Page 20 - ISSUE32

ELI TOMAC
450 SX / SD
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / LANNAN DESIGN / WILSON
>> Eli knew he had to prove he was a podium contender as the day began in San Diego. After a hard-to-swallow 5th last weekend, it was clear to see he was eager to improve. When practice began in San Diego on Saturday, Eli
put down some solid laps and was looking fast. When 450 Heat 1 began, Eli got a great jump off the gate and followed the leader, Anderson, around the first corner. Eli was able to out throttle him into the next corner and make the pass for the lead. The two traded a little bit of green and white paint a couple of corners later and Eli finally secured the lead with a block pass before the triple. He put down some lighting fast laps and it looked as though he would pull away, but on the last lap, Anderson made a push that forced a couple mistakes out of Tomac. Eli would lose the spot in a last lap battle and go on to the Main seeking redemption. When the gate dropped for the Main Event, Eli got a fantastic jump and was able to hug the inside of the first corner. Unfor- tunately, this gave multiple riders the upper hand, as they filed inside of Eli in the next corner. Eli was now running 8th as the riders entered the whoops. He kept the pressure on and it began to work as he slipped by two riders early and was able to secure the 6th position. He then caught 5th place quickly and made a clean block pass on the rider in the second corner. As the clock wound down, Eli started to reel in 4th place, Cole Seely. Cole made a small mistake as they went into a rhythm section, which allowed Eli to triple right by and take the postion. At this point, Jason had followed Eli around Seely and was hot on his heels. Eli seemed a bit flustered as he left the door open after the finish line and Jason was able to come inside on him to take the line away. Eli was now in 5th looking for a white flag but it was nowhere in sight. Eli then made a mistake going into a rhythm section where he missed a triple and this time, Cole Seely was able to sneak back by him. Eli was now running 6th with just a couple laps to go and it was clear he was ready for this race to be over. Fortunately, he was able to maintain 6th place all the way to the finish.
20 GRITMOTO • JANUARY 15, 2017