Brandon Hartranft | TLD KTM’s New Addition

INSTAGRAM | @brandonhartranft_

After a handful of years with the same base of riders, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s roster for 2020 is essentially a new start. The official 250 team of the Austrian brand will again field four riders, with one carryover from 2019 in Derek Drake, one amateur graduate in Pierce Brown, and two new additions in Brian Moreau and Brandon Hartranft. With two seasons as a pro racer to his credit, 21-year old Hartranft is the most experienced of the squad and as a result, will have the most responsibility. ”I’m the oldest and this is going to be my third year. I think I’m the team leader at the moment and for testing, it’s all on me,” he explained of the offseason workload.

Talent and persistence helped Hartranft get the deal with TLD KTM. Hartranft lined up for every points-paying race to finish sixth overall in the 250 East Coast Supercross regional division standings and 12th overall in the 250 MX championship, an impressive feat for a sophomore racer. “I felt like I rode well all year. We had some hiccups here and there with the bike, and honestly, some of it was my fault, but I kept plugging away and didn’t worry much about getting a ride. Towards the end of the year, I was getting worried because that’s when all of the deals happen,” he explained in early October. Solid results are always the best way to stay the radar of teams in the pit area, but Hartranft made sure people in charge knew he was looking for a 2020 ride. “All year I had been pushing Tyler (Keefe, team manager). Every two days I would call or text, literally all year. He said I was riding really good through the season and as we came towards the end, it was between me and McAdoo,” he explained of the mid-August decision. “Actually, I think he offered McAdoo. And he definitely deserved it because he had good results, but he didn’t take it. So, they sent it to me. As soon as they sent it to me, I jumped on it. I think it’s for the better that they picked me [Laughs].”

Although we heard the news at Unadilla, it took months for the official announcement to be made and this allowed Hartranft the chance to take a small break in the offseason. “Right after Ironman I flew home and we all went on a cruise, me and a couple of our buddies, for about a week. I went home from another week and then flew out to California to start testing, I think that was around September 17th,” he shared. “It wasn’t that long of a break, but I think it’s for the better and I am excited.”

Now based in Southern California and taking on the preseason workload, Hartranft has quickly gotten accustomed to the KTM 250 SX-F. “The bike has been so good and everybody is happy. I feel, honestly, a lot faster on the new bike than I did last year and that’s very good. If I have a good offseason, I think I will really do good next year,” he shared. Yes, that sounds like a very cut and paste answer to a preseason interview, but Hartranft went on to explain there’s more to his program than just an orange bike as he will be under the standard KTM-Aldon Baker program that will be managed by former pro racer Mike Brown. “I think I am going to do West Coast, but whatever they want to do, I am game. It’ll be Aldon’s program, but with Mike Brown as the trainer for the Troy Lee guys. I think it will be very good because Mike Brown is a legend and Aldon is the man,” he boasted.

To our surprise, Hartranft’s newly signed deal is just for one year but he’s confident that he can do enough to earn an extension for future seasons with high, but realistic expectations. “It’s just a one-year deal, but I think I’ll earn myself a two-year deal. Everyone wants to win and be a champion, but sometimes you don’t want the goals too high, because if you don’t reach that goal it can destroy you for the rest of the season. Me and Tyler are going to go step by step.”

The factory deal means everything to Hartranft because he received little attention during his amateur days and earned it through hard work as a professional on a team that has no affiliation with his current employer. “I was offered to ride with Ed Torrance (Yamaha/Rock River/bLU cRU Amateur Motocross Team) as an amateur in 2017. I was doing great and won two championships right off of the bat in the A Class and then I tore my ACL. Christina Denney had offered me a ride for pros and if I didn’t hurt my knee, I was going to the last three that year. But my pro debut was Supercross in 2018 and I ended up having surgery on my shoulder, so I didn’t finish that season. This year, my goal was to finish the whole season without any problems. I did and it worked out very well. I think if you put really good results and are there every weekend, it’ll get you something. You definitely appreciate it more when you are under the radar and then get something like this,” he noted. “It’s hard to explain, because a bunch of these guys had rides when they were kids and I haven’t had anything. I was very thankful for the CycleTrader/Rock River Yamaha crew, but this is factory KTM. I’ve tried to tell people and they don’t understand that to be a nobody from Jersey for the last five years, I appreciate everything they do for me. I’m so happy.”