Page 34 - Issue 79

ELI TOMAC
450 MX / 1ST
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> Just like he did in the 2016 outdoor motocross season, Eli Tomac has kicked off the series here in 2018 with four straight moto victories at the rst two rounds. He has done so in convincing fashion as well leaving no doubt about his speed and endurance. Tomac has come from behind in most of the motos and still managed to win them with ease. No doubt he has had to work hard for them, but when the checkered ag has waved, he’s had a healthy gap on the rest of the eld. No win was more im- pressive than his second moto victory a week ago at Glen Helen. He was about eight seconds behind leader, Jason Anderson, with four laps to go when he mounted an unbelievable charge that resulted in him passing Anderson and then winning the race by over ten seconds. He was going more than ve seconds per lap faster than almost everybody else down the stretch. If he can keep up that sort of intensity the entire summer, it could be a long season for the rest of the competition.
Tomac continued his season long dominance into round three at Thunder Valley clocking in with fast- est lap time in the qualifying practice sessions. He was the only rider in the 2:05 lap time range and seemed to have a leg up on the rest of the eld. However, this is the race where his perfect season and championship hopes were derailed back in 2016, so he still had to prove he could get the job done.
Tomac started the rst moto with an unusually strong start. He completed the rst lap in second place right behind Monster Energy Factory Yamaha rider Justin Barcia. He settled in there behind him and did not force the issue in the early stages. About ten minutes into the race, he began to apply the pres- sure but then the race got red agged due to an injured rider. They reset in the gate and started the race over again but not much changed for Tomac. He rounded lap one in second once again but this time he was behind Ken Roczen. Like in the initial start, Tomac settled into second and stayed patient in the early going. He waited until the halfway point to really make his charge and that is when he would pass Roczen. He got him with about six laps to go and then cruised to the moto victory.
Tomac managed to nail another great start in the second moto. He got into third behind early leaders Barcia and Roczen. This quickly brewed into a three-rider battle for the lead that got interesting. Tomac squeaked by Roczen on lap three for second but a few corners later, Barcia crashed into Tomac’s
rut forcing Tomac to come to a stop. Roczen was able to hop out and around the two riders to regain the lead. Tomac got going again but not before Blake Baggett snuck his way by the carnage. This put Tomac back to third and he would have to remount another charge. He would be able to get around Baggett a few laps after that craziness and rmly set his eyes yet again on Ken Roczen. The two riders played cat and mouse for a good portion of the moto before Tomac was nally able to slice inside and make the pass with ten minutes to go. He immediately dropped the hammer to build a gap and the rest is history. Tomac would cruise to another 1-1 performance after early hotly contested battles with Roc- zen in both motos. Tomac’s perfect season holds true for another race as they head into the upcoming off week.
34 GRITMOTO • JUNE 3, 2018