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ELI TOMAC
450 MX / 2ND
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> When in the midst of a battle for championship reign, one must be highly intelligent in choosing their battles. You have to know when to lay it all on the line, and when the time is right to back it down. That comes with a sense of maturity, most often found with veteran riders on the tour. And although still relatively young with age, Eli Tomac has asserted himself as one of the most superb riders on the planet, and wanted to keep the championship in tact when aboard the Unadilla Raceway. As usual, in practice his Kawasaki was nothing but a green blur, and his number one gleaming throughout the dreary skies that surround the facil- ity. He looked poised, yet con dent that he could ful ll the necessary duties in order to sustain a solid points lead. An eighth place start put him in a rather unfortunate position to begin, al- though in most ordinary races that would be a solid foundational start. With the water puddles beginning to amass and arise as quickly as ever, he would work his way into fourth by lap three. However, misfortune would strike when a malfunction hit his roll-off system. Now hav- ing to veer off into the pit area, a quick goggle swap placed him back to fth. It wouldn’t last for long though, he jolted into third, just behind Musquin and Nicoletti. The number twenty- ve was out front, but he would hound him; with the roll-off system of Musquin now failing, Tomac would weasel his way around the outside of an in eld bowl turn, and make the way into the lead. It was relatively smooth sailing from here on out, as he would claim the moto victory. Moto two was next, and a third place start had him just where he needed to be. The Kawasaki was heating up, and the only way to provide a bit of breeze was to catch immense speed down the straightaways. It was all he could do to keep the bike on track, as he tried
his hardest to catch the KTM of Marvin. However, in the back of his mind, he would see the big picture. Focusing on staying upright, and not necessarily losing any points to the number twenty- ve. Both he and the Kawasaki camp felt as though it was a good day, as substantial points could’ve been lost in an instant. He would come across the line in second, placing second overall on the weekend.
38 GRITMOTO • AUGUST 12, 2018