A1 Where's Short?

Andrew Short - Dakar

While his old friends will be lining up for the opening round of the AMA Supercross championship at Anaheim stadium, former supercross and motocross hero, Andrew Short will be putting his best foot forward in his first ever Dakar Rally.

Despite his calm attitude, the name of his team sponsor suits him well. Short shows up on the Dakar after a rock star career in American Supercross and Motocross. Spectacular on his bike, he takes on a whole new challenge far from the dirt tracks and SX stadiums that he was used to. After stopping his career in 2016, the Colorado native needed something new, something different. He started hearing about that Dakar speaking to the late Kurt Caselli and then got a better taste of off-road events while on a vacation at the Sonora Rally. A new chapter finally opened at the beginning of the year, first with Honda and now with the Husqvarna Factory Team and his debut has been impressive. Third of the Sonora Rally, he then captured a fine 16th spot in Morocco where most of his future Dakar rivals were already competing. But the American wants to take it easy and not get carried away for his first Dakar. He knows the jump into the unknown is a massive one.

“I started riding when I was 5 and turned pro at the age of 17. At 18, I packed my bag and decided to race for a living. I enjoyed an amazing career. I fell in love with off-road racing when I came to see the Sonora Rally and I decided to follow my heart. I know it doesn’t make sense but it’s a huge dream to be able to combine my love for bikes and such an adventure. Riding is a passion. I would have regrets not fulfilling such opportunities. I showed up on the Morocco Rally with no preparation but I really had fun there. You have to respect the conditions. I loved the camaraderie and the brotherhood between the riders. I really don’t know what I’ll feel like during the Dakar. The riding is easy for me but the navigation, the experience, the way you prepare for a stage, the nutrition… all that is new. Physically it’s obviously completely different. I was used to short races. I don’t know how my body will react. Basically the whole Dakar concerns me, and the biggest thing would be not to make it to the finish. First, I have to respect it, then if I come back, I’ll push harder. I’m not focused on a result. I’m worried about the unknown.”

“I’m really excited about taking the start of my first Dakar. After racing motocross and supercross for 16 years as a professional experience becomes automatic year after year. Being a rookie for rally racing I can admit the anticipation and nerves are higher than normal. Since I took the decision to switch into rally racing a few months ago, I did everything possible to better prepare myself for the Dakar challenge. My goal is to keep my mind calm during the next few days and be ready to take in all the new experiences. I want to learn and improve as the race goes on. The cold and the heat and the sand dunes will be the biggest challenge for me and not so much the sand dunes. I’m really excited for this challenge and I believe it’s going to be a life experience. I want to get to the end of this race so that I can get better for the future.”