Page 12 - ISSUE 40

ELI TOMAC
450 SX / 1ST
IMAGE /MPG WORDS /HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / WILSON
>> Eli Tomac has emerged as the main contender to dethrone reigning champion Ryan Dungey. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider has been an absolute ma- chine as of late winning four races after only finishing in the top five one time at the first three rounds. He and his team have clearly made the proper adjustments and have not looked back. His fitness is top of the line and most of his wins have come with large margins of victory. This weekend Tomac was happy to storm into Daytona where he won in dominant fashion last year. His goal was to make it win number five out of the last seven.
Tomac looked strong as usual in practice logging the third quickest time just .003 behind first time 450 rider Jeremy Martin. When the gate dropped in his heat race, Tomac charged into the first turn with a lot of aggression and muscled his way into the early lead. He went on to walk away from the rest of the competition for an easy heat win. It was the perfect warmup for a main event that is always a knock down drag out fight.
Tomac nearly recreated his start from the heat in the main event but Jeremy Martin put the hammer down and asserted himself in the lead. Tomac settled in behind the part time 450 rider and waited for the right time to pounce. But just
a few laps in, he grew impatient and made a run at Martin but his intensity only energized the Honda rider and he lost a bit of time. Tomac did not get too wor- ried and once again settled into a nice pace stalking Martin. Then at the halfway point, Tomac decided it was time to take the lead. He squared up Martin head- ing into the front rhythm section but Martin countered once again and pulled up alongside. The two went side by side over the triple but Tomac was able to slam the door shut in the following corner. That pass sealed the win for Tomac as he cruised the rest of the way to secure his fifth win in the last seven races. He also gained a lot of points on Dungey setting up for an interesting second half of the season.
12 GRITMOTO • MARCH 12, 2017