Justin Brayton is really one of those guys that you just want to have success. Already a main event winner in the tough AMA supercross championship, King of Paris, and multiple Australian supercross champion, the Honda Australia rider is looking at extending his already successful career and taking on the World in the 2023 World supercross championship.
When it comes to negative press about the WSX series, it is riders like Brayton that give it credibility and a reason we should all support the new series. Still a top-level rider, but at the age closer to 40 than 30, he possibly burn-out from the hard grind of 20 supercross events in America and then another dozen or so motocross races.
Brayton has always been a travelling, making trips to Europe and Australia on many occasions and as mentioned picking up championships and trophies along the way. Now, with the 2022 season nearly done, he still has the Paris supercross to come and then two more rounds of the Australian supercross championship, then it will be preparing for the 2023 WSX title race.
“Australia trip 1 of 2 is in the books,” Brayton said. “1-3-2 in the three races and also met some great people, got to see some old friends, had some great food and coffee. Great to catch up with my friend and mindset coach while I’m in Australia. I met Anthony several years back while I was over racing SX and have worked together ever since. He also just wrote a fantastic book called The Performance Mindset. Some great insight for anyone, especially athletes.”
The rounds in Melbourne and Adelaide ran back-to-back weekends and Brayton loved the travel and went 1-2 in the overall and is equal first with Aaron Tanti for the top spot in the Australian 450 supercross championship race. His World SX ended with podium finishes and a lot of enjoyment.
“We got off to a great start in Melbourne and had hoped to continue that in Adelaide. I love Australia so much, so travelling to these different locations is what makes this championship so special to me. I know that I am in a good place with the team, so I want to put the CRF450R on top again. It was a game of chess out there. The track was really, really challenging. The priority was just finding smooth lines and putting my CRF450R where it needed to be. It is just amazing to be back here in Australia. I love racing here and spending time with the team. Adelaide was a solid day. I qualified in first, got the heat win and ended second in the main event. I started in third in the main – it was good enough – but I struggled with the track. It was very simple, more motocross like and quite short. It is all good though! I’m looking forward to regrouping at home before the final two rounds here in Australia!”
Now, with the Aussie season nearly done, the America wants to enjoy family, then prepare for what could be his last season racing, but this time not in USA, but around the World as the WSX series heads to several different countries and a lot of big stadiums.
“I did retire in the US, but over the phase of my career and having kids, if you look at really all sports – I’ve got friends in all sports across the world – I think just stopping anything that you are so passionate about is really dangerous, as far as just your life overall. The first thing that I crossed off was motocross in 2016 and I replaced that with five or six races here in Australia. That was a big part of a life decision, to experience the world and I was previously able to come here actually with Craig Dack in 2010 and I just fell in love with the country. Fast-forward to now, I’ve got three kids, businesses in the US and what’s next to cross off without crossing everything off and that was the 17 rounds in the US. Obviously, it is so competitive, but I think I can still focus on, like they were saying earlier maybe eight to 10 rounds [of WSX] next year.”
So now, we can all sit back, and await who will join Brayton in the WSX, but what we do know, a WSX championship trophy sitting alongside his King of Paris and Aussie SX trophies sure would be a nice ending to what has been an incredible career for somebody who stayed real to himself and didn’t get carried away with the glitz and glamor of USA SX.
Friday, November 4, 2022 at 11:29AM 
