Image: Octopi Media.

Former 450SX champion Jason Anderson has spoken out on his aggression that allegedly led to an AMA investigation at Arlington 1, resulting in his first podium result of the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross season.

Anderson stormed from eighth position at the end of the opening lap to claim third, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider pointing to his quicker passes while moving forward and brushing off any criticism afterwards.

“I’ve been following those guys all year and I want to be on the podium and want to start doing good, so I’m going for it and that’s all there is to it,” Anderson commented. “We’re going to be firing every time we come out of that gate for the rest of the year… Let’s go!”

It’s been a convincing few weeks for Anderson after turning his form around in Orlando, now seventh in the championship standings and within sight of the top five in this back-half of the season. He’s also overcome a dislocated finger sustained at Indianapolis 2.

“Ever since the first Orlando I started riding a lot better,” he continued. “I had a few little issues with my body more so at the beginning of the season that kind of when I’d race, I really couldn’t push too much.

“That was a little issue I had, but to be honest, my riding’s gotten better and everything’s gotten better since orlando. Daytona, I struggled a little bit more than I usually do, but today I felt good and hoping to keep this momentum going and keep getting better.”

Anderson elaborated on his move that left rookie Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) on the ground and out of the race altogether, but said it was more so a case of Ferrandis being ‘spooked’ than him being overly aggressive to cause the incident. He didn’t specifically comment on the clashes with Malcolm Stewart (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha).

“Basically, I just jumped the triple and landed on the inside, came in pretty tight on the inside of him and we kind of got together,” he reflected. “He ended up on the ground, but I honestly think I more spooked him than anything – it is what it is. I don’t want someone to end up on the ground, but at the same time, I want to pass the guys, so I don’t just want to be chilling behind people like I have been all year.”

In turn, Ferrandis indicated it was Anderson who did make him go down: “The day started off well, I had a good start in both my heat and main event. Unfortunately, I got kicked out by another rider which made me crash. I hit my leg pretty hard and it was too painful to finish the race.”

Stewart, meanwhile, wasn’t overly concerned by the aggression of Anderson and indicated that he didn’t intend on retaliating in the second incident that resulted in Stewart crashing heavily onto the stadium floor and outside wall.

“The main event was going good, but Anderson just got into me,” he said. “It wasn’t a big deal – I was just going to square him up, but when I went to square him up, my tire hooked up, and I went straight into the guy. That wasn’t my intention at all, I’m just glad I didn’t get hurt when I hit the concrete, because I went flying.”