race recap
ELI TOMAC - GRIT 245 450SX
May 20, 2024 · Eli Tomac
GRIT-245 |450 SX
May 20, 2024 9:45 am
Steadily searching for his first overall win of the series, Yamaha's Eli Tomac appeared to be excelling at the highest of velocities for the duration of qualification. He and his chassis set-up appeared to be on the same page, which set the stage for heat number one of the evening. He and Ken Roczen were just a few positions off the leader, when the German rider would wash the front-end while attempting to jump onto the step-on/step-off! This deterred Tomac substantially, but he seemed to quickly regain his positioning while earning third-place in the moments thereafter. He had passed Chase Sexton after the stall from the KTM rider, but Sexton was able to make his way around with just under two minutes remaining on the clock. Tomac remained persistent though, and returned fire in the whoop section with less than two laps left to complete! He had attained the runner-up position, or so it appeared - and looked to conquer the reign of Hunter Lawrence who led, if time allowed. But, the clock struck zero; and "ET3" was forced to garner second, respectively. His opening standing (of sixteenth) in the main event, was much less than desired...making the trek to the top of the podium quite difficult. But the established veteran moved forward, working his way into single-digit(s) (i.e. ninth) by the fourth circuit! He did his best to maneuver through the rutted course and whooped-out sand section behind Aaron Plessinger, trying to find the same rhythm combination(s) in which the leaders were doing. At times, he too located the off-set jumping pattern that nullified the rut(s) in the most common of leaping transitions...staying away from hazardous takeoff's and such, as the race progressed. He would move past his teammate Justin Cooper, along with Jason Anderson as well when overcoming the halfway point; with the top-five in sight, despite now encountering lap traffic. It was a battle of attrition, with arguably the most difficult course of the series being presented. Despite the notched faces, and course that was unrecognizable, Eli proceeded to engage in a flow that was on par with Ken Roczen. The two would contend for the fifth-place standing with all of their might, but in the end, Eli was forced to take sixth as the checkered flag waved...still seeking his first victory of the championship.