Page 30 - Issue-46

ELI TOMAC
450 SX / 8TH
IMAGE / LANG WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / WILSON
>> With the 2017 series being forecasted as a torrential downpour of events, the time has come into its a morphing of a miniscule dribble, where we all wait to see which of the top two competitors make the larger splash. Anyone who chooses to look back and recap the events of this year’s championship chase, will most certainly view the true tale of Eli Tomac’s quest for glory as one of a modern day gladiator. The true story of his title run being just as spectacular as his narrative, the tale of his dream being flashed before our eyes, with the spotlight being cast brighter at each and every round that passes.
As the aura intensifies through each looming day of the spring calendar, thoughts trek feverishly through the neural pathway of the being that mounts the number 3 Kawasaki, his tone wrenching with confidence. Preparing to solidify himself as the all forsaken king, the time to stake his claim once and for all is tonight. As the 450 A group crept onto the soil of Metlife Stadium, Tomac set on the end of the group by his lonesome, a slight murmur beneath his helmet as he rehearsed his gameplan. Attacking the course with all of his might, the number 3 and the Northeastern soil seemed to be groomed into one,
a locomotive bound to the tracks of the circuit with the tread of his tire. Throwing down lap after lap, he felt satisfied with his efforts as the program headed into the first round
of racing. There was something odd about the gelling of both he and machine through- out the course of the day, as he struggled to become one with the track in New Jersey. After qualifying with seventh gate pick for the main event, he knew he had to brush all distraction to the wayside and put the power to the ground. Seventh place on the open- ing grid was quickly forgone as he blitzed the field, passing Ryan Dungey in the opening moments. The two seemed to latch onto each other, the number one giving the Colorado native one hell of a fight, prior to succumbing near the finish line. Tomac looked to be gone, on his way to pushing the points lead, when all the sudden, a lapse in mental fo- cus caused him to wash the front end prior to the first championship. The title falling right before his eyes. He mounted with dyer urgency, but it seemed as though the harder he charged, the more frantic he became. Mistake after mistake, casing landings in rhythm lanes, crossrutting everywhere, he just couldn’t seem to find his vibe. He would some- how manage to push to eighth by the end of the moto, finishing just behind his teammate Josh Grant. Devastated, this race was one that he most certainly wants to forget as the series ends. One that may haunt him forever.
30 GRITMOTO • APRIL 30, 2017