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ELI TOMAC
450 MX / 5TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / KUHLHOFF DESIGN / MPG
>> We all had high expectations for local Colorado native, Eli Tomac coming into Thunder Valley this weekend. After facing mechanical adversity at Glen Helen last weekend and finishing in ninth place overall, Tomac needed to come out looking for redemption on his hometown turf. The crowd’s eyes were on Tomac the second that moto one was underway. With a decent start, the Monster En- ergy Kawasaki rider was sitting in fifth place on the first lap. Eli went to work as he soon found himself on the rear wheel of a feisty Justin Barcia and the crowd cheered him on as he made the pass for third place spot. We’ve all seen Tomac destroy the field on this track, but he was looking somewhat conservative in this moto and he did not seem to be in the hurry that he is usually in. Unfortunately for Tomac, drama had found him once again as he goes down. As he started his bike, Seely and Barcia went by. Once the number 3 machine got going again,
a determined Musquin was right on his tail and ready to fight for the sixth place spot. Marvin made the smoothly made the pass on Tomac. Eli Tomac was un- able to find the flow and finesse needed to excel on the rutted landscape and finished the first moto in seventh place. If Eli wanted a better overall than last weekend, he was going to really have to find his groove in the second moto. As soon as the gate dropped for the 450-moto number two, Eli Tomac came out
with a vengeance as he flew into the first place spot early in the race. Tomac had the pressure of El Chupacabra right behind him for most of the moto, with some great defensive riding, Eli was able to hold off a few of the passes made by Blake Baggett. Once again, Tomac could not find the same kind of buttery smooth flow that some of his competitors possessed and Baggett made the pass stick for first. Eli Tomac passed the checkered flag in second place. A 7-2 gave Tomac
a fifth place overall finish at Thunder Valley. If Eli Tomac wants to find some redemption and get back to where he was at the start of the season, he is going to have to bring his A-game to High Point.
20 GRITMOTO • JUNE 4, 2017