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ELI TOMAC
450 SX / 1ST
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / KILPATRICK DESIGN / WILSON
>> Eli Tomac has been building confidence each and every week after racking up his fifth win of the year one week ago at the legendary Daytona International Speedway. The highly esteemed ‘World Center of Racing’ played host to the tenth round of the series and presented the op- portunity for the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider to grab his second win on the bounce; it also provided the opportunity for the Colorado native to make some sizable gains in the title chase after his main rival, Ryan Dungey, suffered from a bad start and was forced to battle through the pack. The gap between the two was as close as it has been since the beginning of the season heading into Lucas Oil Stadium as Tomac was set to build off his previous performances and continue his momentous streak. He was able to carry his confidence from the main event win at Daytona directly into the action at Indy as he was one of the fastest riders on the track from the very first practice session. Tomac ended up clocking the second fastest lap time, only two tenths behind the leading qualifier, Marvin Musquin; therefore, setting himself up for the number one gate pick in his heat race as the night show began. Racing action could not have gotten off to a better start for the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider as he rocketed out of the gate to a clear hole- shot in the first 450 heat race. Tomac put himself in the lead from the very first corner onward, clearing the opening rhythm section with perfection as he immediately put a gap of multiple bike lengths between himself and the rest of the field. He was able to take advantage of some bar banging for second position on the opening lap that left him with an enormous gap over Cole Seely, and he maintained that lead all the way until the checkered flag, laying down a fast lap time quicker than his qualifying effort in the process. In the main event, Tomac found himself in a heated battle with Ryan Dungey through the first corner as the two of them scrubbed side- by-side through the opening rhythm section in attempt to sort out second place. The Colo-
rado native was forced to concede the position momentarily, but he found his way around the outside of the defending champion after the second triple, therefore setting his sights on Blake Baggett in the lead. Shortly aftewards, Tomac carried his momentum over the finish line jump and executed a textbook block pass before the whoops section, stealing the line away from the KTM. He managed to lead all twenty-five laps of the main event from that point onward, hitting his marks with near perfection and placing his Monster Energy Kawasaki wherever he desired. Tomac was able to claw back another five points on Dungey with his third successive victory, bringing the title chase to life as the series heads to Detroit for the twelfth round of action.
12 GRITMOTO • MARCH 19, 2017