Max Anstie

Anstie competed internationally throughout his junior career, first competing in the FIM Motocross Junior World Championship in 2006 (in the 85cc class), finishing sixth overall.{{cite news|url=https://memotocross.fr/downloads/2cm-2006-mju-cm-junior.pdf|title=Championnat du Monde Junior 2006|publisher=memotocross.fr|accessdate=23 January 2023}} The following year, Anstie was able to finish in the runner-up spot in the same class, with two-second places behind champion Ken Roczen.{{cite news|url=https://memotocross.fr/downloads/2cm-2007-mju-cm-junior.pdf|title=Championnat du Monde Junior 2007|publisher=memotocross.fr|accessdate=23 January 2023}} At the 2008 edition of the event he was able to win the opening race in the 85cc class, but did not finish the second race, to finish seventh overall with Jeffrey Herlings as the winner.

In 2009, Anstie made his professional motocross debut in the 250 class of the AMA Motocross Championship, riding a KTM. Riding in the first eight rounds of the championship he was able to record a best finish of sixth in race two at Red Bud.{{cite news|url=http://americanmotocrossresults.com/live/archives/mx/2009/12-delmont/250_points.pdf|title=2009 Pro Motocross Points Standings|publisher=americanmotocrossresults.com|accessdate=25 January 2023}} This effort was enough for Anstie to be signed by the DNA Shred Stix Star Racing Yamaha team for 2010, where he would make his professional supercross debut.{{cite news|url=https://racerxonline.com/2010/01/12/dna-shred-stixstar-racingyamaha---anaheim-1|title=DNA SHRED STIX/STAR RACING/YAMAHA – ANAHEIM 1|publisher=racerxonline.com|date=12 January 2010|accessdate=25 January 2023}} Competing in the Lites West class, he recorded several top ten finished, including a fourth in San Diego.

Following his results in America, Anstie was able to sign for the Team CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit team in the MX2 class of the FIM Motocross World Championship in 2011.{{cite news|url=https://www.motoonline.com.au/2010/08/06/world-mx-searle-and-anstie-sign-for-cls-kawasaki-team/|title=World MX: Searle and Anstie sign for CLS Kawasaki team|work=Alex Gobert|publisher=motoonline.com.au|date=6 August 2010|accessdate=26 January 2023}} Anstie was immediately a factor in the MX2 class, placing in the top ten consistently and finishing third in the first race at the American round. He would come close to the overall podium several times throughout the year, before taking his first grand prix podium at the final round of the season in Italy. After sixth in the final standings, Anstie moved to the Honda Gariboldi team for 2012{{cite news|url=https://mxvice.com/it/honda-gariboldi-2012-with-max-anstie/|title=Honda Gariboldi 2012 With Max Anstie|work=Burf|publisher=mxvice.com|date=17 December 2011|accessdate=26 January 2023}} As part of this deal, Anstie would race the first five rounds of the Lites West class in the AMA Supercross Championship in America for 2012. A best place of sixth in Los Angeles, combined with missing the final three rounds, left him 16th in the championship standings. Anstie would again have a consistent season in the MX2 class of the FIM Motocross World Championship finishing seventh in the final standings, picking up his second overall podium at Lierop in The Netherlands. He finished the year by making his debut for Great Britain at the Motocross des Nations at Lommel in Belgium. Anstie helped Great Britain finish eighth overall, with himself finishing sixth individually in the Open class.

For 2013, Anstie was signed by Suzuki's factory team in the MX2 class of the 2013 FIM Motocross World Championship.{{cite news|url=https://mxvice.com/rockstar-energy-suzuki-signs-max-anstie/|title=ROCKSTAR ENERGY SUZUKI SIGNS MAX ANSTIE|work=Burf|publisher=mxvice.com|date=22 September 2012|accessdate=28 January 2023}} Once again, alongside this, Anstie competed in the opening rounds of that years AMA Supercross Championship in the Lites West class – at this point renamed to 250SX West. In the world championship, Anstie was not able to land on the overall podium during the season, but did pick up two third place race finishes. Anstie was on the move again in 2014, joining the BikeIT Yamaha Cosworth team, focussing on the MX2 class of the 2014 FIM Motocross World Championship.{{cite news|url=https://www.vitalmx.com/news/press-release/MSR-and-Bike-it-Yamaha-Cosworth-team-up-for-2014-and-Beyond,16867|title=MSR and Bike it Yamaha Cosworth team up for 2014 and Beyond|work=Press Release|publisher=vitalmx.com|date=2 January 2014|accessdate=28 January 2023}} He showed an immediate improvement, running at the front of the first few rounds and picking up two overall podiums in a row at rounds two and three. Later in the season, at Lommel, Anstie was able to pick up his first race win en route to his first overall grand prix victory.{{cite news|url=https://www.mxgp.com/news/cairoli-and-anstie-weather-storm#:~:text=Rubber%20stamping%20the%20fact%20that%20in%20motocross%20anything,for%20his%20ninth%20round%20victory%20of%20the%20year.|title=Cairoli and Anstie weather the storm|work=Youthstream|publisher=mxgp.com|date=3 August 2014|accessdate=28 January 2023}}

Anstie stayed with the same team for the 2015 FIM Motocross World Championship, which moved to Kawasaki.{{cite news|url=https://www.kawasaki.co.uk/en/news/steve_dixon_racing_joins_forces_with_kawasaki?Uid=092CXwxZWg1bXQoNDA5eXFsODQkOC1BQDl9aW15aC11dDVo#:~:text=In%20a%20move%20that%20is%20sure%20to%20spark,running%20under%20the%20Monster%20Energy%20DRT%20Kawasaki%20banner.|title=Steve Dixon Racing joins forces with Kawasaki|work=Kawasaki UK|publisher=kawasaki.co.uk|date=1 December 2014|accessdate=28 January 2023}} This proved to be his most successful season to date, finishing third overall in the championship behinds Tim Gajser and Pauls Jonass.{{cite news|url=https://www.tmxnews.co.uk/news/motocross/max-anstie-third-in-the-world/|title=Max Anstie third in the world|work=TMX Archives|publisher=tmxnews.co.uk|date=21 September 2015|accessdate=28 January 2023}} Included within this was three grand prix wins and nine race wins as part of that. On the back of this, Anstie was selected to make his second start for Great Britain at the 2015 Motocross des Nations. Unfortunately, an injury sustained in the Saturday qualifying race ended his weekend.{{cite news|url=https://www.motoxaddicts.com/2015/09/26/max-ansties-scary-crash-at-2015-motocross-of-nations/|title=Max Anstie's Scary Crash at 2015 Motocross of Nations|work=Dan Lamb|publisher=motoxaddicts.com|date=26 September 2015|accessdate=28 January 2023}} For the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship, Anstie changed teams again, to return to being a factory rider – this time for Husqvarna.{{cite news|url=https://www.mxbars.net/2016/02/06/rockstar-energy-husqvarna-factory-racing-mx2/|title=ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING MX2|publisher=mxbars.net|date=6 February 2016|accessdate=29 January 2023}} In what turned out to be a dominant season for champion Jeffrey Herlings, Anstie was able to pick up two more grand prix victories and finish in fourth in the final standings.

Anstie was retained by factory Husqvarna in 2017, but had to step up to the MXGP class for the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship.{{cite news|url=https://www.tmxnews.co.uk/news/motocross/max-anstie-set-up-for-2017-mx1-ride/|title=Max Anstie set up for 2017 MX1 ride|work=Sean Lawless|publisher=tmxnews.co.uk|date=18 November 2015|accessdate=29 January 2023}} Despite picking up a knee injury and missing two rounds, Anstie was able to pick up three overall podiums in his debut MXGP season on his way to ninth in the final standings.{{cite news|url=https://www.mxgp.com/news/max-anstie-miss-mxgp-trentino#:~:text=Rockstar%20Energy%20Husqvarna%20Factory%20Racing%E2%80%99s%20Max%20Anstie%20will,to%20his%20left%20knee%20picked%20up%20last%20weekend.|title=MAX ANSTIE TO MISS MXGP OF TRENTINO|work=Husqvarna Racing|publisher=mxgp.com|accessdate=29 January 2023}} Once again selected to race for Great Britain at the Motocross des Nations, Anstie had a stand out weekend, winning both of his races to help his nation get its first podium since 1997. Despite an injury in the early part of the season, Anstie was able to pick up a further three overall podiums on the way to tenth in the MXGP standings of the 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship.{{cite news|url=https://www.bikesportnews.com/news/news-detail/mxgp-redsand-anstie-joins-searle-on-the-sick-list|title=MXGP Redsand: Anstie joins Searle on the sick list|author=Sean Lawless|publisher=bikesportnews.com|work=26 March 2018|accessdate=29 January 2023}} This was coupled with another third overall as part of team Great Britain at the 2018 Motocross des Nations. In 2019, Anstie moved away from Husqvarna to the Standing Construct KTM team for MXGP.{{cite news|url=https://dirtbikerider.com/news/motocross/mxgp/max-anstie-2019-deal-standing-construct-ktm/|title=Max Anstie 2019 deal signed with Standing Construct KTM|author=Andrew Hill|publisher=dirtbikerider.com|work=1 November 2018|accessdate=29 January 2023}} In a season shortened by injury, he was able to take his first and to date only race win in the MXGP class in Lommel.{{cite news|url=https://www.cyclenews.com/2019/08/article/2019-mxgp-of-belgium-lommel-results/|title=2019 MXGP Of Belgium Lommel Results |publisher=cyclenews.com|work=5 August 2019|accessdate=29 January 2023}} He missed out on the overall win or podium at the same round due to a crash in the opening race that caused a damaged lung. He was able to ride with this injury to win the second race, but could not compete in the remaining rounds of the year.{{cite news|url=https://gatedrop.com/injury-update-max-anstie-small-hole-in-his-lung/#.Y9bd0XbP25c|title=Injury update: Max Anstie – small hole in his lung|publisher=gatedrop.com|work=18 August 2019|accessdate=29 January 2023}}

Struggling to find a ride in the world championship paddock, Anstie opted to return to America for the 2020 to compete in the AMA Supercross and AMA Motocross Championships. Signing for the HEP Motorsports Suzuki team, an injury would rule him out of the entire supercross season.{{cite news|url=https://www.swapmotolive.com/max-anstie-to-miss-start-of-2020-supercross-season/features/latest-news/|title=Max Anstie To Miss Start Of 2020 Supercross Season|publisher=swapmotolive.com|work=24 December 2019|accessdate=29 January 2023}} In the Covid-19 shortened AMA Motocross season, Anstie would finish ninth in the final standings, grabbing a third place in race two at the second round after leading much of it. He remained with the same team for 2021, but had injury problems again that ruled him out of the first part of the 2021 AMA Supercross Championship.{{cite news|url=https://racerxonline.com/2021/01/14/max-anstie-to-miss-opening-rounds-of-supercross-with-back-injury|title=MAX ANSTIE TO MISS OPENING ROUNDS OF SUPERCROSS WITH BACK INJURY|author=Mitch Kendra|publisher=racerxonline.com|work=14 January 2021|accessdate=29 January 2023}}

For 2022, Anstie signed for the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC WPS KTM team.{{cite news|url=https://gatedrop.com/anstie-joins-rocky-mountain-ktm-for-2022/#.Y9boJ3bP25c|title=Anstie joins Rocky Mountain KTM for 2022!|publisher=gatedrop.com|work=5 November 2021|accessdate=29 January 2023}} However, when the team lost its title sponsor mid-way through the supercross season, Anstie was left without a ride.{{cite news|url=https://racerxonline.com/2022/04/09/rocky-mountain-atvmc-team-now-looking-for-riders|title=BBMX TEAM NOW LOOKING FOR RIDERS [UPDATE: ANSTIE, MCELRATH OUT, NO OTHERS RACING]|author=Jason Weigandt|publisher=racerxonline.com|work=9 April 2022|accessdate=29 January 2023}} Later in the year, Anstie signed for the Australian Fire Power Honda team.{{cite news|url=https://motocrossactionmag.com/max-anstie-to-make-fire-power-honda-debut-at-red-bud/|title=MAX ANSTIE TO MAKE FIRE POWER HONDA DEBUT AT RED BUD|publisher=motocrossactionmag.com|work=28 June 2022|accessdate=29 January 2023}} He made his debut for the team in the 450 class in the AMA Motocross Championship but his main focus of the year would be the Motocross des Nations and the 2022 FIM Supercross World Championship, dropping down to the 250 for both. The 2022 Motocross des Nations would be a tough event for both Anstie and the Great Britain team, with them finishing tenth overall. In world supercross, Anstie was able to finish second overall behind Shane McElrath, winning two races in the series along the way. This was followed up by him becoming Australian Supercross Champion in the 250 class.

Anstie would start in the 250SX East class of the 2023 AMA Supercross Championship, recording his best AMA supercross season to date. A final finishing position of third in the class was accompanied by his first ever AMA Supercross main event win, in the wet at the MetLife Stadium.{{cite news|url=https://www.motorcyclesports.net/articles/max-anstie-debuted-on-the-wins-in-2023-at-ama-250-showdown-jett-and-hunter-lawrence-got-on-the-podium|title=Max Anstie debuted on the wins in 2023 at AMA 250 Showdown; Jett and Hunter Lawrence got on the podium|publisher=motorcyclesports.net|author=Fábio Fialho|work=23 April 2023|accessdate=20 May 2023}} Focussing solely on Supercross in 2023, Anstie next competed in the opening round of the 2023 FIM Supercross World Championship, finishing second overall and winning race two. He took the championship lead at the following round after winning two of the three races and dominated the final round in Australia, taking a clean sweep of race wins to become the World Champion in the SX2 class. This was the first time a British rider had won an FIM sanctioned world title in the sport of supercross. In addition, Anstie was able to successfully defend his Australian Supercross Championship crown in the SX2 class. He started the 2024 AMA Supercross Championship with a second place finish at the opening 250SX East round in Detroit. Anstie continued to show he was one of the fastest riders in the class throughout the season, culminating in him taking his second professional supercross win at the penultimate round of the year in Philadelphia.{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcsports.com/supercross-philadelphia-250-east-points-results-british-rider-max-anstie-wins-in-americas-first-capital-city-tom-vialle-second-haiden-deegan-third-crash-involving-seth-hammaker-jalek-swoll|title=Supercross Philadelphia 250 East points, results: British rider Max Anstie wins in America’s first capital|publisher=nbcsports.com|author=Dan Beaver|work=28 April 2024|accessdate=15 May 2024}} In June of 2024, Anstie departed the Fire Power Honda team and joined Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha team on a multi-year deal.{{cite news|url=https://racerxonline.com/2024/06/19/official-max-anstie-returns-to-star-yamaha-set-for-southwick-national-debut|title=Official: Max Anstie Returns to Star Yamaha, Set for Southwick National Debut|publisher=racerxonline.com|author=Mitch Kendra & Press Release|work=19 June 2024|accessdate=31 August 2024}} This saw him return to the same team he had made his professional debut with fourteen years previous. As part of this he rode in the last seven rounds of the 2024 AMA National Motocross Championship for the team, scoring two individual third place race finishes in this time. After these results, he competed for his country at the 2024 Motocross des Nations in the MX2 class. Showing his pace, he finished fourth in his qualifying race but a crash in the first race saw him not finish and miss the rest of the event.{{cite news|url=https://www.vitalmx.com/news/news/max-ansties-status-revealed-news|title=Max Anstie's Status Revealed|publisher=vitalmx.com|author=Lewis Phillips|work=8 October 2024|accessdate=11 October 2024}}

Starting in the 250SX East class, Anstie was able to win the opening round of the 2025 AMA Supercross Championship.{{cite news|url=https://www.dirtaction.com.au/max-anstie-kicks-off-with-a-win-in-tampa/|title=Max Anstie Kicks Off With A Win In Tampa|publisher=dirtaction.com.au|author=Grant "Goba" O'Brien|work=11 February 2025|accessdate=16 May 2025}} At the following round, he led most of the main event, before a red flag caused a staggered restart with only seconds left of the race. After being passed by Levi Kitchen at the restart, he finished second but stayed as championship leader. A qualifying crash at the fifth round saw Anstie sustain a broken fibula, ruling him out for the rest of the championship.{{cite news|url=hhttps://www.nbcsports.com/motor-sports/news/max-anstie-breaks-leg-birmingham-qualification|title=Max Anstie breaks leg in Birmingham qualification|publisher=nbcsports.com|author=Dan Beaver|work=22 March 2025|accessdate=16 May 2025}}

Motocross des Nations

• Team Overall: 2017 {{flagicon|GBR}} {{bronze3}}

FIM Motocross World Championship

• MX2: 2015 {{bronze3}}

FIM Supercross World Championship

• SX2: 2023 {{gold1}} & 2022 {{silver2}}

FIM Junior Motocross World Championship

• 85cc: 2007 {{silver2}}

AMA Supercross Championship

• 250SX East: 2023 {{bronze3}}

Australian Supercross Championship

• SX2: 2022 & 2023 {{gold1}}

{{Reflist}}

Category:Living people

Category:1993 births

Category:British motocross riders