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ELI TOMAC
450 SX / A-1
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / WILSON
>> Mike Trout and Albert Pujols are two of the names and images you will see plastered around the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Stadium; two of the modern day greats, one an established vet- eran, and the other, a rising star carving his name into the record books day by day. In the Supercross industry, Eli Tomac is in a similar role to Trout; a young man in a game of thrones, seeking to push the experience of his elders to the side, and create an image amongst the authority in the division. They say make your first im- pression a lasting impression, and with Anaheim 1 offering a clean slate of boxes on the score card, there truly is no better place to set the tone of what truly could be in the weeks to come.
And it seems as though Tomac took this idea to heart, blistering out of the hole, shoving his way around the field in the opening stages of the 450 main event. He appeared to be shocked by a burst of speed, dashing to the front with feverish intent. Diving to the inside of Musquin in the early stages, he quickly cut the 90 de- gree turn into multiple pieces, meanwhile stealing the line from the KTM rider. He looked to be well on his way. And then, as the laps passed, the green bean seemed to go a tad stale; its stalk begin- ning to wince and crumble, possibly to do fatigue. Second quickly vanished, third, fourth, and so on, until he had found himself in fifth place; yearning to stay within distance of riders such as Jason Anderson, but with no luck, he found himself jousting with Cole Seely, just to remain inside the top five as the checkers flew. He would hold on, but most definitely unhappy with the fading result of his season opener.
18 GRITMOTO • JANUARY 9, 2017