Image: Supplied.

450SX rookie Max Anstie scored points in his premier class debut at Orlando 2, despite little preparation as he rebounds from a back injury.

The rider from Newbury, England was forced into having a delayed start to the season, due to a back injury sustained on his final day of testing with the Twisted Team HEP Suzuki team.

While it was originally mentioned that he might return as soon as Indianapolis, the 27-year-old didn’t line up until this past weekend at Orlando 2, where he managed to put himself in the main event, eventually finishing 18th and fulfilling a lifelong dream in the process.

“It was nice to be under the lights racing my first ever 450SX event,” he explained. “It was a dream to ride into the stadium with the best supercross riders in the world.”

The Englishman had few days to prepare before lining up for action at Camping World Stadium, with just two days on the bike leading up to the event. Fortunately, the series has a two-week break ahead of the next round in Daytona on March 6, where Anstie will look to continue building momentum in his inaugural season.

“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. The team and I will get to work and make progress and I’m looking forward to Daytona in two weeks!”