race recap
ELI TOMAC | GRIT-208 | 450SX
February 14, 2023 · Eli Tomac
ELI TOMAC | GRIT-208 | 450SX
Hoping to accrue a top-five finish by the time festivities would conclude in Tampa, Eli Tomac's persona would reflect a business-like stance prior to hopping aboard the motorcycle. Greeting fans amid the military appreciation weekend, he would be honored to represent those in the armed services prior to departing onto the stadium floor for practice. His execution amongst dry terrain was exceptional, and created a confidence in those who supported him that could be found within the Star Racing Yamaha team. He would use the full range of his suspension while pummeling both dragon's back and whoop section(s), which proved that his chassis was more than capable of handling the deterring terrain for the main event. Next to follow, would be his heat race; where he and his fellow 450cc class members were adamant about pushing ahead to turn number one. The gate collapsed, and Eli would push into the first corner while trying to overtake Chase Sexton...but the Honda athlete would do what was necessary to inherit the lead and send the Colorado native into the runner-up residency. For a while, it seemed as though Eli Tomac was patiently waiting to adopt the superior flow we've all come to know; however, the "spark" wouldn't ever come to fruition. And in all reality, it was Aaron Plessinger who nullified that situation all together. A daring move was made by the KTM rider, where he sped past Tomac in the outside of the whoop section with the throttle of his motorcycle pinned! Eli would attempt to counter in the turns that followed, but it was to no avail; and the number seven would divert Tomac to third, with only a small portion of time remaining. Shortly thereafter, Tomac would be forced to conclude the moto on the final step of the podium where many thought he was certain to portray a rebound performance in the main event. The number one would begin the moto in seventh, and wasn't able to navigate through the members of the pack as quickly as desired. Chase Sexton and Cooper Webb were already beginning to work their way away from the field, while Tomac was doing his best to infiltrate the top-five. Some of his usual movements seemed a bit labored, although he was still showcasing a world-renowned pace on the Yamaha. He found a comfortable pace behind Ken Roczen, and would trail the Suzuki rider for a large portion of the moto...until the twenty-fifth circuit came to a conclusion. Obtaining fifth (for finality) Tomac's performance was by all means, solid. But he allowed Webb (and Sexton) to regain significant confidence, which is set to thicken the plot in the forthcoming rounds on the tour.