![Malcolm Stewart - First WIN - 450SX class - Tampa SX [678]](https://motorsportsnewswire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Malcolm-Stewart-First-WIN-450SX-class-Tampa-SX-678.jpg "Malcolm Stewart - First WIN - 450SX class - Tampa SX [678]")
Max Anstie Starts 250SX East Championship with a Victory
TAMPA, FL – February 9, 2025 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Malcolm Stewart earned his career-first 450SX Class victory with a brilliant charge from a mid-pack start at Round 5 of the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship inside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The 32-year-old Florida native was pure joy after reaching the top step of the podium in his 109thrace start.
Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida hosted its fifth Monster Energy AMA Supercross event and delivered unpredictable racing, dramatic moments, and a career-first victory by Floridian Malcolm Stewart.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb followed Stewart forward in the early laps and reached second place by the time the checkered flag flew. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson, after losing some positions early, recovered to score a third-place finish. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton led most of the Tampa Supercross, but just as Stewart made a drive for the lead, Sexton crashed hard in the whoops. Sexton recovered quickly, still in second, but was off the pace and dropped back to fifth in the final laps. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac injured his foot in qualifying and raced only to salvage points; he finished in 17th position. Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen reached second place early and was in fourth when he suffered a nasty collision with lapped riders in the track’s difficult sand section.
Defending champion Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence did not race; mid-week updates revealed an injury at the previous round will likely keep him out for the remainder of the season. Adding to the rough news for both the Honda team and the Lawrence family, Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence crashed hard in his heat race and sat out the remainder of the night’s racing. In the 250SX Class, the Tampa Supercross kicked off the Eastern Divisional 250SX Class Championship, and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Max Anstie took the win and with it the early points lead.
First place 450SX Class
“Big bro, you know. You’ve done this a long time, racing Daytona and Jacksonville, and you know there’s something about that hometown crowd, buddy. I don’t know if they were twisting the throttle for me, because, for a split second, I was like, ‘Alright I need to get this done.’ I was feeling really good, and you know what, Stewart is back in the whoops, Y’all!” – Malcolm Stewart, being interviewed by his brother and former Supercross champion James Stewart from the broadcast booth.
Second place 450SX Class
“I ended up spinning out of the gate and that was all she wrote. I made a good charge through the pack. I’m a little bummed on myself. I was right there with Malcolm coming through the pack and he got around guys and I wasn’t able to [as quickly]. And as you saw with me and Kenny [Roczen], the lappers were really bad… With that being said, Malcolm was crushing the whoops, he deserved that win, and I got a little bit of a gift with Chase going down. But just gotta be better… We’ll take a hard-charge second tonight.” – Cooper Webb, who moved into second place in points.
Third place 450SX Class
“To be honest, tonight I was more likely to be a fifth place guy, but I hung in there. It was a bummer for what happened to Ken, it was out of his control, and I was able to pass Chase at the end, so that was nice. This class is tough, and you never know what can happen. Congrats to Malcolm, it’s pretty cool to watch him win his first one after so many tries. It’s cool.” – Jason Anderson, who moved into third place in points.
In 250SX Class racing, Anstie grabbed the holeshot but Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Pierce Brown quickly took over the lead. Brown crashed hard while leading, handing the lead to Anstie and requiring a red flag stop to the race. The staggered re-start tightened up the racing with eight minutes left. Anstie quickly broke away from the pack for the win with his teammate Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Daxton Bennick holding on to earn a career-best second-place finish. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo, after a race-long battle with teammate Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker finished third; the performance was especially remarkable because McAdoo was racing with a torn ACL. Defending champion Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle finished in fifth place. Defending 250SX West Champion Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire, contesting the 250SX East season, landed on a track obstacle and his bike became stuck. Hampshire recovered to finish 18th.
First place 250SX Class
“Pierce [Brown] went down. I hate to see that. He was riding so well and just spun and ended up going over the bars… After that, it kind of took the wind out of my sails. They red-flagged it, me and [teammate] Dax were up front and it was like a day at the Goat Farm [Training Facility]. And honestly, I was like, ‘Let’s not do anything silly right now.’ The whoops were really tricky and it’s round one so you’re always a little more nervous.” – Max Anstie
Second place 250SX Class
“I told [Max], I looked at him and said, ‘Hey, it’s just like the practice track now, so we’ve got this covered.” – Daxton Bennick, on what he said to teammate Max Anstie at the mid-race re-start.
Third place 250SX Class
“I’m so grateful for the strength that God gave me to be able do this tonight and to be here racing. It was a difficult day. It’s been difficult since the occurrence [of the knee injury one week prior] and we’re making the best of it. I’m so stoked with how tonight ended and how we were able to manage.” – Cameron McAdoo
Race fans across the globe can catch all the action of the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season though a multitude of streaming, broadcast, and social media channels. Every round can be viewed live and on-demand on Peacock. Select races can also be seen, live or in encore presentations, on NBC, CNBC, USA Network, and NBC Sports digital platforms. Every Monday following a race, CNBC will air the weekend’s event at 1:00 a.m. ET. Live, Spanish-language coverage is available on Telemundo Deportes’ Facebook and YouTube channels. The SuperMotocross Video Pass (supermotocross.tv) provides international coverage of every round live, with the option of English, Spanish and French language presentations. NBC Sports Audio on SiriusXM Channel 85 delivers live audio coverage. And for live, pre-race coverage of timed qualifying, watch Race Day Live on Peacock.
Some of the race fans at the Tampa Supercross came from other forms of racing. USA Track & Field Olympian Erriyon Knighton was in attendance, and remarked on the broadcast that his high school is just minutes down the road from the stadium. Motorsports were represented by Xfinity Series racer John Hunter Nemecheck who met with Ken Roczen during the day then watched the racing inside Raymond James Stadium.
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Round 6 lines up the racers again next Saturday at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan for a daytime race. Tickets are available now for the Detroit Supercross as well as each remaining round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross season and the SMX World Championship events. For highlight videos, race news, full results, live timing, and more, go to SupercrossLIVE.com.
Click 450SX Class podium image below for full results
450SX Class podium (riders left to right) Cooper Webb, Malcolm Stewart, and Jason Anderson. Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
Click 250SX Class podium image below for full results
250SX Class podium (riders left to right) Daxton Bennick, Max Anstie, and Cameron McAdoo. Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
450SX Class Highlights
250SX Class Highlights
Post Race Press Conference
Media Contacts:
Sean Brennen
Feld Motor Sports – PR Director – Supercross
[email protected]
About Feld Motor Sports:
Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting specialized arena and stadium-based motorsports entertainment. Properties include Monster Jam®, Monster Energy AMA Supercross, and the SMX World ChampionshipTM. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a subsidiary of Feld Entertainment, Inc. Visit monsterjam.com, SupercrossLIVE.com, and feldentertainment.com for more information.
About Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship:
Monster Energy AMA Supercross is the most competitive and highest-profile off-road motorcycle racing championship on the planet. Founded in America and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) since 1974. Over 17 weeks, Supercross attracts some of the largest and most impressive crowds inside the most recognizable and prestigious stadiums in North America to race in front of nearly one million live fans and broadcast to millions more worldwide. For more information, visit SupercrossLIVE.com.
About the SMX World Championship:
The SMX World Championship™ is the premier off-road motorcycle racing series in the world that combines the technical precision of stadium racing with the all-out speed and endurance of outdoor racing. Created in 2022, the SMX World Championship Series combines the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the AMA Pro Motocross Championship into a 28-round regular season that culminates with the season-ending SMX World Championship Playoffs. Visit SuperMotocross.com for more information.
About the American Motorcyclist Association:
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit americanmotorcyclist.com.
Source: Feld Entertainment, Inc.
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