These “Privateer Showcase” interviews presented by Race Tech Suspension at MotoXAddicts tell the stories of the guys in the trenches week in and week out trying to chase their dream of racing professional Supercross. While the riders at the front of the pack get the money, the T.V. time and the glory that goes with it, there’s a huge pack of guys just hoping to get a spot inside a factory semi. We tell their stories.

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This week’s “Privateer Showcase” interview is with rookie 450 Yamaha rider Brandon Scharer. A career privateer, Brandon made the jump to the 450’s for the 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, and so far it looks like maybe it was a move he should have made sooner. The Californian has scored points in three of the first six motos and already scored more points in the 2017 season than he did in 22 motos last year on the 250F.

On top of that, he scored the best moto and overall finish of his career with a 14-17 for 17th overall last weekend at the Thunder Valley National. It was a performance that had us all turning our heads and no doubt had some people in Lakewood, Colorado trying to figure out who the kid on the #154 is.

We called Brandon up yesterday to find out what led to the decision and his thoughts on the first three races of his 450 career.

Hey Brandon, what have you been up to during the week off?

Not much. I started our traveling trip back east. We’re—me and my girlfriend—following the season around in my motor home. We’re out here in North Carolina. She has a sister that lives out here, and they’ve been nice enough to let us stay. I got to ride at South of the Border last week, and I’ll head there tomorrow. It’s a pretty cool central spot out here.

Brandon at Thunder Valley Photo by: Hoppenworld

Is that going to be your base for the east rounds, or are you going to more wing it based on where you are at with the motor home?

I did have a little set schedule. This week we’re here, and then after High Point we’ll come back here for Tennessee [Muddy Creek] since Tennessee is close. After Tennessee, I have other people we know in Michigan that will let us come stay. Then we’re not far from Red Bud and Southwick and stuff. I have places picked out which makes it nice. I’ve done this now a couple times.

 

I see your only sponsor on the sign up sheet is STR Yamaha. Explain what STR is?

STR is basically just my family. Growing up everyone just called me Scharer Terror when I was a kid and we made Scharer Terror Racing. I also get a little bit of help from a friend at Yamaha. I got the bike at a decent price and worked it out with some dealers. I didn’t really have any deals going so STR is just myself and my own Yamaha deal.

 

What made you choose the 450?

In previous years, I’ve been known for being a 250 rider, and I feel like I’ve put in some decent results, but even with Suzuki factory support that one year, our bikes were still sub-par. Last year we did everything in our power that we thought we could possibly do with the Yamaha 250F, and while they were the greatest bikes I’ve ever made, they were still not comparable to the factory teams or even privateer teams with more money to dump in. That helped my decision to go 450 and also budgeting. When you build your 250F up that much, you lose the reliability. Also, the last year as an amateur I rode the 450, and I actually did really well. I’ve practiced on the 450 off and on the last couple years, and I believed in myself on the 450. I know I can ride the bike well. I showed some speed my first race on a 450 at the Monster Cup last year and actually qualified straight into the show. I was right around 15th or 16th most of the motos, except when I fell. I was amazing myself. I was right around guys like Jake Weimer and good riders. They’ve had a lot of success and they’re all bad dudes. I was in awe that I even made the show. I wanted to just ride, have fun and see where I was. I felt good on the Yamaha 450 and wanted to give it a shot. I took the task at hand and decided to race the 450.

Despite Brandon being a smaller rider, his style seems to suit the big 450 better than the 250. Photo by: Cycle Dump

Yeah, your improvements over the first three races on the 450 have been fun to watch. You scored two points at Hangtown, none at Glen Helen, but you crushed it at Thunder Valley. You had your best qualifying position in 16th and then went on to score your best ever pro moto with a 14th in moto one and a 17th in moto two for 17th overall. What was it about Thunder Valley?

Yeah, that was definitely a breakout ride for me. Actually, Glen Helen was going well, but in the first moto, I crashed on the start and came from 25 seconds behind last. I came from that to 23rd. In the second moto, I was inside the top 20 and blew up the transmission on the bike. I was right behind Cody Cooper in 16th or so, but if I kept the pace I think I would have gotten 14th that weekend too. I felt like I had a lot taken from me that weekend. I wasn’t able to ride the whole week before Thunder Valley. I spent the week trying to get parts, get the bike back together and all that.

 

How did you guys get the motor back together after Glen Helen?

I built it with my dad. We’ve always kind of done our own bike work and we’re our own mechanic. I’ve never really had my own mechanic so I built it with my dad. We just had to order up all the parts and praying that they came in time. We got lucky that everything came in on Wednesday. I went and got the parts at one in the afternoon and we started building it. We built it from the ground up that evening and it was ready to go. I rode it around the street, and then we left to go to Thunder Valley.

 

I think I was really mostly impressed with the raw speed at Thunder Valley. You qualified 25th at Hangtown, 29th at Glen Helen and then at Thunder Valley you were well inside the top 20 with the 16th fastest lap.

I guess I was just clicking. It was actually kind of hectic. I went out for the first practice and my header kind of came loose and I could hear air leaks. I had to fix it and missed the first few minutes of practice. I got going and knew I only had a few laps to drop some heat, so I had to make it count. I felt smooth, hit my marks and the time was solid. I felt good and had some different lines that were working for me. After that, I just looked towards the motos—like alright, you qualified good. Now it’s time to believe that you can be there, do what I have to do to be in that same spot again and go race to my potential.

 

How did it feel to be near the top ten in a 450 moto? Did you feel on edge or did your speed just put you there?

Yeah, I think my speed put me there. I was amazed because normally my starts haven’t been the greatest in my career so far. Getting fairly good starts in both motos was pretty big. Coming off that start hill after the first corner at Thunder Valley and seeing the leader at the corner close to you, I was just like, “Wow.” I remember [Dean] Wilson and them passing me on the opening lap, and I was kind of right in the mix. The crazy thing was I was a little bit struck like, “Oh man, I’m right around these big guys.” I didn’t want to mess it up at first, but I was like, “Be calm, ride your pace and it will be good.” It was cool to feel that the pace I was comfortable with was right in the zone of those guys, right around the top ten area. My pace was on par with everybody else. I do pretty well when the track gets dryer and rougher, and it was cool to get two good starts and, even when it was rough, just pace with those guys minus the top five guys. Those top five guys are unreal. Eli [Tomac], [Blake] Baggett, Marvin [Musquin]—those guys are moving. Everything is working for them. They have the teams behind them, and they know what they can do. I know I can too. It’s just a matter of time—you know, getting yourself to ride at the limit for the whole time.

I honestly did not expect to see Brandon being a regular inside the top 20 on the 450. Now, a top ten wouldn’t completely surprise me. Photo by: Cycle Dump

How pumped was your pops?

He was pretty pumped. He was happy, but in his eyes, it’s what I should have been doing for a couple of years now. He was like, “It’s about time you’re riding good.” (laughs)

 

Who do you have doing your motor work and suspension work on the 450 this year?

I have Race Tech. Andrew does a really good job with motors. He’s a good dude. He knows what he’s doing, and they have some good motor stuff going on right now. We’ve done a lot of developing together. I trust him, and he’s done some good work. We both know what I want and what direction to go in. He has good numbers on different motors and different builds. The stock Yamahas come really torquey on the bottom end and we were looking to mellow it out down low. I couldn’t hold the bike down. We mellowed out the bottom and kind of made it ramp into the mid-range a little more. That definitely made a big difference for me. We’ve been together a long time, and they have good stuff for me.

Thanks for your time today Brandon. What companies would you like to thank for helping you get to the races in 2017?

Yamaha, GYTR, KYB, Yoshimura, Rekluse, Dunlop, RaceTech, DS Moto Customs, G-Force Powersports, Mika Metals, Maxima Oils, Works Connection, RK Excel, Evans Waterless Coolant, Arai Helmets, FXR Moto, Scott Goggles, Alpinestars, Asterisk, MetalTek, CFX Seats.

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Author

Dan Lamb is a 12+ year journalist and the owner of MotoXAddicts.