LAKEWOOD — Andrew Short’s American Motorcyclist Association career has been satisfyingly long. In 17 years, the Colorado Springs native has made it to the podium 31 times, including three victories, and he has finished among the top three in the overall standings five times. His favorite venue?
Thunder Valley Motocross Park, of course. The 1½-mile, 38-turn track with dramatic elevation changes is the ideal motocross setting for any native Coloradan. Saturday, Short will compete in his final Thunder Valley race in the 12th Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.
It’s a young man’s game, and the married 33-year-old with two young children is calling it a career after this season.
“I had two big head injuries within the last year, and the last one scared me really bad — especially with all the information coming out from the NFL and action sports about people taking their lives,” Short said Thursday before the first practice at Thunder Valley. “That kind of put everything into perspective for me, and I don’t want any progressive or permanent damage. I also want to be competitive — and I’m not as competitive as I used to be.”
Short’s previous injuries include a broken leg, wrist, elbow and collarbone. He never has been able to win at his home race, but he still has fond memories of the place. In 2010 he helped lead Team USA to victory in the Motocross of Nations, a.k.a the Olympics of Motocross.
“I’m happy to be here and be able to ride out of the series,” he said. “For a while there, I thought I was done. I don’t think many people get to say when. Sports are brutal as it is, and if you’re doing it as a profession you stop because nobody is paying you anymore or you stop because of injuries. I’m fortunate to be able to dictate that — assuming I don’t get injured the rest of the season.”
Eli Tomac of Cortez also will get plenty of attention Saturday. The up-and-coming Tomac won the first five races last year — including the first moto at Thunder Valley — before violently crashing heading into Turn 18, ending his season with serious injuries to both shoulders. Tomac, who had surgery on his left rotator cuff and right labrum, had a dominant 25-second lead at the time of his devastating crash.
“It doesn’t haunt me because it was such a freak accident, you can’t really dwell on it. It just happened,” Tomac said Thursday. “I just came down one of the faster downhills here and the rear end just stepped out over a bump.”
Tomac, 23, is third in the standings after finishing third in the first two events of the season. With a new Kawasaki team, Tomac has been making some of the quickest laps in the series, but his starts have been relatively slow.
“There were some scary stories about how the strength would come back in the shoulders. But the fact I was able to get through the supercross season healthy was promising for me. To get a couple podiums in the first two races here was nice. It’s nice to be able to at least get back to this level — although it isn’t at the level we were at last year when we won five motos in a row. But we’re close.”
Motocross Championship
What: Round 3 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
When: Saturday, noon and 2 p.m. motos (450cc and 250 cc classes)
Where: Thunder Valley Motocross Park, Lakewood
Practice/qualifying: 8 a.m.
Tickets: $40 adults; $20 children ages 6-11; available at Thunder Valley or ProMotocross.com.
