With a bold #1 plate fitted to his Monster Energy Kawasaki KX450F, Eli Tomac has dominated the opening round of the AMA Motocross Championship, finishing with 1-1 results.
After setting the fastest lap time in qualifying by nearly two-seconds, the No. 1 Kawasaki lined up for Moto 1 of the AMA Pro Motocross season. As the gate dropped and 40 of the fastest motocross racers in the world swept around the first turn, Tomac was seventh. He wasted no time passing his way into third by Lap 2 and began applying relentless pressure on the leaders. Within the next three laps, Tomac had made his way to the lead. Through the second half of the race Tomac was flawless to capture the first 450MX moto win of the season by a margin of 13 seconds over second place.
In 450MX Moto 2, Tomac started 17th but would drop the hammer early and by the end of the opening lap was inside the top 10. At the halfway point of the race, Tomac would tip over in a turn after making the pass for third place. He quickly remounted and began setting the fastest laps of the race, moving from fourth to first in just two laps. After taking over the lead on Lap 9, Tomac stretched his lead to more than six seconds and captured the Moto 2 victory, finishing 1-1 for the overall win. Tomac will maintain the red-plate, signifying the championship points leader, going into Round 2 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Glen Helen Raceway.
“I had a blast today,” said Tomac. “I felt loose and comfortable on the bike all day, which really made racing easy. I’ve always loved racing here and have had incredible success at this track. It was a really good day and I’m looking forward to Glen Helen.”