In the 450SX class, Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Eli Tomac fought through the pack after a rough start, earning eighth place.
Monster Energy Kawasaki rider and defending series champion Tomac kicked off the first of three races in Texas with a lap time of 44.551, fast enough to qualify in the fifth-place position for the day heading into the night program.
450SX Heat 2 saw Tomac in seventh out of the gate, where he navigated the tight track as he edged his way forward, eventually finishing in fourth.
The No. 1 KX™450 had the eighth gate pick going into the 450SX Main Event which left the Colorado native outside of the ideal starting gate position to navigate Arlington’s tight 90-degree first turn, resulting in a start well outside the top-10. Not to be outdone, the defending champion began going to work as he made his way through the field up to eighth place position where he eventually settled into as the checkered flag waved.
Eli Tomac: Well, that was disappointing to say the least. The track did not have many passing spots and truthfully it all came down to who got a start. You had to have a good qualifying position in order to do well on this track tonight solely because of the start. If you look at both classes, both winners got the holeshot and never looked back, but nonetheless we are not going to make excuses for ourselves, we are lucky that we get to lineup again on Tuesday and have another go at it. Only seven races left this season, time to make them all count.
Words and pic: Kawasaki