For a few minutes afte his unexpected crash in qualifying, Eli Tomac’s title chances loked minimal as he hobbled down the tunnel in a lot of pain but after the ran, Eli came away smiling in third, beating both Sexton and Webb and ending the night with an 11 points lead – it couldn’t have turned around much better!
A scary one for @EliTomac in 450 Q1 😳#SupercrossLIVE #SuperMotocross pic.twitter.com/C72Ya2g7l2
— Supercross LIVE! (@SupercrossLIVE) April 22, 2023
The champ said of his crash and injury: “The first 30 minutes I didn’t know what was going to happen, my knee was pretty stuff but it got better, the more I rode the better it got. It’s one of those things, you can’t get ahead of yourself, you have to take it weekend by weekend. The crash itself, it was literally the first lap of that practing and you are just doubling down the lane, I guess your just never know!”
On the night itself Eli commented: “It was an exciting night of racing, and you really never know what you’re going to get with these mud races. The most important thing is to ride loose, have a good flow, and start the lap clean. That was a big focus of mine – to get off the start clean and keep my vision clear. We were able to do that, so that was huge. Then after that point, it is all about managing your motorcycle, and I was able to do that. Overall it was a good day. I was able to gain some points on the night, and I’m happy with second.”
Meanwhile, Jeremy Coker was very pleased with Eli’s night after that scary moment in qualifying: “Today was a great day for us. It started a little scary with Eli’s crash in practice, and we were a little nervous about how it would go. Fortunately, he was ready for the night show and was able to race the heat and learn the track. For the main event, the “great equalizer” showed up with the rain, and Eli rode phenomenally. We had a big points gain and are feeling good for the rest of the season.”
Eli Tomac has again shown how unfapplable he is under pressure these days, each time he has had his back against the wall this season, he has delivered. He is now heavy favourite for this title.
Image: Yamaha
Article: Jonathan McCready