MOTOCROSS
MONSTER ENERGY FIM MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS
MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS / SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 1, 2017
WINCHESTER, UK / MATTERLEY BASIN
P68
final round of the series a couple of
weeks before the Motocross of Na-
tions.
Then, in the mud and mess of Mat-
terley Basin, Anstie came out and in-
serted himself permanently into racing
lore, snatching the holeshot at the start
of the opening MXGP/MX2 moto and
leading every lap on his way to a re-
markable, and incredibly popular, win.
"That was unreal! That was the best
thing [takes a deep breath] I've ever
done in my life!" Anstie said. "That was
so cool! That was the longest race I've
ever done. I felt like I was out there
for an enduro! I did 10 minutes, and I
looked up, and I thought, 'It must be the last lap
now,' and I still had 20 minutes to go! I was like,
'Ooohhh my God!' But, it was good. I was just try-
ing to stay focused and hit my lines. The lappers,
some of them were getting in the way, and I was
just trying to do my thing, and it's an amazing feel-
ing. It's so good. I can't wait for the next one to
go and do it again for the fans! It's unreal."
Big talk from a happy man, but then he lined up
for the final moto of the day—MXGP/Open—and
did it all again. He grabbed another holeshot, and
come along, and since Max wasn't yet a legal
adult, that wasn't an option. So Max headed back
to Europe to chase his father's legacy.
At the Motocross of Nations, in front of a legion
of loyal fans on his home soil, Max Anstie be-
came his father's legacy.
Max Anstie aged out of the MX2 class after
last season and moved up to the MXGP class for
2017. Although he got on the podium a few times,
his season was mostly underwhelming, but he
started picking up speed in the last few races,
and ended the season with a third overall at the
(Right) Mechanical
issues and poor
results decimated
the U.S. team. A ninth
is best they could
do. (Below) Zach
Osborne represented
the USA well by
winning a qualifying
heat Saturday and
winning the MX2
class in the second
moto (MX2/Open).
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
JUAN
PABLO
ACEVEDO/HUSQVARNAIMAGES
