Broc Pearson stepping up to Superbike with 727 Moto
The 2021 Motorsports TV Supersport Championship was one of the most closely fought titles in recent history which was decided at the finish by .050 of a second going to Broc Pearson, a rider who has overcome some horrendous injuries in recent years and nearly gave the sport away.
Pearson celebrated his 21st Birthday and Championship title on the weekend after what was an edge of the seat event for the Queenslander at the Grand finale of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, at South Australia’s The Bend Motorsport Park.
We caught up with Pearson to discuss his year, his move into Superbikes in 2022 with the 727 Moto Team, and his first test session with the new team on the Yamaha R1 earlier this week at The Bend.
The Queensland team Jed Metcher rode for this year will be rebranded to 727 Moto for 2021 and expanded to two riders which includes Pearson, and are well on their way to becoming one of the biggest privateer teams in the Superbike paddock.
Adding to the fire power of the team is the recruitment of some MotoGP and ASBK heavy weights including former Valentino Rossi and Desmosport Ducati mechanic Brent Stephens, former Team Honda Racing chief Paul Free, and Yamaha Racing Development’s, Stewart Winton, who has worked with Metcher this year and previously with BSB Champion Josh Brookes, among many others.
Pearson had been testing earlier in the year at Morgan Park on a Yamaha Superbike and it was the same one he tested on with this week at The Bend, but unfortunately some gremlins with the machine meant he could only complete several laps.
Congratulations on your Championship win but no rest for the wicked.
Broc Pearson: “Look I started a new job a few weeks ago and probably could have asked for the day off but I’m heading straight to work now.”
You’ve had a few days for the Championship win to sink in, how do you feel?
Pearson: “It was kind of different as I had to ride on Monday. So I was off to bed early Sunday night, and then I had a few drinks with the team on Monday night, but I had to go to bed early to get up at 4am as I had to get a flight home, and then head to work.
“It will be nice to sit down tonight with my girlfriend and family and chill out and have a chat.
“Just now it feels like I’m not carrying any weight on my shoulders, as for the last month, every time I roll out the door to ride by my bike or go to the gym, and since Wakefield I’ve put in so much work in, but the last month has really impacted me mentally as it (the Championship) was on my mind.”
You would have had to be careful to make sure you didn’t crash your push bike or tear a muscle at the gym?
Pearson: “The last week I did no gym work because I didn’t want to carry weights in case I pulled something, and then on my push bike I did everything indoors on my trainer in case I fell off my bicycle to ensure I didn’t have any injuries or wounds going into the last round.
“On Tuesday morning I said to my mechanic, Hayden, who was flying with me five days ago when I left that same airport, and my head was buzzing and I was thinking about every possible scenario for the weekend. This morning at the same airport I had no stress and nothing on my mind, it was so nice to come home and drop my guard.”
What were your thoughts as you crossed the line on Sunday?
Pearson: “I tried to be a bit strategic in that second race and it kind of worked but until I crossed the line I just, I couldn’t believe I had done it.
“Heading into the weekend I was obviously fastest, I qualified on pole and from the outside you could have thought he’s got this in the bag, but with such a minimal points difference between us, there was just no room to take some air, it was far from being over.
“After that first race it was hard, I don’t know how many times Supersport has been that close going into the last race, but there was only one point going into it and it was stressful, but I found ways to motivate myself.
“When I crossed the line, I didn’t know what to think, because I had always wanted that day, and when I crossed, I the thought well I got to set myself a new goal now, because the last three years this has been my goal.
“I have a goal for what I am aiming for at one time and this was my goal for the weekend, and I achieved that. I was beside myself with how happy I was.”
Now you have a new goal, you were obviously out testing with the new Superbike team on Monday.
Pearson: “It was the bike I was testing in Queensland earlier this year, but we’ve got some new bikes we will have organised for next year.
“To be honest with you, we had some mechanical issues all day, I did four laps, and it didn’t work out the way I wanted to, maybe that was just how the ball was to roll for the day.
“It gave me a little bit of breathing room anyway as its big to come off winning the championship and then get back into something the next day.”
It must be exciting for you to be going into a new team with Jed Metcher, and there are some big hitters in your new team amongst the crew in Brent Stephens, Paul Free and Stewart Winton?
Pearson: “It’s always good to have guys in your corner who know what they are doing, and at the end of the day it brings confidence to a rider, and when a rider has confidence that is when they are at their best. And that’s what I’ve been able to feel at the moment with my team because I feel at home with it.
“With those guys in my corner, I know I will be able to carry that confidence into next year as I’ve already gone quite fast on a superbike, so I don’t doubt myself at all.”
Is 2022 still considered a learning year for you next year do you expect to be competitive from the get-go?
Pearson: “Look it’s going to be a learning year. I’m going to be going to tracks on a superbike I have never rode one at, I’ve only ever really rode the Superbike at Morgan Park, and yesterday then added a few at The Bend, but I only did four laps.
“So its going to be learning year, I don’t expect to come in and use that as an excuse, but I’m going to be ready to go.
“I have good guys around me, I believe I can be competitive right away, I don’t mean I expect to win races, but if I roll out and win a race next year that will be awesome.
“But my goal next year will be to land on the podium and, if I can, then I set myself a goal to start winning.
“There is a lot to do, and those guys out there are obviously the best in Australia and obviously with Jack (Miller) coming back on the weekend showed how high the level is, so I don’t expect anything, just take one thing at a time.”
You and Max Stauffer stepping up into Superbikes with experienced guys that have been around in the class for some time, how do you feel about being the new blood in the class?
Pearson: “The good thing that I have done in the past couple of months in testing is prove that I can ride a Superbike, and that gives me confidence going into the year and knowing that I can somewhat ride at a high level.
“In regard to guys like Herfoss and Maxwell, they’ve got a lot of experience on the bike and at tracks, riding a superbike to them is like jumping on the lounge for most guys, they are at home on them, and I’m not at home on a superbike yet.
“When I ride, I still struggle, even though I’m fit and strong, I don’t have that bike fitness to ride one for 14 laps, because you need to be able to be at home on them and feel like its your bike, and I don’t feel that at the moment, and I need to ride it more.
“It will be interesting to see what Max does and I wish him all the best, and I hope he can run at the front, as at the end of the day anyone turning up to the track can be rewarded. Hopefully it’s a good year for everyone and I can just tick off some boxes on the way.”
Take us back to the last few years, at one stage you thought about giving the sport up after you banged yourself up and smashed yourself to pieces a few times, can you clarify that in your mind now that your glad you didn’t give up and achieved what you set out to achieve three years ago.
Pearson: “Even before the weekend I was glad that I have developed into who I am as a person, and for my fitness, I’m super fit and super healthy and that’s why I didn’t give up and I am where I am now. I’m very fortunate that I stayed committed.
“The first accident, even though that was the most difficult as I almost died, I had a lot of mental issues from it, and I struggled a lot, but I was always determined to race again. I knew I was determined to race again and would face some anxiety and racing was going to be difficult, but I was young.
“I didn’t really come back to who I was, but it was the second accident that really tested me as I spent a long time trying to get fit and get going again, and then as soon as I came back, I broke my back again and then I was just over it.
“I was in Adelaide hospital by myself, and my team went back home to work, and I was just in the hospital thinking, why am I doing this. For a few weeks afterwards I was pretty done. I couldn’t be bothered dealing with consequences I was going to face in the future, so I had a bit of time off, didn’t read anything bike related and didn’t pick up the phone or look at bike related things for a while.
“Then my natural day to day like life things continued where I got back on pushbike, and then I went to the gym and started improving, then walking again, and then I got back on the bike. But that was mentally the toughest one, as I was over it.”
Because of your success over in Asia did you expect to continue that when you came home to race?
Pearson: “No, I started to not rate myself as high as the other riders were and that was the problem, it was the consequences of the accidents that I started to think maybe I have to settle and realise I’m not the rider I can be.
“But then when Covid hit last year, it gave me a little time to clear my head, ride the bike a little bit and have some fun rather than concentrate on racing. That was probably a turning point for me, as I didn’t have to worry about racing, and I naturally started going faster.
“Last year I got my rods taken out of both my femurs a month before the first round at Phillip Island, but no one I spoke to had had rods taken out of both femurs, so then I had them out, and I could barely walk, fit into my suit, so I had a horrible round at the Island, similar to what Herfoss is going through now. You don’t have movement and can’t ride. I then had an electronics problem in April and broke my collar bone.”
Because COVID hit, you were able to just go back to enjoying riding on the weekends and fully recover?
Pearson: “Exactly, I did some riding with Oli (Bayliss) last year and he was going really fast on the 600 and I got to a point where I started going faster and things were clicking, and I turned up to Wakefield and I won a race. Then I was like okay maybe I am back and can start picking myself up.
“Over Christmas I did a lot of work mentally and physically and from the test and that point onwards I had a good run. I’ve been able to carry that confidence to where I am now, and I’m very glad about what I’ve achieved.”
Tell us about your friend Oli Bayliss, you are obviously close, you train together, he is off to World Supersport and he has praised you from the weekend what impact has he had on you?
Pearson: “Me and Troy (Bayliss) get along quite well, and Oli is one of my best mates, and sometimes when Oli doesn’t want to get out of bed I go cycling with Troy. It’s a good relationship and friendship I have with them. Troy has been very supportive of me, and he had an accident earlier this year and we built a bit of a relationship through that as I had been through a similar thing.
“With Oli we are real big rivals, but we are good mates. We push each other a lot in good ways, we hate losing to each other. It’s like competing against your brother it’s the last person you want to lose to.
“We have our disagreements, it’s what makes us stronger riders, I help him in some ways, and he does me. Oli is one of a kind. He has something in him and the ability to switch on, I didn’t have that switch that you can click, I’ve learnt a few things off him, he’s mentally strong.
“At the end of the day I’m envious of what he is doing, he is my good mate and I want to see him do well, but I’m grateful I’ve had some years training with Oli, and if he switches on in Europe, finds his feet and mojo, he is going to do really well and turn heads.”
You are still only 21 and have raced overseas in Asia. Do you still have ambitions to race overseas, to race in WorldSBK or MotoGP?
Pearson: “You need to set goals one step at a time, and I don’t have any future plans to go to Europe yet, or any anything like that, but by all means I would love to, but I have to try and work in with what suits me right now and I believe for me that is to get on a Superbike, and if I can race against the best guys in Australia and maybe some time soon be one of the best here, then it is going to be the best way I can get to Europe.
“Rides don’t just fall into your lap, if I can go to Europe one in the future by all means, but its not going to be next year, right now I have to win an Australian Superbike Championship and I’ve got a bit of work to do before I can achieve that.”
Pearson’s 2021 Supersport Championship title was won with numerous lap records. A win and second place at the Winton season opener, pole position, a win and second place at Wakefield, and pole position, a third place and a spectacular victory at the Grand Finale at the Bend to finish on 135 points with Tom Edwards second on 129 points, and Max Stauffer rounding out the top three on 116 points.
2021 Motorsports TV Australian Supersport Championship Points
| Pos | Name | Total |
| 1 | Broc PEARSON | 135 |
| 2 | Tom EDWARDS | 129 |
| 3 | Max STAUFFER | 116 |
| 4 | Scott NICHOLSON | 91 |
| 5 | Dallas SKEER | 90 |
| 6 | Luke POWER | 63 |
| 7 | John LYTRAS | 61 |
| 8 | Jack PASSFIELD | 58 |
| 9 | Tom BRAMICH | 55 |
| 10 | Timothy LARGE | 50 |
| 11 | Aidan HAYES | 47 |
| 12 | Rhys BELLING | 42 |
| 13 | Noel MAHON | 40 |
| 14 | Mitch KUHNE | 30 |
| 15 | Luke MITCHELL | 24 |
| 16 | Matthew LONG | 23 |
| 17 | Jack HYDE | 23 |
| 18 | Ben ANGELIDIS | 21 |
| 19 | Joel TAYLOR | 17 |
| 20 | Billy VAN EERDE | 15 |
| 21 | Harrison VOIGHT | 14 |
