Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1235205
MOTOCROSSER-TURNED-RALLY-RACER ANDREW SHORT P56 Interview they go about it and hopefully bridge the two. Also, realistically, when people change it doesn't matter, in any sport at a high level the change is difficult. Often times people do this for hope that things are going to get better, or the grass is greener on the other side, but I also know that a lot of it comes down to myself and the hard work and dedication that I put in, and it's not just going to be a magic answer. Do you think that Yamaha will be competitive as a team and be able to be in conten- tion to fight for the win and the podium? Yeah. I think obviously with Ricky winning this year, it kind of gives you hope and reality that you can win on another team besides KTM or Husky. Van Bev- eren has been really close before he had the crash and his bike let go. That's why I think they've dedicated so much money and resources and trying to push to get to another level recently with Yamaha, because they know they are really close. They just had a few more pieces of the puzzle to put together. They're learning just like everyone else is. That was definitely part of my thought pro- cess going into it. I've also seen what the other program has and how they approach it and how they won. I've been to three of them with that team, and they're Fly Racing and Short have had a long association. "LAST YEAR FOR SILK WAY I STARTED IN RUSSIA, WENT THROUGH MONGOLIA AND ENDED IN CHINA IN THE GOBI DESERT." definitely really strong. There's a reason why they've had so much success and winning in the past, and they have great riders. So it won't be easy. It never is. That's the beauty of racing. When you train with Jimmy Lewis, do you also train with Ricky Brabec? We almost always go together. But this year, before Dakar, it was a little different, so we didn't go together just before Dakar. But before that, yeah. Every time I've been to Jimmy's, Ricky has been there also. It's fun for me. I really enjoy riding with him. We're differ- ent in a lot of ways but similar in others. It's cool even when you're at the race just to have another American there. This year with Skyler Howes, it was good to have him. The rally events are several days. How many hours are you on the bike? How do you train for that? It was hard because you could go to Pahrump, Nevada, and try to put in a 10- to 12-hour day, but you're not pushing at a high level. You don't have the same mental fatigue. It's kind of like the motocross guys. They can ride at [trainer] Aldon Baker's all day with four guys and push each other, but the conditions still aren't the same. The atmosphere is not the same as race day at a national. It's hard to replicate. So, we try to do that with rally. Part of it is just being in the moment and really