ELI TOMAC | GRIT-215 | 450SX

ELI TOMAC | GRIT-215 | SX 450

Tied for the championship as Glendale began, much of the industry seemed to hypothesize that Eli Tomac would return from the off-weekend with an outpouring of momentum; taking time to rejuvenate and approach the final portion of the series with a full reservoir of stamina and eagerness. That was apparent throughout qualifying, as he sped through the multitude of qualifying sessions with comfort and composure on the Arizona circuit; riding in synchronization with the slick layout, and attempting to generate as much traction as possible while gaining knowledge on the track. This carried into moto number one, where Tomac would explode from the starting gate and instantly make his way to the lead. He yearned to establish a pace that couldn't be rivaled by anyone in the field, however it was Cooper Webb who quickly followed in his path and pushed into second within a matter of moments. From that point forward, it would be countless laps of mirroring one another as the KTM rider stalked the Colorado native who led the field around. The gap would be sustained (and remained) around a two-second margin, for the duration of the moto; with Tomac continuously keeping an eye on his rival as they inched into lap traffic. And though pressure would mount, Eli would weather the storm with a flawless sense of race craft; taking victory, prior to beginning the following contest. Eli would begin the second showcase in the runner-up position, hounding Chase Sexton and hoping that less-experienced Honda rider would lapse with focus in the laps that followed. And that moment did come, as Sexton would briefly stall before the series of step-on/step-off's, which allowed Tomac to take the lead! However that accomplishment would only last for a few moments, as Eli would be overtaken via an outside line (in the whoop section) by that of Sexton, forcing him into second once again. They (Sexton and Tomac) kept moving forward at a prominent pace well past the halfway point, and though the number twenty-three would continue to heighten the gap as the race progressed, it would be Eli who remained composed in second. Despite being pressured (briefly) by Ken Roczen in the latter stages, it was Eli who claimed the silver medal as all was eventually finalized prior to heading into the last outing of the evening. Once here, Tomac engaged in a stellar championship-level process, where he would emerge second (behind Honda's Colt Nichols) for a brief while. He wouldn't be in the runner-up position long, however, as by the time they'd exited the whoop section (before the green flag) Eli would've already made an extraordinary move around the outside. Once here, it would be game-on for the red-plate holder, as he focused on hitting his marks while staying upright aboard this deteriorated circuit. Sliding the rear wheel around various bowl turns, he would notice that the second place position was occupied by Justin Barcia...and knowing the antics of the GasGas rider, he proceeded to charge forward throughout the thirteen minute contest with an urgency to break away from everyone who trailed (including the New York native). And when doing so, Tomac would power his way to an eventual checkered flag run - where he was crowned as the overall winner of the Triple Crown event, with a much needed last moto victory!

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