Shane McElrath narrowly missed out on victory at the FIM World Supercross Championship season opener, finishing second to British rival Max Anstie after an intense night of racing under the Buenos Aires lights.

Shane McElrath came agonisingly close to victory in the SX2 season opener in Buenos Aires, ultimately finishing second behind early championship leader Max Anstie.

The 2025 FIM World Supercross Championship opened in spectacular fashion at the Autodromo Oscar y Juan Galvez in the Argentinian capital, where the SX2 field delivered thrilling action under the lights. 

British ace Anstie emerged on top, claiming Superpole and winning all three motos en route to the overall victory, while American contender McElrath held strong to finish second, setting the tone for what is shaping up to be a fierce championship fight.

Speaking after the race, Quad Lock Honda rider McElrath was candid about the challenge of coming up just short.

“Max and I, we’ve raced this series a lot and we’ve traded wins a lot. He could probably tell you the same thing, it sucks coming in second and we want to win,” he said.

“You always want to be in that position, and when you’re not in that position, it’s like, all right, what do we need to do to get there? And so that’s sports.”

Despite the disappointment of missing out on the win, McElrath savoured the atmosphere in Buenos Aires, where a lively crowd watched the season’s curtain-raiser.

“It’s definitely a good way to start the season here. Literally the fans, every time we’re out on the track, the stands were full,” he said.

“Then you see everybody migrate over to the freestyle show and then they’re back over here for practice. So, it was a lot of fun.”

The fight for the win came early, but McElrath couldn’t catch Anstie: “I was ready to make a move if the opportunity came,” he said.

“But by lap three or four, Max had pulled away, and just like that, the chance was gone.”

With the series heading to Vancouver this weekend, McElrath faces a quick turnaround that will test both riders and teams as they try to carry momentum from Buenos Aires into North America.

“We don’t have a lot of time to work this week,” he explained.

“We’re used to being pretty wide open, week to week. It’s super structured. With the lengthy travel, this is a little different, and we have to take that into consideration. It really cuts into our bike time.

“But we’re still training, still recovering, and still working towards the next one. We’re ready for Canada.

“Ultimately, recovery is not so much of a priority because we have a little more time. But nonetheless, we still have to try to improve and take care of the things we learned and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes in Vancouver.”

McElrath’s focus now shifts to Canada, where he’ll aim to convert the lessons from Buenos Aires into a strong start to the SX2 season in North America.

BUY YOUR TICKETS FOR THE CANADIAN GP