Max Anstie is having a very strong supercross season this year in the East Coast Lites Supercross Championship. He has been in the lead in the championship and won the penultimate race in Philadelphia last Saturday. With this victory, Anstie certainly still has a chance to finish in the top three in the final championship standings.
“It was a relief to win the race in Philadelphia,” Anstie said. ”I’ve been fast all year round. I was the fastest in time practice four times, which is half of all races, and I won heat races. Winning the final completed the puzzle. There are many good riders and fast bikes at the start, which makes it difficult to always be at the front of the start in every race. This was the case in Philadelphia because I started second and was able to take over the leading position from Seth Hammaker. Hammaker had the crowd behind him and rode very strong. I’m happy that I managed to win on a dry track. Last year I won in East Rutherford but it was very muddy. We did have an all-Honda podium with Jett and Hunter Lawrence there so that was nice. I’m happy that after all these years I managed to get the job done by winning a supercross in dry conditions.”
Anstie has been good and consistent all year and took the lead in the standings at the beginning of the championship. ”It was nice to have the red plate. This was also fantastic for the team because they did a lot of work for me. Unfortunately I only had it for two weeks because I had problems in Birmingham. However, everything is still possible in the championship because I am now sixth, just two points behind the third man. So in Salt Lake City it will be a great battle between me, Pierce Brown and Coty Shock for third place in the final standings. It is an East/West race so there are more good riders on the track. However, it is a race that will be held at height, which makes it more difficult to set up your motorcycle perfectly. I’m really looking forward to the race and I’m going to give it my all. It would be great not only for myself but also for the team to be able to take third place.”
Anstie has a supercross only contract with the Firepower Honda team, so we will not see him in action in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship this summer. “That’s right, I will not be competing in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship. I have done outdoors for many years, but with this team I only concentrate on supercross. This has the advantage that I have been able to learn certain things in supercross faster and fine-tune my technique. I do feel that I am not ready yet in the outdoors, so who knows what the future will bring. I would like to do it properly again in the future. I will be doing the Australian Supercross Championship for the Firepower Honda team at the end of this year and possibly the Supercross World Championship. There are some rumors that the Supercross World Championship will change to one class and this will be the 450 class. If so, I don’t know if I will participate because I want to focus on the 250 class. If this goes ahead it means I’ll have a bit of a break to maybe go back to England or do other fun things before I start preparing for the Australian Supercross Championship.”
Because Anstie is fully concentrating on supercross, we will not see him in action in the MX of Nations at the end of this year. This year this race will be held in the British Matterley Basin, a race that Anstie managed to dominate in 2017!
“Unfortunately the MX of Nations is a no go for me. My bike is completely developed on supercross. It will take a lot of extra budget and work to be competitive in the MX of Nations. I really like the event and in 2017 it was great when I won there. But if I were to participate this year, I want to participate to do well, but the way my contract currently stands, this is not feasible to tackle it in a good way.”
Anstie was riding in the world championship for many years and managed to show very nice things. Because he has ridden for different teams and had to work with all kinds of people, he has found a way to always get the most out of it.
”I’ve been on both sides of the sport. I have ridden for the Dixon Racing team for years, but also for the Nestaan Husqvarna team, Ice One Husqvarna team, Rockstar Energy Suzuki Team, Gariboldi Honda team, etc. It is different everywhere to make it work. The most important thing I learned is that you should always make the best of every situation. It’s how you look at things. You can be in a small team and think it’s nothing or in a large team where you think it can’t get any better. Your mindset is very important and how you deal with the people you have to work with. It’s important to get the best out of the people you work with so you can be successful. I have ridden for many teams but have not had the luxury of riding for one team my entire career. I had to change myself and learn to adapt. Fortunately, I got it all under control. I have come a long way. By driving for different teams you work with different people, in different countries and this brings a different situation everywhere.’
It looks like we won’t see Anstie back in the MXGP World Championship for a while and that he has really found his niche in America.
”I still follow MXGP closely and it really has a place in my heart. I know a lot of people from the paddock there and have a lot of good friends there. I really like supercross. As you know me, I have been riding in supercross events such as Schijndel, Goes and Paris from the 85cc class onwards. I feel that I am where I am supposed to be. Supercross in America is great and I really like it. My focus is here right now. In 2017 I did not expect that I would now be riding in the 250 class in America because I was very deep in the MXGP world at the time. But a lot has changed and that’s why I don’t look too far ahead and say never, never.”
Because Anstie has ridden in the Netherlands and Belgium for years, he has become a very good sand rider. He also showed this regularly during the Grand Prix of Lommel, a race that he won three times. Because there are rumors that Eli Tomac might want to participate in Lommel, we asked Anstie what he would advise Tomac if he will decide to race.
”Haha, I think it’s better to ask Jeffrey Herlings this question. I would go there to train a long time before the race anyway. But actually I don’t think this will be enough because riders like Jorge Prado and Jeffrey Herlings are so fast in the sand. It will take him years to keep up with them in the sand. It will be quite an experience if Tomac does this. I think he knows how to handle it himself. Maybe I should ask him for advice on how to ride supercross, haha. It will be interesting if it happens and I would really like it. Of course, the sand in Belgium is also very different from the sand in America.”
Because Anstie has had a very long career, he has also raced with many big names in the sport.
”I have ridden against a lot of good riders such as Jeffrey Herlings, Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen, Jason Anderson but also younger riders such as Jorge Prado, Tom Vialle, Hunter and Jett Lawrence and Haiden Deegan. There is not really much difference when riding against a younger rider with talent or an older more experienced rider. I didn’t know Tom Vialle very well when he came to America. Of course he won a lot in Europe and took titles. Deegan has the right people around him such as his parents, father, team, crew and trainer. They help him where necessary. Over the years I have learned one thing and that is that every rider is on his own timeline. When I was between 18 and 20 years old, I rode against Jeffrey Herlings, who was incredibly fast. No matter what I did or tried, I couldn’t make up the difference. Years later I have become stronger myself, also physically better and I have created a better foundation. Riding against other riders has taught me lessons that have helped me improve over the years and now allow me to win races. It is a privilege to have such a long career in which I have been able to ride against many big names.”
Interview by Arno van den Brink
Photocredits – Firepower Honda / Ray Archer
