Photo by: Devin Davis
These “Privateer Showcase” presented by Race Tech Suspension at MotoXAddicts are interviews telling the stories of the guys in the trenches week in and week out just trying to chase their dream of racing in Monster Energy 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 kids just hoping to become regulars in the main events. This week’s “Privateer Showcase” rider, Brandon Scharer, is one of those guys.
The Los Angeles, California native went pro back in 2012 and, since then, has climbed the ladder from just barely making the show, to making a good percentage of the main events. It has been a gradual climb, but each year the #397 inches closer to being a full-time main event guy and hopefully scoring that ever-elusive two-digit National number.
In 2013—Brandon’s rookie supercross season—he made four night shows but no main events, but in 2014, he finally broke through to make four main events, finish as high as 16th at the 2014 Anaheim 3 SX and score thirteen valuable National points. Unfortunately his bid for scoring enough points for a National number ended with an injury, but he’s back again in 2015 chasing that dream. With so much time off the bike between ’14 and ’15, it’s taken Brandon time to get back into the swing of it. Still, last weekend in Oakland, he was back in the main and scored two points for his 19th place finish.
After his return to making the mains in Oakland, we gave Brandon a call to get to know the only Suzuki rider that’s been in a main event so far in 2015.
First of all Brandon, tell the readers where you’re from and how old you are?
Yeah, I’m from Los Angeles, California, and I’m twenty years old.
As far as you’re younger days of racing, did you do all the big Amateur Nationals or were you more just a local Southern California guy?
No, I did all the Amateur National stuff from 50’s and 60’s on up, but I never was a big contender. I won some stuff here and there—like I won a Ponca City Championship—but I never did well at Loretta Lynn’s where it counted. I was in the top-ten like six times at Loretta’s but was never out front.
You turned pro in 2013, right?
Yeah, well, actually I went pro in ’12 right after Loretta Lynn’s.
The first time I remember seeing you was at the 2013 Anaheim 1 Supercross, and being someone that studies the timing sheets to look for new names, I remember you making the show right away.
Yeah, I made the night show and that was about my whole season. (laughs) I got hurt in Phoenix right after that and had a big chest injury and missed every round after that until Seattle and Salt Lake City. I tried for Vegas and I missed it by like one or two spots.
Talk a little bit about making the show in your first try as a privateer back in 2013. Most fans have no idea how big of an accomplishment just making the show is for a young rookie privateer.
Yeah, that was awesome; that was all my dreams as a kid growing up. I don’t want to say my dreams were low or anything, but I never saw myself winning and stuff. My dream was always just to be one of those guys out there under the lights in front of all the fans. So it was a dream come true. It was awesome. To go from watching in the stands for the last 10-12 years to finally have my shot to do it was awesome—also, to do well enough to make it on my first try. Racing at night in supercross was much different than I expected. For sure it was eye opening.
After just making the night show in 2013, you jumped up to making main events in 2014. Was it that you got a little taste in ’13, so you trained harder to get more in ’14?
In 2013, I had fractured my wrist coming in. I missed a lot of time and I was new to supercross. I really only had about a month under my belt, so I was real unprepared coming in. But in ’14, I got started early and trained for a long time with my trainer Buddy Antunez. We did a lot of training and focused on the stuff I struggled with in ’13, and I felt stronger coming into ’14. At the beginning, it was a little rough because I wasn’t used to my bike yet, but once I got used to them it was good. From then on out I made all the mains.
You talked about making the show being a dream fulfilled, so making your first main event at Anaheim 3 in 2014 had to be another big deal. What was that like?
That was… crazy. All the emotions were crazy, and mentally, it was a big deal for me. I always thought I could make the mains, and once I got in there it was, “Wow, all those times I watched these on TV every week, I’m in here now.” It was time to step up and do it. I was actually riding really well at the beginning, but I caught some tough blocks and frame cased a really big triple and put one of my teeth through my lip. At first I thought I lost a tooth, but it was actually in my lip. Then, because I was bleeding all all over my face, I thought I broke my nose. I was actually right in there, too; it’s crazy. I was behind [Cole] Martinez in 12th place and going with the flow of everybody, and then that happened. When you make it, though, your expectations rise and you’re ready to take that next step. I just saw it as a new challenge with new goals.
Sounds like a gnarly way to get introduced to your first main event. The supercross series is definitely not cheap to follow. Who has been your major source of support over the first few years chasing it? Is it just mom and dad and a couple sponsors?
It’s basically just mom and dad. Sponsors help me out with what they can—parts, my gear, helmets and everything like that is pretty much free. I’ve been trying to find sponsors to help, but it’s hard because there’s always bigger names. But I really appreciate companies like Race Tech. They’ve been behind me since I was six years old. It’s been awesome being with a company that long. I mean, I used Race Tech on little 50’s. I remember Josh Bartnik; that’s who I started with. Race Tech has always been awesome to me and helped me out so much.
As you’ve progressed from little bikes to big bikes and to making 250SX main events, what’s Race Tech’s program like to get you dialed in?
Nothing too different. I work with Rob Brown and he has his ideas on settings, and I’m always open to try whatever he wants. I’m fairly easy as a tester. Whatever they set it at I can ride it. We make little adjustments here and there, but I don’t make too many changes. Whenever a setting is off, I test with him, give him my feedback and usually whatever he has in mind works good for me.
Let’s finish up by talking about this year. You had a rough start, but you were back in the main event this weekend in Oakland. So far, though, how do you feel ’15 is going for you?
So far ’15 has had a rocky start for sure. A1 kind of went as planned. I didn’t make the main and that’s my ultimate goal, but I came in really nervous. I hadn’t been on the gate for a supercross since Seattle last year, so it was a long time off. I was nervous and actually got thrown into the A group practice because I was in the points last year, and I think everything moved at a little too quick of a pace for me right off the bat. I did well, though. I qualified 26th, in the heat race I came up to finish 12th and in the LCQ I got shuffled around and ended up right around 12th again.
I kept my head up, and in Phoenix, the first practice was pretty good, second practice was okay—I think I was right around 24th again—and in the third practice I went down hard. In the crash, I popped out my elbow and broke my thumb. The Asterisk [Mobile Medical Crew] guys popped my elbow back in and that felt fine, but my thumb bothers me. My hand just gets tired and my fingers get numb because I can’t really squeeze tight.
Since Phoenix I’ve noticed your timed qualifying finishes have gotten better than usual. Have you been working on your speed more lately? You went from barely making it in—in 37th at Phoenix—to 22nd at A3 and 21st last weekend in Oakland.
Yes and no, actually. Since I broke my thumb, I’ve only been able to ride like once a week. It’s actually I’m just starting to get more comfortable again with the supercross deal: adapting to new tracks every week, different dirt. I also got my bike a little more dialed. You know, you get your bike dialed on the practice track and when you get to the race track it’s different. We went a little lower with the sag and that helped a little bit. I think I’m feeling more comfortable in timed qualifying with pushing hard on the track.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think you are the only Suzuki so far to make a main event in 2015. I find that weird, because I’ve ridden just about all the 250F’s and I love the Suzuki. Are you going to be the only one in ’15?
Yeah, possibly. I’m the only Suzuki rider that has a point as of right now. I love my Suzuki’s. I think they really fit a smaller rider like me, and they run great. Their transmissions are better than they used to be, but still not the greatest. Overall, though, I love the bike. It’s not the fastest, but I can ride them really good. They’re really rider friendly, easy to corner, easy to set up for me, but I’m open for anything. If anyone offered me a ride, I’ll take it. I’ve ridden just about every bike.
Well, you made your first main of the year in Oakland last Saturday night. Now that you got that out of the way, what are your goals for the rest of ’15 and will we see you outdoors?
My main goal is to keep making mains and improving every week. I was sick last weekend and didn’t feel that great, so I think that hurt me a little in the main. I was coughing, head was pounding and felt a little dizzy, so I backed it off a little. That’s my goals, though, is to make the mains and keep improving and work my way towards getting a two-digit number next year. If I stay healthy, it’s really costly to do the outdoors, but I hope to do the first three, the ones on the west. Depending on how well I do at those, we’ll see how many more I can do after that. I mean, if I come out of the box and kill it with a top-ten, I can probably afford to move on and do more. I believe with the equipment I’m on now I’m a solid top-fifteen guy.
Nice, we’ll hope to see you out there, and we’ll definitely see you at more supercrosses in ’15. Thanks for doing the interview.
No problem.
