Not often is there a first time Supercross main event winner in the premier class. In fact, since the beginning of professional AMA Supercross racing in 1972, only 54 riders had taken first place honors until this past Saturday. At round 15 of the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross Series, Andrew Short became the 55th rider to stand atop the podium. While Short practically lead from wire to wire, his win came amongst several unusual circumstances.
With many riders out already this year, the races have lacked the depth that they had last year. But if enough of the top guys are out, suddenly the field is leveled once again. That was basically the scenario that occurred on Saturday. When the gate dropped, Short did not technically get the holeshot, but he was able to find his way into the lead immediately after the first turn.
Ryan Dungey had decided to make his return to racing in the Northwest, so many eyes were on him to step into a lead position, along with the already crowned 2012 Champion, Ryan Villopoto. But Dungey had a mid-pack start, and Villopoto was near the back after the first turn. Only a few turns later, Villopoto fell in a tight left hand turn while attempting to overtake Davi Millsaps. While the fall itself was a slow, low-side mistake, it was the way Villopoto fell that did the damage, as his foot seemed to stick in one place due to the tacky soil, and his bike and body then toppled over. The result was a knee injury that not only ended Villopoto’s evening, but the year as well (a press release went on Tuesday morning stating that Villopoto is set for surgery, but will indeed miss the rest of the 2012 season).
Source: http://www.supercross.com/news/2012-monster-energy-ama-supercross-series-salt-lake-city-preview
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