Anstie Expands Championship Lead with Runner-Up Finish in Restarted Detroit 250SX Main Event
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Max Anstie and Nate Thrasher finish second and fifth, respectively, at Detroit Supercross / Feb 17, 2025 /
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Max Anstie made championship gains with a runner-up finish in the twice-started 250SX East Main Event at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Coming into Round 2 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East Championship with a broken finger, Nate Thrasher put in a gritty ride to finish fifth.
Anstie got the day off to a great start, topping the timesheets in the first two sessions and went on to qualify third in the combined times. The red-plate holder then got a good start in his heat race, grabbing the holeshot and ultimately crossing the line second. In the main event, Anstie got another great start and quickly claimed the lead, setting a strong pace up front to build a comfortable gap. Just before the clock ran out, the red flag was drawn calling for a staggered restart and eliminating his seven-second lead. After the restart, it was a heated battle, with riders jockeying for position and Anstie getting shuffled backward. Undeterred, he made his way back up to the runner-up spot, where he would finish. Anstie's efforts expanded his championship lead to nine points as the Eastern Divisional 250 class gets a weekend break.
A determined Thrasher soldiered on with a broken finger and qualified 12th. The Tennessee rider really came out swinging after the gate drop, grabbing the holeshot and winning his heat race. In the main event, he had a good start around the top five, and although he was shuffled back to seventh, he kept pushing and made his way back to fifth. Unfortunately during his efforts, he exacerbated his finger injury but was able to restart the race after the red flag and continue to battle to the finish, crossing the line fifth and advancing to fifth in the point standings. After seeking further evaluation, Thrasher will have surgery to repair multiple fractures in his finger and anticipates being able to line up for Daytona Supercross, Round 3 of the 250SX East Championship on March 1.
Next weekend, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing heads to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for more Triple Crown action at Round 5 of the 250SX West Championship and Round 7 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and SuperMotocross World Championship on February 22.
Jensen Hendler – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 Team Manager
“It was definitely a rollercoaster Round 2 in Detroit. Both our guys rode great. Nate struggled a bit in qualifying, not feeling 100% with his injured finger, but he toughed it out and had a great night of racing. He grabbed the holeshot and won his heat race, then put in a good fight in the main and finished fifth.
“Max was fast all day. He qualified well, finished second in his heat, and was riding awesome in the main. He got a great start and had a pretty big lead up front, and then the red flag came out with something like seven seconds on the clock. So it was starting over with a sprint race, which is a bummer considering the race was pretty much won, but it was a good night looking at the bigger picture. So a second-place finish and a nine-point lead in the championship, we’ll take it and move on to the next one.”
Max Anstie – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #31
“It was a wild night here in Detroit. I had a lot of fun racing and had some good battles. I felt like I did my job in the main event. I executed the start, got out front, hit my marks, and with literally a lap and two corners to go, it got red-flagged. Then after the staggered start, it was a bit of chaos for a couple of laps. It was a tough situation because I felt like I had the most to lose. I’ve got the red plate and had a little bit of a points buffer, so I didn’t want to ruin that by crashing and going from first to last and not scoring any points. I also had to play defense from Levi (Kitchen) and RJ (Hampshire) who are extremely good sprinters, so it was tough. I came out of it with second, which obviously wasn’t ideal, but it was still a solid night. It’s a podium and good points for the championship, so I’m still happy with that. We’ll move on to Daytona.”
Nate Thrasher – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #41
“When I broke my finger Tuesday, I really didn’t plan to race, but after talking with a few doctors, we decided to at least try. I had it taped up and went in with the mindset of doing the best I could. In qualifying I kind of struggled, but I knew that was kind of going to be the case. I just tried to get the most out of the night, which resulted in a heat race win and fifth in the main. So I’m happy with the day. I’m having surgery today to get it set and the doctor says I should be good to continue racing after this West Coast round coming up.”
2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX Detroit Results
2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East Championship Standings
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