Catching Up with Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Official Team's New Recruit Andrew Short

The 37-year-old from Smithville, Texas, USA, who also has an FIM Motocross of Nations victory to his name, spoke of this new venture with Yamaha for 2020: “I’m really excited to join the Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Official Team. The bike, team and opportunity for me to conquer Dakar is really exciting and I look forward to the future and what it holds. 

“Every time you join a team, there’s new personalities, team-mates, bike, personnel and all these things to look forward to. I know that to race at a high level you have to have a lot of passion and I do for rally racing, so I can’t wait to be around like-minded people, making memories, racing hard and enjoying it.”

Short has impressed in all three of his Dakar appearances, finishing sixth in 2019 and taking another top 10 result earlier this year. Now, he has his sights set even higher.

“My main goal for this year is Dakar. I’ve done well in the world championship; I’ve grown and got much better over the years in the rally. I believe I’ve got a long way to go and hopefully, my experience will keep growing so that I can have good success at Dakar, that’s the target.

“The main thing in rally is to be consistent. I’ve had success at a few races and then the next I might not be quite there. Dakar is a long race and you have to be consistent, so this is something I will work on. I want to be in the mix every day to put myself in the best position, minimise mistakes and be there at the end for the win. That’s where I hope to be and what I aim to work on this year.”