Dominant in Canada, focused on Birmingham. The British hero on rewriting childhood memories, staying sharp against silent rivals, and showing the next generation that the impossible dream is within reach.

When it was announced that Max Anstie was leaving a factory powerhouse like Star Racing Yamaha to commit his focus to the World Supercross stage with Rick Ware Racing and Club MX, it raised plenty of eyebrows in the paddock. The stakes could not have been higher when the 2026 season kicked off in Calgary, Canada. However, Anstie responded in the best possible manner.

Now, with his home race up next, the British GP in Birmingham on 10th October, the 33-year-old is out to put on a show, and also help encourage the next generation of British riders.

“To come out in Canada and go 1-1-1, I felt, to be honest, a lot of pressure going in there behind the scenes,” Anstie admits. “Because to leave a prestigious team like Star Racing to focus on the World Supercross stuff… if I did anything less than what I was doing on Star, it would have been like, ‘it was the wrong move, you made the wrong decision.’ But I believe in my people that I’ve got around me.”

Anstie swept all three main events with clinical execution, proving instantly that his offseason gambles were grounded in absolute self-belief. Working alongside Daniel Blair at Club MX, teammate Devin Simonson, and the dedicated Rick Ware Racing crew, Anstie discovered an environment built entirely around his strengths.

“The crew with Rick Ware, of course, they’re racers in many different categories. For me, it was a no-brainer with them, the setup that they have,” he explains from the workshop loft, mechanics bustling below. “And then the Club MX collaboration with the bike and the facility here, I truly believe has the potential to grow into something even bigger and better and more special for me than what I’ve previously ever had.”

Silent Predators and Fierce Competition

While a 1-1-1 sweep looks clean on paper, Anstie is adamant that the SX2 class is fiercer and more complex this year. The track conditions at altitude in Canada threw a curveball, but the real intrigue came from a changing technical landscape, specifically, the rise of the electric Stark machines and ambiotious rivals.

“Devin Simonson is fast, like really fast. He’s been on the podium in the US, one of the top guys,” Anstie notes. “And Cameron McAdoo speaks for himself, he’s got a lot of credentials, especially being there on his pro circuit bike. They were tough, and the Starks have got better. They’ve got better in the whoops, which they knew they needed to work on over the last year.”

Racing against electric power introduces a unique psychological test. When you cannot hear who is charging up the inside, instinct and mirrors take over.

“Racing those guys brings a whole other dynamic because you can’t hear them,” Anstie explains. “In the first race, Michael Hicks was right on me. And I’m like, ‘Geez, I totally didn’t expect that.’ So then I’m looking around a little more, and people are asking me, ‘Why are you looking back?’ Well, I’m looking back because I can’t hear where they are! On these Yamahas, they’re very loud. I run earplugs anyway, so with earplugs in and my bike revving, I literally cannot hear them at all. If you leave the door open, they could dive in there and you’re none the wiser.”

Paddock debates have raged regarding parity, with rival team bosses voicing frustration, but Anstie keeps a racer’s practical view: “As a racer, when the gate drops and you’ve got to deal with it, you’ve just kind of got to roll with it, pivot, and adapt. You’ve just got to figure out ways to try and beat it.”

Rewriting Memories: A Three-Generation Homecoming

For Anstie, returning to race in the United Kingdom carries deep emotional resonance. Since his memorable outings at Cardiff in 2022, Villa Park in 2023, and representing Team GB at the Motocross of Nations at Matterley Basin, home appearances have been rare treats.

On October 10th in Birmingham, the Anstie family lineage will come full circle inside the arena.

“The biggest thing I’m looking forward to is coming back to see family and friends,” Anstie reflects. “Family does come out to the US from time to time, but it’s not the same. And it’s bringing my little guy back—he’s four now. It’s crazy because when I was a kid, my dad took me racing. It’s a family sport. But now, my dad gets to come as ‘Grandad’, look after my little guy, and kind of rewrite those memories of when I was a kid racing.”

Having his four-year-old son, Finn, in the stands provides Anstie with ultimate grounding amidst the intense pressure of championship warfare.

“He’s like a little mirror to me,” Anstie shares. “I don’t want to come in and be like, ‘This sucks’ or whatever, because at the end of the day, he’s seeing everything. I’ve got to go out, execute, do my job, and hopefully at the end of the night he goes, ‘Daddy, did you get me a trophy?’ And I’m like, ‘Well, I tried!'”

The British Roar: Channeling the Home Advantage

Competing on home soil brings unmatched energy. Anstie remembers the electric atmosphere of the F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, witnessing Lando Norris ignite the home crowd from the BRDC clubhouse, and the deafening cheers when he took iconic race wins at Matterley Basin during the 2017 Motocross of Nations.

“A home GP is something special,” Anstie says. “Knowing that the whole stadium is there for you… racing a home GP, having home supercross, it’s really cool. When I was a kid, Supercross felt like it was in the stars, a million miles away. Unless your parents had enough money to fly you out to the US to watch a race, you were never going to get to see these guys or see me compete. Now, we have a World Supercross race in Birmingham, and guys are going to come from all over to watch.”

Changing the Perception of Dirt Bikes in Britain

At 33 years old, Anstie’s role within two-wheeled motorsport has matured. He is no longer just a contender fighting for silverware; he is an ambassador determined to shift the cultural perception of the sport in his homeland.

In the UK, off-road motorcycle racing has often been misunderstood by the mainstream, something Anstie encountered firsthand during his childhood.

“When I was at school in the UK, if I said I rode a bike, people were like, ‘All you do is sit on it and twist the throttle, it’s easy! I’d beat you round my field,'” he chuckles. “From eight, nine, ten years old, I was training to be what I am now. At Park House School in Newbury, a sports school, the coach would have me in at 7am doing bleep tests, circuits, stretching. I’d do that two or three times a week, get Fridays off to go race in the Netherlands, and ride our tight supercross jump track near Thruxton after school.”

Across mainland Europe and the United States, dirt bike stars are treated as elite athletes. In Italy, nine-time world champion Antonio Cairoli is a household icon; in the Netherlands, Jeffrey Herlings is greeted like a king. Anstie wants British Supercross to command that same respect.

“Motocross in the UK has sometimes had an unfair reputation, like it’s just dirt bikes riding around a muddy field in the middle of nowhere,” Anstie points out. “Supercross can elevate that. It shows the public: wow, this is cool, this is professional, this is precision, this is a show. We all start riding in a field, but Supercross is the pinnacle. It’s in stadiums, under the lights, on a Saturday night with thousands of screaming fans.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Anstie keeps a watchful eye on rising British talent, such as 85cc prodigy John Slade, and stays connected to the domestic scene through Matt Bates’ Arenacross tour. He remembers standing in autograph lines as a 13-year-old at Anaheim, waiting patiently for Justin Brayton, the very man who now manages his career.

“I never really looked at riders as a superfan; I looked at them trying to figure out how to be like them one day,” Anstie recalls. “The only guy I stood in line to get an autograph and a poster from was Justin Brayton back around 2006. And it’s funny because now we work together—he’s my agent and manager! It’s wild.”

That bridge from dreaming in a field to shining under stadium lights is what Anstie wants to preserve for the youngsters lining the fences at Birmingham.

“I know what it feels like to be an outsider trying to make it,” says Anstie. “I want to create something that kids look at and go, ‘I want to race World Supercross one day.’ We are here to execute, put on a world-class show, and prove that British riders belong on the biggest stage. I can’t wait to hear the Birmingham crowd roar.”

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