2019 Motocross Of Nations | Max Anstie Out

September 2, 2019

2019 MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS | COMPLETE COVERAGE

The last month has been challenging for Max Anstie and the latest news regarding an ongoing lung issue will keep him from lining up at the 2019 Motocross of Nations for Team Great Britain.

August started well for Anstie, as he claimed the qualifying moto win in the sands of Lommel at the 2019 MXGP of Belgium. The Standing Construct KTM rider was viewed as one of the favorites for the next day’s points-paying motos until a hard crash in Moto One kept him from finishing the day’s opening race; he bounced back with a big win in Moto Two and the fastest laps of the race.

Less than two weeks after the win Standing Construct KTM announced that Anstie would not return to the team in 2020, a development late in a contract season with few open spots. Anstie intended to complete the MXGP season and the Motocross of Nations with support from the squad, but after discomfort in his shoulder required a check-up by the medics, it was determined that Anstie had punctured his lung in the Moto One crash at the MXGP of Belgium. He was told that he wouldn’t be able to travel or race the remainder of the championship due to the injury, but there were hopes he could recover in time for the MXON.

Over the weekend Anstie shared that doctors do not advise him pushing the lung’s limits at this time and that racing at Assen could cause it to collapse. This is a massive setback for Anstie, as he’s an accomplished sand rider and could have fared well in the international event, which would have improved his negotiating leverage.

This is the second major injury to Team Great Britain’s Motocross of Nations line-up, as MX2 competitor Ben Watson will miss the race due to a broken arm. This leaves Shaun Simpson as the only remaining member and means two replacement riders will have to be selected. Team Great Britain has stated that they will announce their revised roster in two weeks.

Great Britain has a number of talented riders to choose from, but who will fill the vacancies remains to be determined. Dean Wilson previously told us that he opted out of the initial selection due to the time needed to recover a shoulder injury and a lack of sand riding. Tommy Searle and Adam Sterry are likely candidates for the spots.

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It’s a real shame that I won’t be back with the @standingktm team next year. It’s been a good season so far with those guys! They are a fantastic team and a great group of people. It’s been a pleasure! Thank you for everything you do @timmathys_ @mecwimpie @decyriel81 💪 We still have some work to do at the final 4 GPs and Assen! I’m not sure what the future holds at the moment, but I’ll keep you all updated 👊🏻. 📸 1-3 @shotbybavo. Check out the PR on MXVice https://mxvice.com/114212/statement-tim-mathys
A post shared by Max Anstie (@maxanstie) on Aug 13, 2019 at 9:23am PDT

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Alright so I’m in hospital wondering how in the world I’ve ended up in here! So apparently I have pneumothorax which as far as I can understand here is gas around the outside of my lung. The doc said I have a small hole in my lung. I didn’t even crash today! They are saying from my crash in the first moto at Lommel on the start that my lung was damaged. I didn’t bother getting checked after the race because I won the second moto and thought I would just get better in a week or so! I have been complaining about my shoulder for the last couple of weeks because it feels like my shoulder blade is just stiff and when I breath in it’s just tight. Well today I felt good on track, after timed training I thought my shoulder was hurting more so I took some paracetamol and got on with it in the moto. But straight away I was struggling to breath very well, but I just thought I must have muscle cramp under my shoulder blade. Anyway I came in from the race and could barely breath so the docs did some scans and told me I have to go to the hospital and stay in here over night and see if tomorrow they need to drain my lung 🤷‍♂️ I have never experienced this before! I thought they would just give me some pain killers and I would be good to go. So annoying at this time when I’m riding for a job too. I felt good out on track and was ready to go hard in the motos. Not much I can do right now except listen to this beeping all night from the machines in the hospital. I’ll keep you updated but I’m definitely not riding tomorrow. I don’t even feel bad just breathings a bit hard but man this is annoying 🤬
A post shared by Max Anstie (@maxanstie) on Aug 17, 2019 at 3:16pm PDT

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Hey guys, not a very good update to be giving you guys – the doctors say I can’t fly for 4 weeks because my lung could collapse fully. So that’s my MXGP season over 😢 As far as the Nations, I’m not out just yet! I have to see how my healing goes in the next 2/3 weeks and the docs are keeping a close eye on me and will make a decision after my next few scans. Swipe to see my crash from moto 2 with only 5 mins to go in Lommel. I just thought I got winded really bad but this was when I damaged my lung. I honestly thought my injuries there were no where near as bad as they have ended up being. That’s why I didn’t get properly checked, I genuinely thought I was just a bit stiff. Here is the press release from my team @standingktm. ————————- Unfortunately after further medical examination we have to announce that Max Anstie, winner of the second heat at the MXGP of Lommel, has to sit out the coming three MXGPs. The doctors discovered that as well as dislocating his clavicle (collarbone) in heat one at Lommel, Max also had a small legion on his lung from his crash in the second heat at the Belgian MXGP. Despite this serious injury Max still managed to win in Lommel, as well as get third in time practice and battle for a top five in the qualifying heat at Imola last weekend. Pushing his body on Saturday at the MXGP of Imola caused a pneumothorax (a partially collapsed lung). We once again experienced what a dedicated and professional rider Max is and we hope to get him ready for the Motocross of Nations in Assen, where he is for sure one of the favourites and could be able to repeat that dominant Motocross of Nations win from 2017.
A post shared by Max Anstie (@maxanstie) on Aug 20, 2019 at 1:34am PDT

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I’m out of the MXON this year 😫 I have been having scans over the last 2 weeks – the doctors have said it will be too risky and that my lung could collapse if i push my body/lung to its limits too early. So I’m out of the Nations for this year. it’s really disappointing because I have been looking forward to this race for a long time now! Good luck to Mark and all the boys on the GB squad for Assen! 🇬🇧 The docs say I’ll be good to start pushing again by early October just a shame all the races are over by then 🙈 @markchamberlain211 @teamgbmxon 📸@shotbybavo
A post shared by Max Anstie (@maxanstie) on Aug 31, 2019 at 4:09am PDT

Clinton Fowler September 9, 2019

Love the integration of social media posts, your insider commentary, and the media. I’m always wanting to learn more about the riders and their career. I think it’d be cool if you built a ‘Riders Profile’ section on the site that showed their race results and a newsfeed of content you’ve got about them. Cool for the fans and great for your SEO results.