Andrew Short Solid at Hangtown Opener

The 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship got off to a roaring start at the Hangtown National at the Prarie City SVRA park near Sacramento, California this past weekend. The idyllic venue provided what motocross fans crave: aggressive racing, rough conditions and spectacular weather. If the season opener is any indication of things to come, this outdoor championship will provide plenty of excitement.

Chapparal/Honda #29 Andrew Short's qualifying efforts produced a 9th fastest overall qualifying time, giving him a decent gate pick for the first moto of the season. His almost telepathic connection to his factory Honda CRF450 produced a holeshot reminiscent of his 2010 outdoor campaign. Andrew would be overtaken during the first lap by rejuvenated Stewart, then defend the second position for 5 laps against both Millsaps and Metcalf. Andrew would succumb to both of these riders and found himself in 4th at the halfway marker of the race. A hard charging Dungey would overtake Andrew on the 10th lap and Andrew would defend his 5th place until the end of the first moto.

Shorty could not repeat his start magic in moto 2 but found himself in 5th place after melee of the first few turns of the opening lap. Millsaps went down on the 2nd lap so Andrew inherited 4th place, battling Metcalf for third for a few laps before falling back a bit. Andrew would ride almost the entire moto in this position but mounted a late race charge to pass Metcalf on the last lap with a daring move over a triple jump. Andrew would later say that this charge required him to dig deep into his reserves and his efforts netted him a three way tie for third place overall in points with Alessi and Metcalf. Andrew was officially awarded 4th place overall.

Coach Seiji is proud of Andrew and the entire team and honored to be working with such great people. Andrew's strong start to the outdoor season, his work ethic and the people he has surrounded himself with bide well for the future. Onward to Freestone!