It was a bittersweet round 8 in Orlando, Florida, for H.E.P. Motorsports, gaining one rider and losing another. Max Anstie made his debut back to racing Supercross and lined up for his first-ever 450cc premiere main event. Brandon Hartranft continues to improve in his rookie season but fell short of the main event by one transfer position. Adam Enticknap had a rough day after a crash in qualifying ended his night early.
Max Anstie (#34) has a solid first race back since injury.
Max Anstie (#34) – It was a successful first race back for Max Anstie. With little time to prepare due to a preseason injury, Max showed up with only four days of being back on the bike under his belt. It only took two rounds of qualifying and practice for Anstie to get it going. Max had a successful heat race making it straight into the main event mixing it up with the best. In the main event, Anstie jumped out with an impressive start, nearly taking the hole-shot, before getting pinched by the pack and dropping back. Max raced very consistently in his first race. He showed he has what it takes to compete in the 450cc premier supercross class. He finished in 18th place, a strong building point for Daytona.
“Nice to be under the light racing my first ever 450sx event,” said Max Anstie. “Was a dream to race in a stadium with the best supercross riders in the world. I came into this race without much preparation time, so to leave with some points on the board and laps under my belt was all I could ask for.”
Brandon Hartranft (#28) continues to grow in his rookie 450 season.
Brandon Hartranft (#28) – Many positives to take away from round 8 in Orlando for the rookie Hartranft. After a rough start to his heat race, Brandon turned it around halfway finishing in 14th place. In the LCQ, Brandon got an excellent start hole shotting the race, but made a few costly mistakes as the race ensued that lost him transfer positions. He missed the main event by one transfer position.
“Orlando two was okay,” said Brandon Hartranft. “Track wasn’t in the best conditions all day and, being in B practice doesn’t help.” “I’m slowly getting back to where I was. In the heat race, I didn’t race good until about halfway and was able to turn it around. In the LCQ, I got the hole shot which was great. I made a few mistakes in the first lap. I got behind Wilson and tried to follow him. I made a mistake in the whoops and got passed for the final transfer position. Going to take away the positives from this weekend and go back to work for these next two weeks off.”
Adam Enticknap (#722) goes down in qualifying, ending his night.
Adam Enticknap (#722) – It was a rough day for Adam Enticknap, who went down on a hot lap in qualifying, forcing him to exit with a shoulder injury. Fortunately, he was able to walk away. He was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where they determined he had a broken right clavicle. The successful surgery was done Sunday afternoon.
“Bittersweet race for the team at round 8 in Orlando,” said Team Manager Dustin Pipes. “A lot of positives to take away from the day but the injury to team athlete Adam Enticknap was in the back of everyone’s mind. Fortunately, Adam walked away from a nasty fall with only a broken right clavicle. Surgery was done Sunday afternoon at Orlando Regional Medical Center, and we look forward to having him back on the bike when he is fully healed. Brandon continues to improve, but the class is very tough right now. I expect a bounce back from him in Daytona. I am very proud of Max, he hit marks throughout the day, and there has a lot to build on after his first-ever 450 supercross. With this only being his fourth time on the bike after injury, we treated this race as a warm-up to Daytona- only taking positives. He rode an entire race and mixed it up with established racers. I look forward to continued growth throughout the remaining rounds.”
The 2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series takes a week off before returning Saturday, March 6, to the World Center of Racing at the Daytona International Speedway for the 9th round.
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About H.E.P. Motorsports: About H.E.P. Motorsports: Names using the initials of the founding members (George Holland, Billy Ezernack, and Dustin Pipes) H.E.P. Motorsports brings winning motocross experience, enthusiasm, and business savvy into the Supercross paddock. To learn more, visit www.HEPmotorsports.com.
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