Round 13 of the Monster Energy® AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, began the first of three races at Atlanta Motor Speedway where Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Eli Tomac captured his 37th career 450SX win, cementing sole possession of sixth place on the all-time 450SX wins list. In the 250SX class, Cameron McAdoo led the charge for the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team finishing third on the day with rookie teammate Seth Hammaker right behind in fourth.
The defending series champion Tomac utilized the first round of qualifying to get a feel for the longer track layout of the Atlanta venue, but rainy conditions in the late morning forced the series to cancel the last qualifying session, leaving the No. 1 machine sixth in qualifying heading into the big show.
As the rain cleared out, it was time for the heat races to commence. In 450SX Heat 1, Tomac launched out the gate in second place but the slippery Georgia clay made it tricky to find traction early on. Tomac’ Kawasaki was quick to adapt, making passes in the whoops section and began applying pressure to the riders upfront. The defending champ capitalized from the leaders’ mistakes to move into the lead late in the race and take the win.
With a record of success on the longer tracks and coming off an impressive heat race win, the momentum had shifted in Tomac’s favor. When the gate dropped on the 450SX Main Event, the No. 1 KX™450 got off to a mid-pack start where he would spend the opening laps navigating around those in front. By the halfway mark, the Colorado native had moved up into third place, where he spent the next few laps applying pressure to the rider in front before advancing into second. As the final two laps began, the No. 1 machine stalked the leader’s rear wheel waiting for an opportunity to make a move. The opportunity came as the leader was tied up by lapped traffic and Tomac jumped into the lead at the start of the final lap to secure the first 450SX Main Event win from inside Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Eli Tomac: “I came in here with a good mindset. The longer track layout felt like it was going to suit me, and it did today. The track was a beast today and it changed up a lot throughout the main. I was able to switch up my lines in the whoops and made up some great time there. I made a few good passes in combination with a couple of gifts, but I’ll take it. I’m happy we’re coming away from this one with a win, especially with the challenges the rainy weather brought us. Thank you to the entire Monster Energy/Kawasaki team for getting my KX™450 set up perfectly today. I can’t wait to get back out there on Tuesday and battle for another win.”
Words and pic: Kawasaki