Long Story Short
Monday, January 28, 2013 | 4:30 PM
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Sometimes it takes things being upside down, discombobulated and sideways for things to be straight and clear. In the case of Andrew Short, it’s been a rough go of it here lately. The former factory Honda and KTM rider has, until very recently, found himself on the Larry Brooks/Jeremy McGrath Chaparral team on a factory Honda but the team hasn’t had the funding to fully support its racing effort for the last year or so—heck, almost from the very beginning it’s been touch and go. A couple of weeks ago on track walk I asked how he’s been and Short made mention that he hasn’t been sleeping well and after I laughed, he said, “No, seriously. I haven’t been sleeping.”
Despite having a career highlight for himself in winning Seattle Supercross last year, Short’s been on the, pardon the pun, short end of the stick in terms of support and resources in the last year. But he’s been slogging through—hoping against hope, really—that the team finds the rest of the funding it needs to support a rider of his caliber.
But finally the hangman cometh for everyone on the team with the announcement last week that L&Mc has closed its doors, leaving a lot of very capable guys out of work and a rider out of a team. As well, say goodbye to that factory Honda that Short had as it was leased to the L&Mc team, and since that team is no more, Honda wanted it back. Short became a man without a home, but luckily for him, the writing was on the wall and there had been alternate plans being made the last few weeks. For Oakland, Short showed up on a production Honda with the Mike Kranyak Racing Team that had been helping Josh Hansen on a Kawasaki. Hanny was out with what we were told was an illness and Short was in. Details were sketchy from team manager Paul Delaurier and Short himself but it seems that this is what it is going to be for the next few weeks at least.
Short was pitted under the Mike Kranyak Racing tent in Oakland.
Simon Cudby photo
Racing a new bike (Said Short when asked to compare his Oakland bike with his previous ride: “It’s got a red front fender and that’s about it for the similarities.”) and new team, Short rode a very strong race to pass Matt Georke on the last lap for sixth. It tied Andrew’s best result of the year and a real eye opener in terms of how mentally strong Short has become.
“I’ve been through some challenging times. It was one of the craziest weeks of my life,” he explained. Then, of course, he added his trademark Andrew Short smile and positive spin. “I know I have to be appreciative of what I’ve been given and blessed with because nobody’s dying or sick or anything. But I care a lot about the racing and I have a lot of passion for it. My primary goal this weekend was to focus on just getting here to the race and putting all my energy to going forward and it’s been tough. I’m way happier to be here today than at home.”
You could see that Short struggled a bit out there with a Honda CRF450 that had new suspension components (the KYB production all-air fork as opposed to a Showa works fork). Otherwise, the bike had a high compression piston, a clutch basket, an FMF exhaust, some clamps, a linkage and that's about it. It was a huge change, and Short, who has been referred to as nearly OCD by many, change doesn’t always go over well. He qualified only twentieth fastest—a strange sight indeed. The odds were against the #29 to do much of anything with not much time on a strange bike on a new team.
How little time did he have on the bike? “I got to spend a little bit of time on it (the new bike) Thursday night, as the sun was going down. The bike basically got built on Thursday. I rode it hardly any. It’s a stock motor with a Hinson clutch basket in it. There’s not much too it. Some people helped us out with suspension, which I’m very grateful for. It was completely different than any other bike I’ve ridden in the last six or seven years. So it was a learning curve and I didn’t feel comfortable on it all day and never really did.”
Short is one of those guys that needs everything to be perfect and lined up. Everything has a place and an order and that’s all there is to it. And this, this mess for lack of a better word, had to have thrown him off and he admits that years ago, it might have just done exactly that.
“Three or four years ago I couldn’t handle it. I’d probably buckle,” says Short in a bit of self-reflection. “This has been a great growing experience for me. I feel a lot more well-rounded as a person. And I think when I’m done racing this will benefit me more than it does necessarily right now in this moment. I’ve learned a lot and it puts everything in perspective and makes you thankful for everything you have. To race motorcycles is really cool. Yeah, and saying that, my OCD—my peg position’s different, I have different shift lever, different brake pedal… My front brakes—everything was different! And you know how OCD I am, especially when it’s something about motorcycles [that] I’m really into and I care about.”
Despite the distractions, Short was still able to finish sixth in Oakland.
Simon Cudby photo
If there’s a positive towards anything, Andrew Short will find it. Seriously, talk to him sometime and you’ll see.
A sixth is a great ride. Moving forward, with the Kranyak team being Kawasaki supported, there’s a chance that Short shows up on a Kawasaki, or in talking to the Honda guys, there’s a chance he ends up back on a factory bike. Or maybe he just keeps keeping on with the production-based machine that worked well for him at Oakland.
“The next few weeks we’ll be here,” says Short. “We’re trying to build something that can be amazing if it all works the way we have it planned. It’s unfortunate to have this happen in the middle of the season and it’s not a perfect picture, but we’re willing to fight for it and make something. We don’t want everything to dissolve. So I’m willing to fight and push forward and make something that’s great for a lot of people.”
The possibilities are up in the air right now, much like a lot of things with Andrew’s racing career. When asked what’s next, it seemed like he was wondering as much as anyone.
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"Hanny was out with what we were told was an illness" All right all you would-be comedians. This one is served up on a tee.
A Kawasaki would probably throw his OCD meter off the charts. He's always looked good on a Honda. Let's hope he keeps riding red one way or another.
Hang in there Shorty.
Let's hope Andrew can persevere through the situation and that he can earn enough to keep the lights on at home while he works on support for the rest of the season. He's a good guy that is an excellent representative for his sponsors.
He seemed to finish right where he would have if he was on a factory bike, so I don't think it made that much of a difference. Well maybe his OCD played mind games with him during qualifying, but come main time seemed like the same Shorty.
Maybe Shorty on a Kaw wouldn't be a bad thing?
Look at what it made Villo into with the switch to the 2012 model.
I think a factory bike does more for a rider mentally. When you know your equipment is the best available and was put together by the best technicians you can just focus on riding. If you break it? Not your problem; they'll give you a brand new one for the next race. I constantly worry about things like whether I tightened my linkage, and not going crazy out of fear of crashing and damaging my bike since I'll have to pay for it.
This is totally the president's fault, it's so obvious he doesn't like Short.
lil hanny.... .. syphilis?
Best wishes, Short! We will be pulling for you for sure.
The guy seems like a class act and great rider. He somehow manages to avoid problems and get results every week. You'd think teams would be lining up to get a piece of that action.
Good luck Shorty, you have a lot of fans rooting for you.
Whens the last time you seen a bike without 100 different sponser stickers on it? In sweet ironey, this is what factory bikes use to look like 15 years ago.
It takes a real man to pull a bike off the showroom, toss a few aftermarket goodies onto it, qualify for a 450 main, then rip out a sixth against a legendary cast of heavyweights. That isn't mere talent, that is the stuff of greek mythology playing out right in front of us. Well done Andrew!
suppose they are working to get him on Windham's bike?
never been a short fan...but got to hand it to him!!! 6th on a stock bike!!
all them club level riders that have just bought a 13 honda 450...dont you dare moan!!! its good for 6th at a sx!!! lol
I hope things turn out well for #29. Maybe a brand-change is in the future. Honda had nothing in 450's, and now they have Barcia, Canard and soon, Tomac as well.
I think Honda's holding on to Tomac has implications in Short's immediate future as in regards to staying red.
No matter what, Andrew Short is a good dude and is deserving of a ride.
Someone needs to give MC a little talk about how bad he's leaving a guy like Andrew hanging! All the money he has and Short being a top ten rider is still getting results, Hope someone steps up and helps him out! Losing alot of respect for MC.
Not dissing on Short or his abilities, but I think it will be very difficult for him to match his 6th place next week. His luck (preparation + opportunity) helped him out. That second turn crash wiped out a lot of his main competition. I've always been a fan of Short. I hope someone can pick him up and help him out. Honda owes him support. Hopefully Geico can work something out with him.
Having been a long time Andrew Short fan I applaud his efforts in a tough time. I hope his plans come together and he continues to be a part of SX and MX for as long as he wants.
Congratulations on a great start to the season with all the garbage hanging over your head. Great race on Saturday last.
"suppose they are working to get him on Windham's bike?"
I'm inclined to agree that this would be a great idea. That's basically a factory bike anyway and if Andrew did indeed switch to Kawi, Villo and the Pro-Circuit circus would certainly relieve him of any doubts about bike v. rider. I'd love to see the guy pick up one, maybe even two more wins then call it a career based on that. Maybe K-dub could give him his bike and a "this is for all the marbles" pep talk and let him play spoiler a couple more times this year. Wishful thinking but it'd still be fun.
weird as usual team loses ward wilson chisholm because not able to get factory bike from kawi teams sponsor.....
hanson?!?!?!?!?!? wtf??
then running short on stock honda.....
I hear that the first thing they tried to do was get Short on Windham's bike and Honda said "NO". It would look bad for Honda if he went to a Kawasaki but I'm sure they don't care. This just seems to be racing at the pro level today. There are five or six guys in each class that the factories seem to put support behind. The others are basically on their own. Back in the late 70's Hannah won a bunch of races on a stock Yamaha YZ250. I went out and bought one as a result. It was a good bike in the day but not all that great. I agree with the above comments that a lot of it is in your attitude and desire. It helps to have the best equipment of course but desire and ability can make the difference. Regarding McGrath, he isn't made of money. From what I have heard his wife has had health problems that have hit him hard. It was pretty noble for him to support a team this long.
I think everyone is pulling for Shorty. For those thinking he did just as well as the week before though....on paper yes. His ride the week before was much more impressive. Consider that Alessi got 5th Saturday.
Don't be so hard on MC,he's probably the guy that helped Shorty out with his suspension and clamps.for Oakland...
I agree @Trailmaster17, A guy like Jeremy McGrath ( the King), still sponsored by Honda and receiving a paycheck from them every month to do their photoshoots and commercials, calls it quits on Short. I have lost ALL respect for the chubby MC! And as far as Larry Brooks, everyone knows he's been a bottomfeeder for years, riding on someone's coat tails to pay his biills. If I could say one thing to Andrew, keep your chin up ( and your faith) and this will make you stronger. Stay away from shady has beens and make the best of the next opportunity that comes around from honest and trustworhy people like you are. L & Mc, whatever you called it, you should be ashamed of yourselves!
@Farmerbob Windhams bike, great idea. Perfect timing. It seems stupid if it didn't happen.
A racer should never be forced into a situation where they lose sleep because of the team. Through the years MC and LB have both slipped in interviews and stated they have "deep pockets" from investments after their racing days. I will always be curious how much personal cash they spent to save this team? And why is it LB is always around team drama....
What a terrible chain of events for the 29, I think if someone was going to step up and help him they would of by now, the 14 bike is the logical solution, If Honda won't help, change the color of the bike like Alessi, and go rip it. Put a F-ing 55 gallon drum in front of the bike in the pits and take donations, people love this guy, I can't imagine half the people In the stadium not throwing at least a buck in the pot!!
@MX Bob
Athough this is not meant ot be negative, I will go with the obvious as far as "illness." Mental or Physical?
Bummer for short but he finished right where he was- remember -JS,JB,and CR were finishing ahead of him and would have again if they hadn't gone down.
Fck Honda & Mc!!!! ABSOLUTELY NOOOOOOO love.....GO ANDREW!!!!
@TripCarlyle, what president? I won't have one until four years from now, at least not a "legal" one.
its either stock or it isn't ...its far from stock so quit calling it that...and its probably far from the factory bike as well...bummer...nice guy - good rider same basic result....450s have so much juice stock the motor isn't really the issue....Millsaps non-factory bike seems to be motoring along...and in all honesty 1, 5 .41 18 and 51 are flat twistin it up.......Good luck Shorty.....don't fry your brain , just ride the bike ...you'll be fine.
So the writing was on the wall? Is that when the repo man was picking up the team equipment. Both McGrath and Brooks know how much it costs to go racing, so they knew they didn't have the funding before the season started. I had read not long ago that Brooks was always on the phone looking for support. It's too bad it went down like that. One thing about Short is that he has spirit and won't let anything break it. Hang in there Andrew!
I myself is disappointed in Honda. They took the "Lease Bike" back, come on. I am a Honda 450 rider, my kids ride Honda's, hell I even drive a Civic. Andrew sells Honda in a way. I have always rode Honda's and I am 46 years old. Why couldnt he keep the Factory Bike for Oakland. I read that a full Factory Bike is in the 70K range, pennies to Honda. I have personally spent more than that on Honda products. I agree with "hotfart", we the motocross community should sponser Andrew. He is a Ambassador to the sport and a great one at that. I hope to see a pot in Atlanta because I will for sure donate. Andrew I am pulling for you like I do every weekend Buddy!
I would think when K-Dub retired Geico promised his bike to Tomac for the east coast rounds. Honda is stacked right now in the big boy class. And then theres the precedent you set as a factory if you allow lease bikes to still be used when teams dont mind folding up.
Plenty of good bikes out there for him to compete... http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/mcy/3570822481.html
I saw this and couldn't help myself...
KW's bike is NOT available. He is using it at opening ceremonies for the rest of the 2013 SX season.
It sounds like Hansen is out and done. If so, we will probably never see him in a SX race again.
I'm in! Andrew Short sponsored by the spectators!
Andrew set up a web site to donate on line.
He can call his team The Rider for the People.
I don't think MC, RC, JW put their own cash on the line...even Genova is spending his companies advertising budget money, so I doubt if it is not coming out of his personal check book.
MC, RC, JW, used their names and clout to get the factory bikes and hopefully corporate sponsors to fund the team. They in turn do pr work, help the riders with testing and riding tips...Each one of those guys has made a lot of money and probably have good accountants, who would never let them sink large amounts of their cash into such a risky venture.
The teams all folded due to lack of a big corporate funding.Had they secured a sponsor like Coke, Pepsi, NAPA, Progressive Gatoraide they would still be in operation.. The riders tried to give back and I applaud them for their effort.
Unfortunately, our sport does not receive enough main stream exposure to draw the interest outside advertisers. That is why, in the long run, having our sport on CBS is a good thing, we need to draw more than just people who ride motorcycles to be interested in our sport. Until that happens or the economy does a 180 this is going to be the status quo....
The Brooks half of the deal speaks for itself, multiple failures in a row. I have my doubts MC sunk much (if any) of his own money into the deal. His name is on the team to draw support. I don't know why people assume a past moto guy has anything to offer in a business sense, the motocross crowd is the least educated and financially responsible group of people I know in my ring of friends and acquaintances. I'm a bit younger than lots here but there's also something that's always struck a chord with me when it comes to MC. I respect what he did but I think he comes across as a giant douche in interviews, someone who still thinks he is bigger than the sport even though he couldn't dream of going as fast as the elite do now.
How dare you talk about the KING that way! You obviously were not around during his years of dominance.
wow ! really nice to keep reading how shity the production bike's are compared to the works bike's so bad that pros don't really want to race them unless there abandoned by a team. since the majority of the field is made up of guys who buy their shity bike's just to race against elite equipment why not close the gap some. and it's a big gap, I know a good rider makes the difference but if that's all it took they wouldn't build 70 k works bike's. and if you think I'm wrong you probably still believe in Santa Claus.
Brooks probably pitched the glory years with Chapparal to MC
Isn't RJ involved in Supercross.com ?
JimM
Pala374
I like the idea of donations so Andrew can go racing, but there is a draw back to this. If he was to make the podium, " I would like to thanks my sponors, -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------". He could be up there for days. lol
Andy rode Team Green Kawi's all his life until Shae Bentley stole his Pro Circuit ride back in the day. If he's back on green then welcome home "long and the short of it''!
It is interesting that the stock '13 Honda 450 came in 5th place in the 450 Motocross Action shootout, but Short got sixth on a bike that was tested as 'weak on the power'. That is a testament to Andrew Short.