Max Anstie: “You can’t skip steps” in Supercross

After a successful career in the Motocross World Championship (MXGP), Max Anstie came to America in 2020 to ride in the 450 class of the Lucas Oil Prop Motocross and later, the Monster Energy Supercross championship with uncertain success, until he came to realize “you can’t skip steps.”

Anstie debuted on the American motorcycle racing scene a little more than a decade earlier in 2009, racing in the 250 class. He first climbed onto a Supercross bike in 2013, also on a 250, but after making only four starts that season, it appeared his best option was to head back to Europe and compete in MXGP, where he found a home for three years from 2017 through 2019.

It was there that he was established as a 450 rider, so when the opportunity came to return to America in 2020, he naturally moved into the senior division.

“I’ve been on the 450 for a while now,” Anstie told NBC Sports. “I raced the GPs over in Europe and had a lot of success on the 450, but always wanted to come back to the States.

“With no age limit, that made me eligible race in the 250 class. But when I first came over in 2021 and raced Supercross for my first time back in the States, I was riding a 450 for Suzuki. That was good to get my feet wet and I only got half the year in there because I actually injured at the start of the season, so I just got some laps and tried to figure it out and race supercross.”

The decision to ride a 450 in Supercross was not without reason. Anstie rode seven rounds in the outdoor circuit in 2020 and scored top-10 overall finishes in his last three starts. Supercross proved to be a little more challenging. In 2021, he made 10 Mains with a best result of 12th in Salt Lake City.

“I quickly learned that to be competitive in the 450