Saturday at Ford Field was straight-up weird. An all too common feeling of the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship so far. Maybe it was the day race, maybe it’s because we’ve lost so many contenders in the most random ways possible, or maybe we’re all still riding the high of Malcolm Stewart’s win in Tampa. Whatever it was, Detroit felt like a fever dream. But one thing’s for sure—whether you loved it or hated it, the last three laps of the 250SX East Region main event were wild.

By now, everyone’s seen the red flag and the staggered restart. And if you’ve been anywhere near the internet, you’ve also seen the outrage. Fans are ripping the AMA, ripping Levi Kitchen, and saying Max Anstie got robbed. To make matters worse, Peacock added to the chaos by flashing the wrong year’s rulebook on the broadcast.

Here’s the deal: Yes, the rules did change for 2024. Yes, Kitchen got a huge advantage. But at the end of the day, they still had to race for it.

Old Rules vs. New Rules

If we were still under the 2023 rules, Anstie would be your winner—plain and simple. It’s wild to think that we got this far before anyone paid attention to the rule change. It’s probably why this created such a buzz. Before 2024, if a red flag came out after 90% of the race was complete, that was it. No restart, no second chances. Anstie wins, Kitchen takes second, and Hampshire third.

What threw everyone a curveball is that the AMA scrapped that rule heading into 2024. Again, even if this was last season it would have been the same as Saturday’s ruling. Which is, if the leader has completed more than three laps, no matter how much time, or how many laps are completed when the red flag comes out, they go to a staggered restart, and the race picks back up for at least three more laps.

Sometimes when things go unnoticed for so long or wrong graphics end up on the broadcast, it is easy to feel like things are made up on the fly. I can assure you that they are not. The following is taken directly from Feld’s post race recap and it reads:

“The AMA’s re-start procedure after a red flag was updated prior to the 2024 season. The rule states that if the leader has completed at least three laps, and if there is any time remaining on the race clock, the riders line up in a staggered-position on the start straight.’

To provide even more context and clarification here it is straight from the AMA rulebook:

1.8.11 RESTARTS AND RED FLAG PROCEDURES
a. Any race start or restart will be considered an official part of the event even if the start or restart does not result in a lap being completed by the leader. Therefore, any infractions will be deemed valid and ruled upon accordingly.
b. In all cases, the remaining race distance following a restart will be at least three (3) laps.

Side note: It’s pretty interesting to read through the whole section. For example: did you know that if a Main Event is unable to restart, no matter how much time is left, it’s declared cancelled, and will not count towards the championship? I didn’t know that either. That’s straight from section 1.8.11, RESTARTS AND RED FLAG PROCEDURES, part (k), #6.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand… 

Was Anstie Robbed?

Under the old rule? Yeah, he wins. But what if the red flag had been halfway through the race? Or what if we’re talking about what could’ve happened if there was no red flag at all? That’s where things get murky. Victory is never guaranteed.

Just two years ago, in this same building, Aaron Plessinger looked like a lock for the 450 win. Ricky Carmichael was already praising him for the victory as AP rode it home hyping up his podium speech. Then, two laps from the checkers, Plessinger caught his right foot coming out of a 90 degree corner doing a no-footed can as he whisky throttled across the on-off pancaking into the next single, throwing it all away. That’s racing—nothing is certain until the checker flag flies.

Anstie had the win in his hands, but after the restart, things quickly changed. Kitchen had a chance, and seized the opportunity. Anstie also left the door wide open in the sand section taking the same outside line that he had been taking the entire main event. At one point RJ Hampshire nearly got by Anstie and Kitchen in a two for one special. It could’ve gone from bad to worse in a hurry.

While it sucks for Anstie, at the end of the day complaining about it is no different than football fans blaming a single penalty for their team losing. Yeah, sometimes calls go your way, sometimes they don’t. While Anstie’s ride was very impressive and virtually flawless, the red flag itself wasn’t the one moment that decided the outcome. Anstie had to race and finish those last three laps just like everyone else, and when it came down to it, Kitchen straight-up made the most of his opportunity.

I get why people are frustrated—I was just as confused as everyone else Saturday. But those final three laps? In my opinion that was by far the most exciting racing of the day. 

Images: @octopi.media