The rumours of Eli Tomac racing some MXGP rounds are intensifying but should he do it? Of course!
Yes, he maybe isn’t quite on his elite form every weekend yet, but at times the speed is still there, so this is still an Eli Tomac who is more than capable of running up front with Prado, Gajser, Febvre and his old rival Herlings.
In fact, Herlings and Tomac are in similar positions right now, they are both legends of the sport and will go down as two of the all-time greats but they are both still finding their way bike to their best form after injuries. Herlings though, is enjoying the process of getting back to the top and, with Eli now saying he may race in 2025, why not enjoy the chance to have a bit of a break this summer but also do something different and experience things he won’t be able to when he retires – and get some intel on racing Prado if they both race AMA supercross in 2025.
This is a chance for fans in Europe to see the last battles of Herlings v Tomac, seeing some nostalgia in the present with both still close to their prime. This would be a moment in history remembered forever.
Tomac would have the chance to add a GP win (outside America) to his list of accolades and not many US riders have done that in recent years, Villopoto the only one of the big stars to do it along with Mike Brown and Zach Osborne this century.
If Tomac doesn’t win it’s no big deal, people will appreciate the fact he gave it a go when most wouldn’t, (a bit like TC in the US). They just want to see him race a GP and, if he does win, what a cherry on top of the cake that would be.
Yamaha on the MXGP side are unsurprisingly very open to it happening, let’s see if it all works out because it would be one of the most exciting things to happen to the sport since Villopoto made his move from the USA – and it might inspire more US riders to take a chance on MXGP just to experience a totally different style of high level racing.
A pro career is short in comparison to the rest of your life, Tomac would get an experience money can’t buy regardless of the results – and we all want to see that Herlings/Tomac battle for whatever position that may be at least one more time before they both retire!
Racing different tracks, different competition and experiencing different countries when he has nothing to lose and everything to gain? Go for it Eli… the fans will appreciate it!
Article: Jonathan McCready
Image: Feld Entertainment Inc.
