Tomac on Salt Lake City 1 – rues costly mistakes

The defending 450SX champion, Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Eli Tomac overcame his own challenges throughout the main event to earn a 10th place finish.

Picking up where he left off last year after earning his first 450SX title at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Tomac set the fastest time of the day in qualifying with a blistering time of 46.980, the only rider with a sub-47 second lap time.

As the gate dropped on 450SX Heat 2, Tomac shot out the gate guns blazing as he grabbed the holeshot aboard his KX™450. Unlike many riders on the track, the Colorado native seemed unbothered by the elevation as he continued to lay down fast laps and grab the checkers.

The 450SX Main Event saw Tomac in eighth as the green flag waved, but on the third lap, he tipped over while pushing forward into the top-5. Quickly remounting in 10th place, Tomac continued to push forward and make up lost ground, eventually making a pass into ninth by Lap 7. Just as he began to gain momentum and make a pass for eighth, the reigning champion made another mistake that dropped him to 10th once again, where he would finish the race.

Eli Tomac: “Man, I was feeling so good on the bike all day long and I’ve been looking forward to coming back to Salt Lake City. I always enjoy riding here and felt confident heading into the main, especially after qualifying fastest and winning my heat race. Unfortunately, I made a few mistakes and ran out of time. I’m looking forward to coming back next weekend to finish out the season strong.”

Words and pic: Kawasaki