Anstie on Returning to Podium: “It Was Needed, Definitely Been a Rough Few Weeks”

You talked a little bit about inconsistency, and I know that you mentioned being sick, but is there anything else that is just hindering you that's not making you able to get on the podium each and every week?
If I knew the answer, I'd have already won these challenges multiple times! [Laughs] If I knew the answer to all that… I don't even feel like I'm sick. So that's just a side thing. Like I literally, after I won, I just couldn't stop coughing and everyone was like, "What's wrong with you? Why are you [sick]?" And I'm like, "No, I'm fine, I'm fine." But I don't know. And then the fumes from last week just done me in, like I literally this week my chest was hurting, couldn't breathe properly. I'm like, "Maybe I'm getting old. I don't know." But that's one thing. Honestly, to be perfectly honest, I think the last few weeks the focus has been taken off of what it needs to be and for me, focus on myself, being happy, playing with my boy in between the races, having a good time, that makes me perform and ride free. I had my routine through the off-season and through A1 and even San Diego and then things got a little wild, but also the expectation is there, and I get to ride with Haiden in the week and he's unreal. There's no two ways about it. He's fast as hell, he's solid. So, then I've been thinking, "Right, I need to be perfect. I need to get a holeshot. I need to be in front, I need to execute. I need to be perfect to have a chance." But then I've been overcooking it. That's the recipe for…I've been screwing the starts up because I've been over-complicating it. Even with the bike, I've been searching for one percent here, to "Oh, I think we should go this or this." And I'm going around in circles.

So, it's taken me a couple weeks, and I know I'd figure it out. It means a lot. This championship means a lot. I want to win the championship, but essentially you can't do that by doing that. You've got to focus on yourself and focus on what worked and at the end of the day, I'm riding with a guy who's obviously unreal on a bike, there's a reason for that. And Levi's ripping tonight, I had nothing for him, but I've got to maximize the days and be on the box. Like the last few weeks, it would've been nice to just be on the box instead of screwing them up and being down or getting bad starts. But hey, it's not through lack of trying.

Like I said, if I knew the answers I would've already won this thing a million times and been out of it, but hey, I'm still trying to figure it out and all I know is that I had to refocus, get my focus back to where it needed to be. It took me a couple of weeks longer than we liked, but hey, it's a tough sport, hard to do. So, figuring it out.

I know you're happy to be back in the box on a track like today, that was extremely tricky. Is it extra at all? Does it feel extra good to survive a track like this and be on the box?
Yes and no. I mean just of course when you win a race like A1 and then you still in the back of your mind each week you're like, "Man, all right, I'm in this thing, had the red plate for a week." And then it's like, "All right, got to, got to try and figure it out and perform today." Yeah, I would've liked to have been a bit faster. Those two [Deegan and Kitchen] were ripping, but I couldn't bring myself to risk it that much. That was very, very tricky. And I managed the race as best as I could and ended up third, that was all I had tonight. It was needed. It was kind of, it's what I'm here to do. So, I kind of feel like I just did my job and going into this next break, I will continue to work on those areas and have a bit of fun on outdoors because I haven't ridden outdoors in a long time and I really want to put my best foot forward for that. Going into it, I have a good shot now with Star in this 250. I haven't had a proper go at outdoors, so I would like to maximize my outdoor prep and yeah, have a few week break.

Race three in Houston, and tonight it doesn't seem like you put up much of a fight when Deegan tries to pass you for the lead. Is that intentional, why?
He's going fast? What am I going to do? …At the end of the day to be... Moto 3 in Houston, let me remember. Yeah, he was going fast, and I was bolted on there at the end, it felt pretty good. Tonight, it was, they just had me going through that rhythm early on, both of them, Levi and Haiden, and yeah, there's a time and a place. I'm not just going to go and start teeing people up for no reason early in the race because that'll screw my race up. If I was in the race last few laps, then fair enough, all gloves are off we'll go and do a race. But the boys were half a lap in front so at that time was, my thinking was more along the lines of, "Right, I need to follow, try and pick up some lines, figure out that rhythm, gap everyone else so that at least I can be on the box and try and stay with those guys." But that didn't last too long.

So yeah, it just kind of goes, haven't felt like at the minute. I mean I know obviously everyone goes on about the San Diego thing, but even that was my thinking there too. It was like, "Man he’s faster, right? I need to watch this." I am a bit smarter in where I pull out the way now, but in that situation, basically they're fast. The boys are ripping. There's no point in me doing that right then. I had everyone else to worry about and I needed to still figure out lines and try and learn. Yeah, it was too early in the race to try and do anything stupid.