Photos Courtesy of Brown Dog Wilson
The 2021 Monster Energy A.M.A. Supercross series excitement continued with Round #11 held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. H.E.P. Motorsports had a productive day on the track, with both riders showing significant progress in the second of three rounds here in Arlington. Max Anstie continues to get faster as he becomes more comfortable racing supercross. He showed improvement in his whoop speed and rhythm sections. 450 class rookie Brandon Hartranft continues to learn the big bike and shows he has what it takes to be in the main event, continuously putting himself out front during his heat races. It is just a matter of time before he puts it all together. Adam Enticknap continues to rehab from an injury suffered during the 9th round of Supercross. He anticipates returning during the Atlanta rounds.
Max Anstie (#34) finishes 16th overall in the 450cc premiere class.
Max Anstie (#34) – In only his fourth ever supercross race, Max Anstie continues to make progress. Showing real improvement in his whoop speed and rhythm sections. Max made it straight into the main with a 9th place finish. Anstie continued to catch his stride in the main event despite the rough start. He raced very well, showed great race craft even passing two guys in one corner during the main. He finished in 16th place.
"I feel like we definitely made progress tonight," said Max Anstie, "We got 16th, and on paper, it might not show it, but we made real progress. My crew chief Clark made some positive changes today. I felt good in the whoops I could jump the jumps, and I'm making progress at Supercross. It is only my fourth Supercross. I feel like there's a lot to learn, but I'm getting my stride, and I'm looking forward to Saturday."
Brandon Hartranft (#28) continues to improve in his rookie 450 class campaign.
Brandon Hartranft (#28) – The 450 class rookie Hartranft was very close to the main event this past Tuesday night in Arlington, Texas. The day started well for Brandon in qualifying, which set him up nicely for the heat race. Brandon didn't get the normal start he's accustomed to in the heat race and found himself fighting his way into the ninth transfer position. Brandon climbed up to 10th place, coming up short of a transfer position. In the L.C.Q., Brandon got a strong start and was in the top 4 early on. Unfortunately, in the final moments of the race, Hartranft got knocked off the track by another rider and was docked a position for how he re-entered the track, missing the main event with 5th place.
"The track was pretty good today; the whoops were tricky, the jumps were nice, and they had some good rhythms," said Brandon Hartranft. "I didn't ride as good as I did Saturday, but qualifying was alright, and I got a good spot in the heat race, but a few mistakes in my heat cost me a transfer position. In the L.C.Q., I got bumped off the track, and I got docked a position getting back on, and I missed the main. I'm ready to go Saturday."
"Today was good, the track was good, and the bikes did really well," said crew chief Clark Jones of NoleenJ6 Suspension Technologies. "Both the guys rode very well today. There was an unfortunate incident with Brandon where he got knocked off the track and got back on and missed it by one position. As far as Max goes, he's improving, and the 16th place finish doesn't quite show that. His speed is coming along, and he is riding really well, one of the fastest guys in the whoops, and he's really learning Supercross. I think this upcoming Saturday; he could surprise a lot of guys. It was a busy day for me being the crew chief. One of our mechanic's sons was racing at the amateur national and got hurt, so I had to be Max's mechanic throughout the day. Everybody did well. I'm proud of Max, and I'm anxious for Saturday."
With only one more round left in Arlington, Texas, for the 2021 Monster Energy A.M.A. Supercross series, expect to see H.E.P. Motorsports leave Texas on a high note.
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