Maiden 450-class victory for Andrew Short at Seattle Supercross – Motocross News
L&MC Racing Honda’s Andrew Short walked away with top honours in the 15th round of the 2012 Monster Energy American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Supercross, an International Motorcyclist Federation (FIM) World Championship, which went down at Seattle on Saturday, April 21.
Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen managed to secure runner-up place, whereas Jake Weimer finished in third place to round out the podium.
Around 52, 731 fans were gathered at the CenturyLink Field this past weekend to witness the historic moment for Short as he reached a milestone by claiming his first-ever 450-class victory.
The Smithville-based rider stamped his authority in the race right from the start, securing Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot Award and gradually separated himself from the rest of the pack.
Short did exceptionally well to stay ahead of his rivals, though he received a strong challenge from Roczen in the later stages of the race. However, he eventually won the battle to race to the chequered flag, leaving his rival to settle for runner-up place.
“It doesn’t feel real,” exclaimed Short, who missed seven races earlier this season to injury. “My team has been through some challenges, but we stuck together. There are so many people who have helped me in 11 years of doing this. I’m getting old. I didn’t believe [I could win] too much until the end and I think that’s been one of my problems in the past. All I wanted to do was be out here and to win is unreal.”
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto had dominated majority of the previous races in the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championships to successfully retain his title. However, the Seattle Supercross turned out to be a complete opposite of how the rest of his season had turned out. Trying to overtake Davi Millsaps in the first lap, his bike washed out in the left-hand corner, consequently sustaining an injury in his left knee. The injury is likely to keep him off his bike for the rest of the season, thus depriving him of a title defence in 2012 Lucas Oil AMA Motocross Championship.
The race on Saturday also saw the return of Red Bull/KTM rider Ryan Dungey who missed the previous five rounds of the series due to a broken collarbone. He seemed to be a bit out of touch and only managed to finish in sixth place.
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