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ELI TOMAC
The worst kept secret in the industry throughout the 2016 silly season was that Eli Tomac would be
taking the number one seat at Monster Energy Kawasaki. Considering the kind of performances he put in at the beginning of outdoors where he was trouncing the field by gaps that would make RC proud, people were beginning to wonder if he was regretting the move at this point in the season. Tomac reminded everybody why he was brought into one of the most illustrious teams in the pits with a win at Daytona, but he wasn’t able to carry that momentum into the last round north of the border. He passed Dungey on the very first lap for the lead, but eventually fell back into the clutches of Cole Seely to finish 5th place. Even in a field this deep, Eli and the team expect better results. It was very uncharacteristic to see him start up front and fade back to fifth place so helplessly. He’s only managed to finish on the podium in two out of ten main events this year, but don’t let your expectations be skewed by his searing form from the beginning of the 2015 outdoors. Coming off of a double shoulder surgery and adapting to a new motorcycle have also made the start of 2016 challenging for the Colorado native. Besides, Tomac has always been a significantly better on a motocross track as opposed to the confines of a stadium. The skill disparity between the two isn’t as significant as a rider like Jeremy Martin the past two years, but it’s been quite apparent since his move up to the 450s. Look for Eli to steadily improve his consistency throughout the rest of the season and come out swinging at Hangtown in May.
120 GRITMOTO • MARCH.21.16
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