Max effort in Thailand
By Alex Hodgkinson on 15th Mar 13
Rockstar Suzuki Europes Max Anstie came a little closer to his maiden GP podium finish on the factory-backed RM-Z250 as he registered a positive third position in the first MX2 moto at the weekends Thai GP st Si Racha the inaugural visit of the World Motocross Championship to the country for what was the second round of the series.
Unbearable heat created extremely difficult racing conditions at Si Racha. Mercifully cloudy conditions on Sunday nullified some of the intensity of the sun but the humidity and temperatures touching almost 35 degrees meant the Thai Grand Prix was a tough outing bioth for the competitors and the 17,000-strong crowd watching for the action.
Anstie rode strongly in the first MX2 outing and some consistent speed pulled him up to a comfortable third place.
The Brit then faced the second Superfinal of 2013 and, up against 450cc machinery, was overwhelmed by the frantic intensity of the opening laps.
The youngster has been trying to shake off effects of his crash at Losail the previous Saturday and the combination of the physical handicap and the poor start meant the chance of a trophy and spray of champagne slipped away with a lowly 31st spot in that moto and ninth overall.
Max Anstie: "Since last week I've been trying to sort myself out a little bit because I've been taking painkillers after the crash in Qatar. I pushed hard in the first moto and made it happen but in the second one, against the 450s, it was a struggle.
‘‘It was dodgy on the first lap and I hit a couple of 450s when they almost landed on me. I was way, way back. I pushed again but it didn't come together. I didn't put myself in a good position to do the job.
"It was a shame but we're making improvements and third place in the first moto is alright. I still don't feel 100% and where I should be and I've had a couple of big crashes in the last two weeks.
"We've got three weeks now before Valkenswaard and we'll be strong and see what happens there. We've done everything we possibly can but the results aren't coming... yet! I want to thank all the guys and the team for the great job.”
