News 17 Jan 2019

Former AMA regular Short on the cusp of maiden Dakar podium

Factory Husqvarna pilot fourth with one stage remaining.

Image: Supplied.

Former AMA Supercross and Pro Motocross regular Andrew Short is on the cusp of earning his maiden Dakar Rally podium in just his second attempt.

The American, who transitioned to rally racing in time for the 2018 Dakar Rally after retiring from the AMA pro circuit in 2016, currently sits fourth in the classification with just one stage remaining in the gruelling event.

Despite sitting 34 minutes behind defending champion Matthias Walkner (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Short still stands a strong chance of podium success in the notoriously unpredictable race, which has seen numerous changes of the lead and DNFs amongst the leading crop of riders in 2019.

“There’s been a lot of chaos over the last few days,” Short admitted. “My plan from the beginning of this race was to just focus on my performance and try to be as smooth and consistent as possible. I’m happy to see my strategy is paying off. This fourth place in the overall is simply amazing.

“The moto start today was great fun for me. After the start, the terrain became a bit tricky and dangerous at some parts. There was a lot of dust and you really had to pay attention on the road book.

“That was stressful and there was this one waypoint at the end that was super tricky. The fatigue is setting in right now, but nevertheless I am really looking forward to reaching the finish line in Lima tomorrow.”

The Dakar Rally is currently led by Australian Toby Price (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), just 1m2s separating him from Pablo Quintanilla (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing).

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