Max Anstie fell from second to fourth in the opening laps of the 250 West divisional opener of the 2026 SuperMotocross World Championship at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, before taking the lead on Lap 7. He led the remainder of the way to break a longstanding record.
At the age of 32, Anstie broke a record that stood for nearly three decades. According to WeWentFast.com, Anstie was exactly one day older than the previous elder statesman, John Dowd. In fact, Dowd set his record on Anstie’s fifth birthday.
Within two years of that day, Anstie was traveling to the United States to attend Supercross races: “When I was just a kid, 7, 8, 9 years old, I remember coming to this race, watching this race, dreaming about this race, thinking that it was so far away that I don’t know if I’d ever … I was just a kid, I was like, I don’t even know how to get here, how to even be here,” Anstie said in last week’s post-race media scrum.
Click here for a recap of Anaheim 1
Anstie’s senior status echoed one of the storylines from the 450 class, as the winner, Eli Tomac, and second-place finisher, Ken Roczen, are also in their 30s. As one continues down the grid, another storyline is picked up. Finishing third in the 450 class last week, Jorge Prado executed a solid comeback.
The same was true of the 250 West second-place finisher, Chance Hymas. Returning from injury, Hymas said he had little doubt that he would contend for a podium. This was the first Supercross podium earned by Hymas since he won last year in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Ryder DiFrancesco earned the holeshot and led the first six laps before losing that position to Anstie.
“I could give it all I got, and if I was going to win or if I could back it down to a podium, that was my goal,” DiFrancesco said after the race. “But if I would’ve led laps and blown up and went to fifth, I would’ve been okay with that as well. But I fought it out and ended up on the box.”
Relive The Heats
Haiden Deegan entered Anaheim 1 determined to reverse his tendency to struggle in the opening round. A fourth-place finish was solid, but hardly what he and the fans expected from the defending 250 West champion. A poor start mired Deegan 12th in the running order, but in typical Deegan fashion, he steadily passed the competition. Deegan was up to sixth by Lap 8 and jumped into fourth with a handful of laps remaining.
Michael Mosiman rounded out the top five after struggling in his heat. He was forced to advance via the Last Chance Qualifier but had an exceptional surge out of the gate. He completed Lap 1 in fourth and maintained his position in the top five for the duration of the race.
Levi Kitchen narrowly missed that mark in sixth. Like Deegan, he got a poor start and was as far down the order as 20th before clawing his way forward. For most of the race, he was three positions behind Deegan, as both riders did all they could to minimize the damage to their points.
Here are the 250 Motocross results, lap times, and points standings after Round 1 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California:
Results
Fastest Lap and Sector Times
Individual Lap Times
Detailed Lap Times
Hard Charger Results
Here is the finishing order of Round 1 in Anaheim:
1. Max Anstie, Yamaha
2. Chance Hymas, Honda
3. Ryder DiFrancesco (HS), Husqvarna
4. Haiden Deegan, Yamaha
5. Michael Mosiman, Yamaha
6. Levi Kitchen, Kawasaki
7. Maximus Vohland, Yamaha
8. Hunter Yoder, Yamaha
9. Avery Long, KTM
10. Dilan Schwartz, Yamaha
11. Carson Mumford, KTM
12. Robbie Wageman, Yamaha
13. Joshua Varize, Kawasaki
14. Parker Ross, Yamaha
15. Lux Turner, Yamaha
16. Anthony Bourdon, Kawasaki
17. Crockett Myers, Suzuki
18. Matti Jorgensen, Honda
19. Justin Rodbell, Honda
20. Brandon Ray, Triumph
21. Lorenzo Camporese, Kawasaki
22. Cameron McAdoo, Kawasaki
2025 SuperMotocross Results
Las Vegas 450 Results | 250 Results
St. Louis 450 Results | 250 Results
zMax Dragway 450 Results | 250 Results
2025 Motocross Results
Pala 450 Results | 250 Results
Hangtown 450 Results | 250 Results
Thunder Valley 450 Results | 250 Results
High Point 450 Results | 250 Results
Southwick 450 Results | 250 Results
RedBud 450 Results | 250 Results
Spring Creek 450 Results | 250 Results
Washougal 450 Results | 250 Results
Ironman 450 Results | 250 Results
Unadilla 450 Results | 250 Results
Budds Creek 450 Results | 250 Results
2025 Supercross Results
Anaheim 1 450 Results | 250W Results
San Diego 450 Results | 250W Results
Anaheim 2 450 Results | 250W Results
Glendale 450 Results | 250W Results
Tampa 450 Results | 250E Results
Detroit 450 Results | 250E Results
Arlington 450 Results | 250W Results
Daytona 450 Results | 250E Results
Indianapolis 450 Results | 250 E/W Results
Birmingham 450 Results | 250E Results
Seattle 450 Results | 250W Results
Foxborough 450 Results | 250E Results
Philadelphia 450 Results | 250 E/W Results
New Jersey 450 Results | 250E Results
Pittsburgh 450 Results | 250E Results
Denver 450 Results | 250W Results
Salt Lake City 450 Results | 250 E/W Results
