CADEN BRASWELL INTERVIEW: FACTORY FILL-IN RIDE EXTENDED

When the Phoenix Honda team disbanded at the end of 2023 Supercross, several riders were left without a job. One of the riders, Caden Braswell from Florida was given a fill-in spot by the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/Gas Gas factory team to fill in for an injured 250 rider Pierce Brown. Braswell was signed on to compete in four rounds, with Brown returning to the fifth round at Red Bud. However, Caden’s opportunity has now been extended for another four rounds as the team has an available bike due to the now-injured Michael Mosiman. Has Caden finished well enough to retain his spot on the team through the motocross season? We have yet to learn these answers, but we do know that Braswell has finished better every time he has been on the bike. Now fourteenth in 250 Championship points, Braswell has also proven to be one of the nicest guys on the track after he stopped during the qualifying session at High Point to help a downed competitor Ryder Difrancesco, whose Kawasaki 250 was on top of him (watch it here).  

 By Jim Kimball

2023 RED BUD NATIONAL // FULL COVERAGE

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CADEN, HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW AFTER THE FOUR RACES YOU WERE CONTRACTED TO DO ARE UP? Well, I did my very first ride on High Point’s pro track, and it was an eventful day. I took my first top ten overall in the outdoors. We had both highs and lows. I’m extremely grateful to the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/Gas Gas team to let me do this. I’ve really enjoyed not only High Point but this whole opportunity.

HOW DID YOU END UP HERE, AS A TROY LEE DESIGNS GASGAS 250 FACTORY RIDER? Unfortunately, the Phoenix Honda team disbanded right before outdoors.  It was very unfortunate, as we had a long deal with them and were looking forward to making a big impact. But things just got in the way and the next thing you know; we were looking for a ride. We got super fortunate with an opportunity, and Max (Troy Lee’s son) was able to get me on a bike for four rounds with Pierce Brown being hurt. God really opened a door on that one, and Max let me on a bike. I came up for a trial run three weeks before outdoors. They said, “Alright let’s have you ride a bike and see if you want to do this thing.” I rode the bike, and they were “alright, alright, we will work with you, and get going with it.” We had a goal of the top twelve, which I have just been able to achieve.

Each week Caden Braswell has improved, with a 12-12 at Thunder Valley and an 9-13 at High Point, Caden is looking to break into the top 10 overall this season. 

HOW DID YOU FEEL ON THE BIKE AND WAS IT A BENEFIT TO BE AROUND OTHER RIDERS ON THE TEAM? I am not happy with my performances, but I am grateful for the opportunity to have been with these guys, learning with them, and growing with them. I came out of amateurs on GasGas, and it is super cool to return to where I came from.  I have been with TLD for eight years throughout my amateur career. They took care of me and it was like family, so to come back was like a welcome home party.  

EVEN THOUGH YOU REUNITED WITH GASGAS I BET THINGS HAVE CHANGED. YOU ARE NOW ON THE 2023-1/2 FACTORY EDITION, DIFFERENT FROM THE GASGAS YOU RODE BEFORE. Yes sir, there have been a lot of changes. I have been super thankful to keep the red though. Red is my favorite color. The front number plate has kept that signature red flare that I like, and the comfort is something you adapt to. In this game, it is a lot of riders and not necessarily so many bikes but the bike helps, and having a team that makes the bike extremely consistent and is always performing at their best definitely helps keep the confidence up. You know what your machine is going to do every time you get on it, and for a rider, that is a big advantage to have in their pocket. They know every time they get on that bike, they can trust the team and I have been very fortunate to have been on that. The previous model to the new model was a bit different. Actually, a big difference, I am not going to lie. It has had a lot of changes to it. It still has that signature GasGas feel that I like, and that Austrian frame that flexes a little bit. I really enjoy it. The thing turns into butter. It floats through the air really nice and it is a very fun ride.

Caden Braswell under the Troy Lee Designs tent. 

THIS PAST WEEKEND AT HIGH POINT, YOU TOOK AN ELEVENTH OVERALL, WHICH HAS BEEN YOUR BEST FINISH. THINGS ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AREN’T THEY? Yes sir, but it frustrates me to say that I see myself as a top-five guy, and not putting the bike up there where I believe it belongs is disappointing. It belongs on the podium and it frustrates me as well. I just want to continue to do my best and my best was eleventh today. I will keep pushing until it is first. We don’t do this to lose, we do it to win. Anything less than that is not ideal but I gave it my best effort, and I will go home and continue to work.

Caden Braswell’s fill-in ride was extended for the next four motocross nationals.

IT IS INTERESTING TO ME THAT BEING FROM FLORIDA THAT YOU DID WELL AT THUNDER VALLEY AND FINISHED TWELFTH. You could feel it in the bike which reminded me of a race I did as an amateur in Mammoth, it was a lot like that. It sucks all the power out of the bike with the altitude, but with me being a bigger rider, I feel like the endurance part helps.  I see myself as a diesel, the longer it gets, the more suffer, I really enjoy it. As an athlete, that is something I enjoy, getting put in the suffer zone. That makes me smile. It does not feel great at the time, but it puts a smile on my face. I guess I am just weird like that.

YOU ARE FROM FLORIDA, SO ARE YOU AT HOME NOW, OR HAVE YOU RELOCATED TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WHERE THE TEAM IS? Yes sir, the team is based out of California, so that is where I am staying, out in California. We got fortunate that a good friend of ours let us stay with them and use it as our own. Just need to make sure we keep it clean. I would like to get back to Florida because I am familiar with it, and I enjoy the humidity a little bit more. But right now, the team is based out of there and you want to be close to the team. It is where we have been at.

THE PRESS RELEASE FROM GASGAS STATED YOU WERE DOING THE FIRST FOUR ROUNDS, BUT WITH MICHAEL MOSIMAN NOW OUT, DO YOU FEEL THAT MAY CHANGE? I would love to race the rest of the season with these guys, and I mean even into the future but that is their call to make. All I can do is pray about it. I pray that these riders they have do heal up because they are good guys. I felt a little bit like Michael abandoned me when he got hurt. I have been around him a lot. I have been hurt and it is not a good place to be. I am praying the best for him and that he gets back quickly, and the same for P. B. and Bam-Bam. They are good for our sport and to see them gone is not a good deal. I don’t like taking gifts because other people are hurt. I don’t feel it is right. Wherever they want me, I am along for the ride and I will continue to do my best. Obviously, this is what I dreamed of growing up, and this is where my mind lies at night, dreaming about going around a dirt bike track. (UPDATE: Cadens’ opportunity to ride for Gas Gas has been extended to the next four rounds.)

Caden and Michael Mosiman on the line at Pala. Michael hurt his shoulder at Hangtown and his injury requires surgery. He will be out for the summer, leaving a spot open for Caden to continue with the GasGas team. 

DO YOU HAVE A BACKUP PLAN? No sir I don’t have a backup plan. I have all my chips in the middle of this basket right now. I am hoping to prove that I can be considered a factory guy.  

DID I MISS ANYTHING OR IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD? Yes, I would like to add that God is good all the time, and all the time God is good. That is something that I say to myself every morning when I wake up. I say thank you Lord for another day. It is a beautiful day you have blessed us with. Every breath is a gift to me. It is something so fragile, yet so strong. I don’t know if you have ever thought about it like that but something as simple as a breath is what keeps you moving.

2023 RED BUD NATIONAL // FULL COVERAGE