to it and getting more comfortable on the tracks. I think I can do the same thing I did in Toronto. I just need more experience and definitely some better starts … that would help a lot. Even guys who have been going slower than me in practice have qualified, even for mains, just because they get a holeshot or something. Not to put them down, that’s just the way it has to be right now.

What has been your arrangement? You’ve been flying in and out and meeting up with Ryan Lockhart?
Yep, usually he picks us up at the airport or we take a taxi to wherever he is, at the hotel or at the track. So we’ve just been flying in and meeting up with him and then doing the whole race thing.

What’s it been like having so many Canadians there?
That’s definitely been good, especially in the East. In the West, I do know a few of the riders, like Villopoto. I know a lot more guys in the West so it kind of sucked that I didn’t get to hang out with them. It’s been good, especially with Ryan there and Klatt and Cooke. It’s good to see some familiar faces and then I don’t feel like such a loner.

What would you say your goals are for the rest of the series?
I had three goals going into the season: one was to make the night show, the second was to make a main event and the third was to finish in the top 15. I accomplished the one so far, so I just have to work towards the next two.

Those sound doable but you definitely have to get yourself a start?
I know, those are killing me.

Have you been to Daytona before?
No, I’ve seen it on TV but that’s it. I’m pretty excited for that.

Do you have any plans firmed up for Canada yet?
Not really. I am probably going to to do the MX2 West again and then I am going to ride a few U.S. Nationals: Hangtown, Washougal and the one in Colorado.

Will you be back with Richmond Kawasaki?
I think so, yes, nothing is official yet but that’s the plan.

Good luck in Daytona.
Thank you very much.

Brady in his new FLY gear.