In a wide-ranging interview with Red Bull KTM team manager, Ian Harrison, the South African gave us an update on Eli Tomac after that scary crash at Pala.
When we asked if Eli would be back before the season is over, Ian told us: “Yeah. I hope so. But, but he, he does have a torn muscle in his neck and he has a tendon, tendon tear too, and it’s your neck, you know, it’s not your knee that you can wrap or do something on.
These things, your neck is, you just have to wait. And, and it’s an important part. I mean, your head is heavy, you’ve got a helmet on there, you got all that. So he has to take the time to heal 100%. And then when he’s, when that, when the doctors tell us that’s ready, then, then it’s his choice. But I think it’ll be, it’s going to be a little while.
So will Eli be back next year? “I really hope. I really hope, but you know, everything he gave us this year, there’s nothing more I could ask of him.”
On Eli’s impact on the team Ian couldn’t have been more positive: “Eli is incredible to work with. It’s black and white, when he tells you he’s going to be there for a test, he’s there, he’s on time, he’s ready. He’s prepared for the work you have to do. And he makes progress, you know, because he knows what he’s looking for, what he needs.
“And he does have a unique setup on his bike, but it was an absolute pleasure for me, my entire team, the suspension guy, everybody to work with him because yeah, he’s a true professional. So you just feel like when you give a hundred percent, he’s giving the same. You never worry about him showing up and not being ready or he’s just, yeah, they were, they were first-class people to deal with. And I hope it goes on a little bit longer, but that’s totally up to him.”
Get the full interview with Ian below plus an interview with Julien Beaumer after his incredible comeback to racing after serious injury:
