THIRD PLACE FOR ANDREW SHORT ON STAGE FOUR IN ABU DHABI.
ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING RIDER LIES FIFTH OVERALL GOING INTO FINAL STAGE.
Following a challenging stage three of the 2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider Andrew Short has put in a strong performance on the long stage four to finish third fastest.
Setting off as the 11th rider into today’s 286.1-kilometre timed special, Short immediately set about making up for time lost on the previous stage. Catching and passing a number of riders ahead of him the American rode, and navigated, the majority of the technical stage alone. Cloudier weather conditions, although still hot, made for extremely challenging navigation through the large dunes of the Liwa Desert, especially on what was a fast-paced stage.
Arriving as third fastest at the end of the special, less than one-minute down on the runner-up, Short now lies fifth overall in the provisional overall standings with one stage left to race.
Totalling 351.96 kilometres, Thursday’s stage five includes a 214.47-kilometre timed special in the Liwa Desert.
Andrew Short:“The terrain was really fast today, especially for sand dunes. It seems like we ran through the valleys a lot of the time and that increased the pace, I think. The light was really flat and that made the drops tricky to see. All of that came together to make a long stage even more tiring as you had to fully concentrate the whole time. It was a really good experience for me and I can imagine it would be even tougher to lead out when it’s like that. For me, I’ll continue to learn and hopefully have a good final day tomorrow.”
2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Stage 4 Provisional Classification
1. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (Honda) 3:53:46
2. Joan Barreda (Honda) 3:56:47
3. Andrew Short (Husqvarna) 3:57:31
4. Luciano Benavides (KTM) 3:58:25
5. Aaron Mare (KTM) 4:01:49
6. Kevin Benavides (Honda) 4:04:24 2019
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Overall Provisional Classification After Stage 4
1. Sam Sunderland (KTM) 15:06:43
2. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (Honda) 15:07:01
3. Luciano Benavides (KTM) 15:11:37
4. Kevin Benavides (Honda) 15:27:59
5. Andrew Short (Husqvarna) 15:42:31
6. Mark Ackerman (Husqvarna) 16:05:53
Text/Bild: Husqvarna