the start of the stage. Riders
were previously handed the road
book the day before, giving team
"map men" the chance to plot
routes for the riders and make
notes on the roll charts. The new
regulations seemed to suit Shorty
just fine, as he was able to make
the most of his improving skill and
end the race on top.
"I can't believe it," Short ex-
claimed. "It doesn't seem real right
now. My main goal coming into
Morocco was to finish second in
the championship, but to take the
win feels unreal. I was second at
the Silk Way, which was huge for
me, but there were a few of the top
riders missing. Now all the guys
are here at this event getting ready
for Dakar, and to take the win with
such stiff competition is amazing!"
His main competition came
from his teammate and former
FIM Cross-Country Rallies World
Champion Pablo Quintanilla.
Coming into the final day, the
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna
teammates were 1-2 in the stand-
ings, less than 30 seconds apart,
but Short went on the attack on
the fifth and final day of the race.
Despite a crash early in the stage,
Short regrouped to finish fifth in
the 104-mile (168-km) timed spe-
cial, taking the overall win.
Red Bull KTM's Toby Price was
a favorite to win the rally, and the
Australian held the lead after day
three, but it all fell apart on the
fourth stage, where Price was
burdened with the task of opening
the track. "Things were going re-
ally well this morning [during stage
four] but right before the fuel stop
the road book didn't really include
all the information we needed and
the road that was meant to be
there had been washed away,"
Price described. "I spent a lot of
time trying to figure that out and
by the time I had found the way,
the other guys had all caught up."
The incident relegated Price to a
15th-place finish on the day. The
good news there was that the
tables turned on the final day, and
VOLUME 56 ISSUE 41 OCTOBER 15, 2019 P43
Supercross veteran Andrew
Short successfully navigated
the African deserts to score his
first world-championship rally
victory at the Morocco Rally.
PHOTOS: RALLYZONE/FIM
It was a 1-2 victory for the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team, with Short also
securing second place in the 2019 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.
