race recap
ELI TOMAC | GRIT-218 | 450SX
May 2, 2023 · Cullin Park
ELI TOMAC | GRIT-218 | SX 450
Round fifteen in Nashville would be a pivotal point for Yamaha's Eli Tomac, in regard to seeking the championship of this current racing season. He'd previously beaten his rival, Cooper Webb, by a substantial margin while stationed in the Northeast last week. And with the prolonged points gap now amplified to an even higher degree, many sensed the urgency of Tomac who hoped to pull from the North Carolina native to a distance that couldn't be toppled by the KTM athlete. For practice, Tomac wasted no time in establishing himself as a "top-dog" amongst this absolutely stacked 450cc field. He was flourishing throughout every facet of the racetrack, carving through bowl turns while eliminating wheel-spin; en route to a standing of prominence, prior to beginning heat one. Once here, Tomac's aptitude was on point and would be showcased when flying through the opening rhythm lane, where he'd gathered an early lead and hoped to move away from Cooper Webb as quickly as possible. Though only a divisional round, the Yamaha rider knew the implications of advancing ahead of the number two rider early. However few could've predicted what would occur to Webb as they entered into the corner after the initial whoop section, where Webb had actually made the pass on the outside of the whoop section, but would run out of real estate atop the berm thereafter. He and Eli would nearly collide, though they managed to stay apart from one another until Webb subsequently crashed and was injured! Tomac would only take a glance over his shoulder as he sped down the straightaway that followed, but it was easy to presume that the narrative of the day had instantly changed. Knowing that Webb was now out of the race, it was now Eli who took control of the rest of the heat with authority. He was flawless, pushing ahead of Adam Cianciarulo and Justin Hill with decisiveness, en route to victory. With his championship rival (i.e. Webb) unable to make the main event, Tomac knew that he could go into "management mode" as the gate(s) fell in Nashville, but the red plate holder wanted to stay at the front of the pack…at least initially. Tomac would claim the hole-shot for the main event and look extremely well, flourishing in every section while his lead amplified for the first eleven minutes of action. However, Sexton had been consistently gaining on him, and with roughly nine minutes remaining on the clock, the Honda rider would pivot after the finish line and sweep beneath Tomac! Jumping alongside Eli, it was though the number one would relinquish the lead, while being reminded of the bigger picture…and proceeded to ride at a comfortable pace, while maintaining the second place designation. All alone in the runner-up residency, he would ultimately cruise to the finish line with a silver medal performance in hand; believing that the championship was now his, if things went in his way in the final two rounds of the series!