Having to work a “real” job six days a week and only riding your motorcycle on Sundays is by no means rock bottom. But for Brandon Paasch, it certainly felt like it. Especially so if you consider that a year ago he was a MotoAmerica Superbike racer on one of the top teams in the paddock, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki.
Going from factory star to regular job translates to someone having to eat a really large slice of humble pie, but so far Paasch has the appetite for it. That comes with the sense of being on the verge of resurrecting a broken career.
At just 24-years-old, the latest edition of Brandon Paasch is hopeful of getting a chance to show once again that he’s a talented young road racer wanting a second (okay, perhaps a third) chance.
So far so good.
Paasch got the call to race the 3D Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R750 in the Supersport class at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and he’s taken the bull by the horns and made good use of it, riding the Jarritos-backed Suzuki to fifth in Q2 in his first time on the bike. The New Jerseyan will start the two races from the middle of the second row.
“It’s great to be back,” Paasch said. “I got the call. I was driving to the track when I found out that I was going to be riding the 3D Motorsports bike sponsored by Jarritos. I wasn’t totally positive. I was coming to the races either way just to be here, because I haven’t been to a race since (Road) Atlanta. I just wanted to be at the track. We had already been talking about potentially racing the last couple rounds and it didn’t look like it was going to happen. Then it ended up happening. So, luckily, I showed up. It was just nice to get back on the track and be around everybody and get back up to speed.”
Paasch admits that some humble pie has been eaten.
“Oh, yeah. Working a 9-5… If my boss is listening to this, I love you guys, but that sucks. I hate waking up every day at a certain time and getting to work and sitting there all day and you’re just thinking about racing and training and riding, all the stuff that I used to be doing. It’s definitely a humbling experience, for sure. Having to work for money in a different way. Before it was training and go race and earn your money on results and now it’s work every day and ride on Sundays. It’s been good to just be back. I’ve been riding a little bit of everything this year. I raced Daytona. I did the Loudon Classic. I did the Baggers race at Atlanta. I was just racing an Adventure bike last week. I’ve kind of just been riding anything I can get my hands on. Trying to stay as relevant as possible and keep my name floating around in case something comes up.
“In a way it feels like I’ve hit a really low point in my career. Nobody was calling my phone for months about racing. Nobody is even thinking about having me on their program. Obviously, I work six days a week now back home and then I ride on Sundays and just try to have fun with it and enjoy it. I tried to not seem like I was chasing it. I didn’t want to feel desperate because there is more to life than just racing motorcycles, as I’m learning. But it’s what I love to do. So, it sucks. It hurts sitting on the couch watching everybody else race. Last year, like you said, I was racing superbikes and not doing terribly. We were fighting for top fives last year. Front row at Jersey.”
Paasch has had plenty of time to think. And part of that is trying to figure out where things have gone wrong.
“I think it was just really bad timing for me, to be honest,” Paasch said. “I had had a contract, and things just didn’t work out, unfortunately. Other people have gone through it in the racing thing as well. (Bobby) Fong a couple years ago didn’t have a ride. He was working at the races and then ended up racing halfway through the season, and now he’s about to win the Superbike Championship. I think that’s just part of the deal. If you’re not either bringing a boatload of money or winning races every weekend, you’re lucky to be there.
Since he’s been in the MotoAmerica paddock virtually from the time he turned 14 and raced in the KTM RC Cup, it’s easy to think that Paasch is in his late 20s, early 30s. But that’s not the case.
“I’m 24. But everybody thinks I’m way older than I am, which is cool I guess, but not that cool when I’m looking for a ride and they’re like, ‘Dude, you’ve been around forever.’ I’m like, ‘I’m still young. I’m still ready to go race.’ All the guys in Superbike right now, other than Sean (Dylan Kelly), are about in their 30s. For me, the past year and a half racing Superbike, I was always the young guy in there trying to find my way. Racing against all these old dudes who have been around for 10 years in Superbike or at the front of whatever class they were racing. I definitely learned a lot from being in Superbike and being around those guys and how they act and how they work through the weekend and what they do. I’m always trying to learn.”
Never one to lack confidence in his abilities, Paasch isn’t surprised by his qualifying performance this morning at Mid-Ohio.
“I know where I have been in the past,” Paasch said. “I know where I think I should be. I always feel like no matter what I’m racing – you can stick me in MotoGP, I’m still going to think in my head I should be at the front. I might be a little bit delusional at times, but I always expect the best out of myself. I think that’s why I generally do decent, sometimes. But it’s not surprising to me. It’s just more refreshing. It’s good to come out and show that the 3D Motorsports bike and Jarritos and all those guys that we can be at the front. Obviously, we’re not winning right now, but we’re closing the gap. So, from where we started yesterday to where we’re at right now, it’s a hell of a lot closer. I just want to keep the momentum going, keep going better, and every time we touch the bike just keep improving our setup and keep improving my riding and keep working at it and getting closer to the front guys. I want to be at the front by the end of the year.”
As for next year, Paasch is open to anything. He just wants to race motorcycles.
“I’ll race anything. I don’t really care. I’ll race Superstock, Supersport, Superbike. Hell, I’d probably race Twins Cup, Baggers. I don’t care. I’ll race whatever I can get my hands on. I think, realistically, a good Supersport program would probably be where I’d be happy. I really like riding the Supersport bike. I was fast on it when I used to race. I never really stayed in the class too long. I did one year in MotoAmerica Supersport and one year in British Supersport and then jumped to Stock 1000 and then next year was on a Superbike. So, I’ve not really got a couple years under my belt in anything. I’ve pretty much just jumped through all the categories year after year. It would be nice to kind of settle in and get my feet underneath me and start making gains again and going forward.
“I’m just trying to keep my head level and stay focused. Obviously, they’re not expecting me to go out there and win this weekend. We all understand there’s going to be a little bit of a learning curve between me and the team and working with the bike. I’ve not raced Supersport in a long time. So, we’re just trying to chip away at it and stay level-headed and just keep working towards the goal, which is to eventually be at the front. We’re well on the way. That last couple percent is the hardest part. We’ll be searching for that.”
