Five Minutes with … Brady Sheren
MARCH 31, 2008

Suzuki City/OTSFF/Rockstar has to be happy bringing Brady Sheren on board for the Toronto supercross. He was the top finishing Canadian and Suzuki rider in the Lites main event.

By Danny Brault
Photos by James Lissimore


The Lites class in Toronto featured a race within a race. Even though everyone on the line was shooting for glory at the Rogers Centre, a slew of Canucks were fighting for the top Canadian honour. Last year it was Suzuki OTSFF’s Tyler Medaglia who captured that honour, and this year it was another Suzuki rider, Brady Sheren. The BC kid was on it nearly every lap Saturday night; he was second fastest in practice, finished second in his heat, and then nearly found the podium in the event before finishing fourth. We caught up with Sheren today for his biggest prize: a 5 mins with on racerxcanada.com!


RXC: Brady, congrats on your fourth-place and top Canadian finish in Toronto!
Brady Sheren: Yeah, thanks a lot. I just rode around, I guess [laughs].

I think you did more than ride around all weekend; right from practice, you were one of the fastest Lites riders.
It was weird because at first, I was a little nervous, but when I got on the track I just zoned out. I don’t usually feel like that, but I got out there and didn’t let anyone bug me. Normally, in supercross, I feel like I let myself get pushed around. I don’t know why, but I just went out there—and even though guys were bumping—I just hit them back. I never really gave up and did my own thing.

Toronto doesn’t feature the depth field as a normal AMA Supercross, but it presents itself as a great opportunity for Canadians to do well in front of 40,000 people. You say you weren’t nervous, but was there any pressure to be that top Canadian?
That’s basically why I ride that race; you have to come home and show people respect and all that. Another reason, it’s just good to get out there and get your name out there. It’s nice; there’s less pressure when there are less guys. You feel comfortable racing against guys you’ve raced for years and years. I think there is less pressure on me, because I put less pressure on myself. I don’t feel so out of place; I feel at home.

You probably saw on the forum, after I posted a feature on the website of Canadians who have had breakout rides in Toronto. I feel that if a Canadian does well at that event, it can help them down the road. Do you agree with that?
I don’t know. I hate being asked that, because I feel that it should, for sure. But like you said, the competition isn’t the same—it isn’t how you did, it’s who you beat. Even though it’s awesome, not all of the top guys are there. To score something huge, you have to do it down south. I think it’s good and prestigious for Canada, definitely. I think helps Canadian riders get rides up here. It’s not as important as I wish it was.

Sheren's now turning his attention to outdoors; he will race the MX1 class for Suzuki/OTSFF/Rockstar this summer.

Overall, are you happy with your result? Did you expect better, worse?
Oh, yeah, I’m really happy with it—especially being top Canadian for Suzuki. Going in, I didn’t know who would show up; I didn’t even look at the entry list actually. It was depending on which Americans showed up. Even after practice I didn’t know what to expect, with the track being so sketchy. I knew anything could happen, with people going down and getting tired. After practice, I had second fastest lap time and said ‘It’s on!’

Riding in California, you’re normally on hard packed tracks—even in BC you don’t see much loam or sand. What was your take on the track conditions?
Yeah, definitely. I’ve ridden the East series before, but it’s not usually that bad. It was a big change; you ride Anaheim and it’s like glass at nighttime. But it was a big change, but I handled it well. I feel strong and confident with my riding right now, so that helped a ton.

Coming up this summer, I’ve heard that you will be racing the MX1 class.
Yes, I’m going to ride a 450 for OTSFF.

Why the decision to move to the big bike?
I took a stab at the Lites, or the MX2, a few times and I just don’t feel as competitive on the small bike outdoors, as I would on the big bike. My style is kind of smooth and relaxed. On an MX2 bike, you gotta be cazy, wide open and hanging off the edge, or you’re not going to be up on the podium. I just felt like riding a 450 would be a smarter choice, for me, and I think I can get a better result through the series.

Have you ridden the new EFI RM-Z450 yet?
I haven’t ridden that bike yet. I’m supposed to get one in a week and start hammering down on it.

I have to bring this up, Mxforum. Sheren12 and rockstar, who I believe is Ryan Lockhart, are becoming regulars on that site.
Oh, yeah! See Lockhart’s signature—sick!

Are you surprised more pros don’t log on and get into the chatter?
It’s hard to because you want to go on there and blow so many people out, but you can’t [laughs]. It’s a place where everyone has an opinion and everyone’s going to fight that. It’s hard to get involved and it’s hard not to get involved.

I had some laughs with your dad over the weekend. Did he offer any advice before the race?
Yeah, but I tried to ignore him. At races he gets into it and feels like he’s racing, so it’s hard for a father/son type deal to do it. I’ve ridden a ton of supercrosses and I knew what I was doing; I’ve been doing it every weekend this winter so I knew what to expect. I know what works for me and which strategy works for me in practice.

Congrats again on your weekend and good luck in Seattle!
Thank you very much! I just want to thank OTSFF for giving me a bike and an oopprtunity to come race, and Andre [Laurin] and everyone. I’m looking forward to a great year with them. Also Fun Center, I wouldn’t be where I was on the weekend without their support, SixSixOne, Sunline, and everyone who’s been helping me out. I couldn’t ask for more!