ELI TOMAC - GRIT 242 450SX

GRIT-242 | 450 SX

Appearing to be advancing on a wave of momentum, Eli Tomac presented another level of speed per se as qualifying began on Saturday. Though contested and rivaled by the best in the division, there were various portions of the raceway where the Colorado native "couldn't miss." Leaping from the smallest of jump faces, over dozens of ruts and on the downside(s) of various obstacles with confidence while making his presence known to the competition. That narrative continued into heat two where Tomac initially resided around the second-place position after battling with Justin Cooper, and seemed to forecast a sense of determination that was difficult for any of his competitors to rival. Leaping amongst the longest rhythm lane on the track, all the while submerging his chassis into peg-dragging ruts, the brute power of his Yamaha 450cc machine propelled him through the largest of obstacles...and the persistence of Tomac enabled him to move around Cooper as the clock neared zero, though simultaneously, he was passed by Jett Lawrence in the longest rhythm section - startled by the Honda rider who leapt to the inside, and overtook the lead that point! Now in the runner-up position, Eli would charge but was ultimately defeated at the checkered flag...preparing for the finalé with a second-place accolade to his name. In the main event, Tomac's desire to move to the front of the field was palpable. His urgency around the opening corner could be monitored by all who watched, and as he quickly advanced to the second-place position, he would only have Chase Sexton in front of him. The way Tomac floated and somehow skimmed through the longest rhythm section would be unbelievable to see - where he manual(ed) and smashed the apex of each single while leaning back on the fram, using a skipping patter to bulldoze his way over the tunnel jump, after an eye-opening double-in combination! Jett Lawrence though, would catch the rear wheel (of Tomac) with around fourteen minutes to go...but Tomac would temporarily stand his ground. However, it was just two minutes later when Eli was overtaken (by Lawrence) for second - sending the Yamaha rider to third. He and Chase Sexton would begin to pace one another at that point...for what seemed like an eternity. Even with Tomac's machine beginning to smoke (from overheating the clutch) the Yamaha rider persevered. He wasn't going to give up, and knew that every point was valuable at this stage in the championship...which led to an all-out, throttle-twisting pass amongst the aforementioned rhythm lane - where Eli would blast forward with one-hundred percent effort (and a bit of a reckless, but strong style) over the large single at the end of the section, and proceed to fly around the outside of the berm (around Sexton) with only an inch or two to spare! It was incredible, proving that Tomac's desire to succeed still remained...and once into the runner-up position, he remained here through the checkered flag - continuing to progress through the series amid the championship fight.

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