ELI TOMAC | GRIT-214 | 450SX

ELI TOMAC | GRIT-214 | SX 450

Doing his best to maintain a realistic run at the 2023 SX Championship, Eli Tomac knew that the longevity of both health (and results) would be paramount if he wanted to grasp the number-one plate in Salt Lake City later this year. He'd done this far too many times, to be overwhelmed with emotion after a few "sub-optimal" races (if one could call it that). Contrarily, it would be in these moments where his veteran mentality would prevail, which was the case in the previous rounds (i.e. Detroit and Indianapolis) prior to beginning his quest in Seattle. He would do his best to blister both the whoop section, and sandy corner before the opening straightaway; leading to a standing of fifth prior to gate(s) rising for his heat race. He would be placed alongside numerous top-tier competitors, but the number-one would be able to grasp fourth as the opening circuit of the divisional round came to fruition. Speeding across the straightaway before the "SX" triple, his attack stance on the Yamaha was hard for many who trailed to replicate, including Suzuki's Ken Roczen. The German rider had found his rhythm as of late, but couldn't seem to accrue enough momentum to move past the number-one as laps would amass. And it wasn't until four laps had been completed, when Tomac would inherit another position...as Jason Anderson's mistake would now have the Yamaha rider into third. Regardless, he couldn't seem to catch the leaders (i.e. Sexton and Webb) on any facet of the raceway. And as the eight-lap sequence eventually ended, it was Tomac who grasped third prior to beginning the final trek of the evening. The main event was a showcase of the best riders in the world, where Tomac immediately did his best to establish an "Alpha-like" presence at the top of the leaderboard. Running near fourth and moving ahead after a mistake from Kevin Moranz, Tomac's grittiness behind Ken Roczen was apparent. Though a series of lethargic moves would allow Adam Cianciarulo to work his way around (and into third) not long thereafter. Tomac refused to be dormant though and responded before the five-minute mark (around "AC") just near the "SX" triple, where third was captured and Ken Roczen was now sought after. Tomac would then make a daring pass upon the inside with an outpouring of speed in the whoops, blitzing the moguls with authority as they approached the six-minute mark and claiming second all the while. But Roczen immediately retaliated, sweeping to the inside of Eli in the corner after the finish line, before an ultimate move would be made on behalf of the Yamaha rider in the rhythm lane that followed. Now second, Tomac lurked until roughly nine and a half minutes had transpired, when the crowd roared in disbelief. Chase Sexton had gone down, just two corners after the finish line and Eli would be able to sprint past without any trouble! And from that point forward, the memo for the moto was about creating mistake free laps amongst an ever-changing track and bundles of lapped riders. Which was conducted, for the final half of the moto. Tomac would heighten his lead to over six-seconds and managed the gap as he continued to sprint toward the checkered flag. Crossing the finish-line with authority, he'd returned to victory lane where he was now tied with Cooper Webb for first!

More from GRIT