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After over 10 years racing as a professional, Max Anstie is experiencing a career renaissance which sees him hitting the reset button in a worldwide fashion. As a marquee athlete for Fire Power Honda, Anstie has a new lease on his Supercross life and has his sights on a World Supercross Championship. Nothing comes easy in the sport of supercross and championships at the age of 29 are not easy, but Anstie finds himself as a young gun on a team with veteran riders like Dean Wilson and Justin Brayton, who is apparently ageless. This combination of talent very well could add up to a pair of championships for Fire Power Honda as they look to defend their 2022 FIM World Supercross Championship SX1 title.
Vurbmoto: You’re about to eclipse one year working with Yarrive Konsky and Fire Power Honda. What was transitioning over to the team like for you and how have they helped you be your best at this stage in your career.
Anstie: The transition was seamless. We get along great! Me and Yarrive get on great with him being from Australia and me being British. I actually got to race Martin Davalos his last year racing when I was with Suzuki. They both kept calling me about racing a 250 for weeks and I was like “nah, I’m a 450 guy” and then I thought to myself that I didn’t really achieve everything I wanted to on a 250. I was thinking about that when I was sitting at him without a team and my wife encouraged me to reach out to Martin, so I did. As soon as I met the team, I knew it was a group that would support me, and he could make some special things happen together. I rode the bike and I loved it, but I has zero point of reference because it had been nearly 10 years since I even rode a 250 let alone raced one. So, we decided to do a little test drive by racing a few rounds on a 450 and I immediately meshed with the team and that really showed me that the team can be really competitive. We’ve got along famously, and I was about to win the Australian Supercross Championship which felt great because I hadn’t really won a championship as a pro. It’s been great from tip to tail and I’m loving it.
Has World Supercross breathed life into your career by providing a new challenge and adventure.
Oh absolutely, World Supercross has completely reinvigorated me from a racing standpoint. I grew up racing and training supercross from a young age when I first came to America in 2007. Of course, I have a ton of experience in outdoors but my heart and my mind are on Supercross and I’ve always found myself playing around on Supercross and always wanted to get back to supercross. I’d race Bercy and the British Supercross stuff but this has serious reenergized me to race supercross and I love it.
Racing supercross in close proximity to home for you must have been a career highlight. What did that mean to you and how many people hit you up for tickets?
For me, having the first round [of the FIM World Supercross Championship] in my own backyard is just special. Having my mom and so many friends there is just so cool. It’s nerve racking and I guess it adds pressure but it’s amazing and it’s fantastic to race in front of people who may not has seen Supercross before. I remember what it was like sitting in the rain in England thinking that it was impossible to get to supercross because it was so far away but now it doesn’t have to be. I hope that it inspires young racers all over the world to buy a dirt bike and build a supercross track. The never generation is not going to feel like supercross is so far away and that’s going to help them feel like they can get there.
How has your success this winter put wind in your sails as you set your sights on a supercross world championship?
Oh, it’s been huge. I know I’m 29 and getting on in years but I still trying to get better every day and learning new skills. This has allowed me to refocus my career on honing my skills in supercross. I feel like every day is a new opportunity to better myself and my body feel great! I’m able to keep progressing and with guys like Eli and Brayton has shown me that you’re not done at 26 years old in this sport if you take care of yourself. I feel like everything is preparation for the future and my career leading up to this has given me the perspective I need to enjoy this process and be my best and I still feel like my best is yet to come.
Of all the races on the 2023 schedule, which one are you looking forward to the most and why is it Canada?
[Laughs] I am looking forward to Canada actually. My wife’s sister is from Vancouver so that will be special. Melbourne surprised me last year but really, the coolest thing about World Supercross is that every venue and every crowd in unique and different. I’m looking forward to them all!
What needs to happen in the 2023 championship in order for Max Anstie to hold your head high and know you fulfilled your potential.
Championship is what we’re after. I’ve always wanted to be World Champion, so I feel this was made for me. As long I ride my best and have some winning performance. I realize that the rest of the field will be after that championship and as long as I ride at my best, I’ll put myself in in a position to become a British World Champion.
How much will Yarrive be Frothing if you’re able to bring Fire Power Honda a Championship?
[Laughs] I love it! He will be loving it if we can get that done. He was over the moon when last year’s SX1 title with Ken Roczen so I know that bringing him a title would feel amazing and he’ll be loving it.
What’s your World Mini Memory? Vurbmoto is bringing the race back.
Oh gosh, I remember racing World Mini from such a young age. I remember watching Davi Millsaps blitzing the whoops on an 85 and I couldn’t believe he was doing that. I remember how windy it would get and it brought out the best of the best I couldn’t believe how fast guys would go in the wind. Oh gosh, I can still remember being in line with all the campers and RV’s and waiting to get in and man that was a special race. I had my first big injuries there I broke my leg there catching it in a rut. Oh! I remember there was this triple triple in the middle and I was one of the only guys doing it and the checkered flag was out for practice and I just kept going back and hitting it with Anderson and whoever else. The other thing I remember it the trophies were HUGE taller than me and as a kid I always wanted a trophy that was taller than me, but I wasn’t able to get one. That race was always good fun.
Main image: World Supercross
