braaap

At the age of 17 Brad Smith imported his first mini bikes from China. Whilst working as an apprentice electrician, working part time at Woolworths and mowing neighbour’s lawns, buying and selling gear online he was able to save enough money to buy this first shipment. After 6 weeks of waiting with baited breath the bikes finally arrived at his home. Disappointingly for him, they were not of the standard he had hoped and expected. Brad had a vision of getting mini motocross started in Australia and to do this he needed a bike that could be rode and jumped with confidence by adults. This first shipment was only suitable to sell to children. After standing on street corners and hanging around the outskirts of trade events with these bikes with large signage in toe he finally sold them.

Brad sourced a new bike to import from China which was of a superior standard than the original, but they still did not quite have his stamp of approval and confidence. Brad was selling his bikes all around Australia via his web site and from advertising in Motorbike Magazines. He regularly travelled to the mainland from Tasmania to enter into every event possible to get his name out there, and to learn more. He would take a note book and pen to every event to “pick the brains” of the best at the time. When he was ready to launch his own bike, he knew he would be the market leader in every aspect of the business. These trips were a major issue in itself as Brad was a provisional driver unable to hire a car through normal venues. Brad sponsored riders to enter in events he was not able to attend or compete in himself.

Brad knew he could design the best pit bike available in the world using his and his fathers’ personal experience and knowledge. To get this bike Brad felt he had no option but to go to China himself and source a factory that was willing to effectively and strictly use his expertise. 

At the tender age of 18 Brad boarded a plane and headed to China. Brad made some great contacts here where he sourced two factories that were willing to listen to him and make the bikes exactly to his own specs. It is now four years since then, Brad is almost 21 and he is selling his very own designed mini bikes all across Australia. Debatably the best pit bike available in the world today. Brad travels to China twice a year to visit the factories and meet with the people who are building his bikes.

Part of Brad’s vision was to have his bikes sold in exciting braaap^© stores across Australia. The shops to be of the same image as surf shops, pumping music, TV’s running Moto DVDs and every extreme toy one can find for motocross riders under the one roof. This vision was given to several people but no one wanted to take it on. “Street clothes and motorbikes won’t sell under the one roof”, he was told. Thankfully this was their attitude, as Brad opened his first retail outlet 12 months ago and his second 6 months ago. He is in the process of organising his third, which will be in Victoria. Brad wanted the buying of a braaapster bike to be an exciting experience. The stores are destination stores! A place where people want to go just to hang out and tell tales of great rides.

Brad now employs his mother, father, sister, cousin and aunty along with 10 other loyal braaap^© employees.

This Year Brad has sourced two venues in Tasmania to build mini motocross complexes. Brad has built multiple tracks at each of these complexes for mini motocross enthusiasts to test their skills on or for beginners to learn on.

Brad has now started a braaap^© club which is for all aged riders of this type of pit bike. Riders join to hang out together and to ride or race. braaap^© Club is officially affiliated with Motorcycling Australia, the countries biggest motorcycling body. This means we can hold race days, ride days and coaching days for riders. Brad often takes kids and adults to our braaap ^©tracks to teach them how to ride or how to improve their existing skills. braaap^© puts back into the community through our riding club; we are providing a safe, controlled place for people to ride legally. This is helping to reduce the amount of people riding on roads and at illegal venues. Both the community and police are certainly grateful for this.

Brad is working with local schools to educate children about safety and riding areas.

Brad also takes a team of riders to all mini motocross races through out Australia. Recently team braaap^© finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th in the Victorian Motard Championships; gained podium finish in the National Mini Supercross also held in Victoria and has clean swept everything in Tasmania. braaap^© is working on building the mini scene Australia wide.

Brad writes a column bi-monthly in a mini bike magazine, this is always about the mini motocross scene in Tasmania.

My mission is to show young people how to get their adrenaline rush from an action sport rather than from drugs, alcohol or substance abuse.