Honda Red Bull Racing kick-started its 2009 Supercross campaign in race-charging style with Andrew Short finishing second at the AMA Supercross and FIM World Championship season opener in Anaheim, CA over the weekend. The first race of the season got underway under the lights of Angel Stadium on Saturday, January 3, and Honda Red Rider Andrew Short successfully powered his all-new CRF450R to second place on the podium earning a valuable 22 points in the championship standings.
"I'm really excited to get the first race out of the way, and to finish on the podium at Anaheim one is huge," said Short. "It was especially great for me because I feel I've made gains compared to where my weaknesses were last year and that gives me encouragement for the rest of the season.
"Placing second is a great way to start off the season, to get the team's momentum going. It's a great pay-off for Honda Red Bull Racing and shows that our program is on the right track and we have the potential to run up front all season."
Honda Red Bull Racing's Ivan Tedesco rode strong to finish in sixth place followed closely by privateer Honda pilot Heath Voss in seventh, and Frenchmen Ben Coisy rounded out Honda's top ten finishers, placing eighth in his U.S Supercross class debut for MotoConcepts/RXR Honda. Honda Red Bull Racing's Davi Millsaps suffered a lackluster start and battled to finish 12th.
In the Supercross Lites West Championship, privateer Honda pilots, Chris Blose, Jeff Alessi and Ben Evans earned top-ten finishes on their CRF250Rs. GEICO Powersports Honda pilot Dan Reardon got his 2009 Supercross Lites West campaign away to a fast start, winning the hole shot and leading the opening laps. But a crash midway into the race forced the 24-year-old out of the event. Reardon's teammate, 2008 Supercross Lites East Champion Trey Canard, made his west coast debut but a series of mishaps forced the GEICO Powersports Honda pilot to fight his way back to a 14th place finish.
Honda Red Riders will continue to campaign in round two of the championship at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona this Saturday, January 10.
Top Honda Supercross finishes
2nd - Andrew Short (Hon)
6th - Ivan Tedesco (Hon)
7th - Heath Voss (Hon)
8th - Ben Coisy (Hon)
12th - Davi Millsaps (Hon)
Top Honda Supercross Lites finishes
4th - Chris Blose (Hon)
8th - Jeff Alessi (Hon)
9th - Ben Evans (Hon)
14th - Trey Canard (Hon)