Speaking on the MotoXpod, Eli Tomac has given an insight into his mid-season slump, but didn’t offer up any real excuses other than admitting he was ill at Birmingham.
Tomac admitted he was having a dream season initially on the KTM until the slump: “It started off outstanding,” admitted the US legend. “Getting two wins the first races of the of the year was good as it could get. We made improvements from the first world supercross races, I kind of figured out what works and what didn’t and then we were off to the races.
“And then, just in the middle of the season man, it got a little a little tough and that’s what just happens in the supercross series. They’re so long and I just got a little inconsistent and then at one point I got sick, everyone has to deal with that at some point in the year it seems like, and then before I know it you lose the red plate at one point, get it back and then lose it again and then end up having a tough crash in Cleveland and that wrote the season of. But on paper it’s it was pretty successful out other than not be able to to try to have a chance at this the championship at the last race .
” I would say in Birmingham when I got spanked pretty good by Hunter, I was definitely ill there. I was like, third was okay but then in Detroit and St. Louis yeah, those races really, really stung for me. I just struggled in general, I’m gonna point that towards the condition of that dirt and I just didn’t ride well. Straight up, I didn’t ride well and was riding around like I shouldn’t have been and would say I just wasn’t up to my up to my speed and myself, so it was just it was a frustrating part of the year.
On his crash at Cleveland ending his title hopes, Eli said: “I didn’t give up all the hope until I tried the second practice but I knew I was pretty hammered, I mean I went into the medical unit and I was basically like buckling over because my hip was spasming so bad. And then my elbow started being an issue like an hour after that, it got super swollen and that ended up being what I was waiting for actually to come back. My hip got decent and then my elbow was giving me some some trouble”.
“But I hit the ground hard there, I was like totally when knocked out of me and you know, looking back at it, and how hard I hit my shoulder, I feel like I totally should have broke a collarbone or something but I didn’t so as bad as it was I feel like it could have been worse so counting my blessings there.”
Get the full interview below:
