ELI TOMAC | GRIT-217 | 450SX

ELI TOMAC | GRIT-217 | SX 450

Hoping to establish his Yamaha in front of KTM's Cooper Webb for round fourteen of racing action, Eli Tomac would look to establish a confident tone during practice that would have to be acknowledged by all who opposed him in the 450cc classification. However, an unforeseen/disastrous crash (where he his hand would fly off the handlebars), would have Eli crashing to the ground just before the mechanics area! Limping off the track with no immediate plans to return, many enthusiasts of the sport would wonder if Tomac would be out for the evening! Luckily he eventually returned and gathered a strong enough time to propel him into the night show, where points could be salvaged. His confident persona would translate into the heat race(s) that followed as well. Clicking into gear, his output of speed when flying into the first corner would be nullified by a majority of the pack, as riders would close in on his Yamaha machine and he was only able to accrue seventh before heading into the following laps. Eli was cognizant of what was at stake, though not becoming overwhelmed with the moment in regard to striving for furthered gate position. The number one would eventually push past Benny Bloss to obtain fourth, and would aspire to move past Justin Barcia for third, but there wouldn't be enough time remaining. Categorized in the aforementioned fourth place position, it was then time for Tomac to look forward to the finale...where Mother Nature had unleashed an abundance of rain across the racing layout in MetLIfe Stadium. Tomac understood that his was a critical juncture in regard to the title chase; where countless points could be lost if a substantial mistake was made. But the fortitude and elite composure of the Colorado native would prevail, staying on the outside of the initial rhythm lane in fourth. He would watch from afar as the battle between the top three (Roczen, Barcia and Sexton) would lead to Sexton crashing to the ground, as he took the third place position while striving for the green flag. Once into third, it was though Tomac was managing the race; cognizant that Cooper Webb wasn't anywhere in sight, while steadily moving forward to the rear wheel of Ken Roczen. Lap after lap, Roczen remained engaged in the runner-up designation; but it was apparent that Eli was striving to overtake the Suzuki rider to widen the margin between he and Cooper Webb in the points standing(s). This would lead to a climactic move on behalf of Tomac, where with only a little more than two and a half minutes remaining, Eli would surge forward and to the inside of Roczen in the whoop section; forcing Ken into a mistake on the outside, which granted Eli the second-place accolade! From that point forward, it was Eli who managed to sustain a significant pace to the checkered flag...taking a phenomenal second place score, and amplifying his points lead prior to heading to Nashville!

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