KTM DIVIDED
Author: Tucker Stockton	Features | Saturday, 21 March 2009 12:01

Things have figuratively hit the roof within the pits of the KTM Jr. Team here at Oak Hill. Major drama has unfolded, and things are looking quite bleak for the orange crusaders at the moment. After an extremely successful time at Lake Whitney and Oak Hill, Max Anstie has been DQ’d and expelled from the Oak Hill Facility.

 

During the Schoolboy race yesterday, Jason Anderson and Max Anstie went to battle, which has been the case many times over the past two weeks. Apparently Max came in hot and heavy on Jason, making a compromising pass which left Anderson on the ground and Anstie with the win. Following the race Anderson showed his frustration by making gestures towards Devon Mitchell, KTM JR. Team Manager, and Merv Anstie, Max’s dad and Devon’s boyfriend.

 

Word is the KTM factory riders of Anderson and Rogers have felt neglected since their team manager began dating Merv nearly a year ago. Within the past two weeks, word has also come out that Devon and Merv are engaged and expecting. All of this has stirred quite the animosity, seeing as it is an extreme conflict of interest amongst the team. Whether Max is receiving better treatment and bikes is unknown, but it seems as if that is where the majority of the tension between the team is stemming from.

 

Following the race Jason’s parents, Mike and Darla, were seen engaging in a verbal altercation with Merv and Devon. The situation was kept under control but goes to show just how much tension there is in the KTM pits. At that point in time, Max was DQ’d from the previous race due to his racing tactics, and then banned from the facility, along with his father and Devon Mitchell.

 

One thing is for sure, KTM has a star studded line-up with Anderson, Anstie, and Rogers (amongst others), but given the current team dynamics it has proven to have had a negative effect on all the team riders.

 

As for Derek Rogers, he also left Oak Hill yesterday, willingly, with a Pro Circuit Kawasaki in the back of his truck. This is no surprise as we’ve seen Derek pushing his bike off the track multiples of times over the past two weeks. Stacy Rogers, Derek’s father, reported, “With everything going on, we just think it was in Derek’s best interest to change.”  It's obvious Derek has been frustated with his bikes, and we're hoping this is what Derek needs to get back to the tip top of his game.

 

What lies ahead for Max Anstie, Jason Anderson and the rest of the KTM team? Stay logged on as we continue to dig deeper into the story.