ELI TOMAC TAKES CHARGE OF AMA MX SERIES

The past few weeks haven’t been too shabby for Eli Tomac, all things considered. And we’re not just referring to the fact the reigning AMA 450SX champ won ESPY Best Athlete Award (in the Men’s Action Sports category) this week. No, the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider has been on an absolute tear in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross 450MX Championship, with last weekend’s 1-1 result at the Spring Creek National (in Millville, MN) giving the 29-year-old seven consecutive moto wins and four straight Overall victories! No surprises then that Tomac has also jumped ahead of Honda’s Chase Sexton and now leads the championships points standings by 5 points.

But if Tomac has been so dominant, how come he’s only just taken over the red plate? Good question. Coming into the Millville round, Tomac had finished first or second in 11 out of 12 motos, with a fourth his worst result. ET had actually scored more points in six rounds than any rider in history, but not been leading the series! All of which really underlines the fact that Tomac’s archrival this year, Chase Sexton, has been even more consistent.

Well, all that changed Millville – thanks to Tomac’s metronomic consistency and Sexton’s untimely tip-over in the first moto while leading. And funnily enough, Tomac’s move to the top of the standings has heightened talk that 2022 will be his final year racing the Outdoors. According to some pundits, that’d give added motivation to go out with a championship win. If Tomac were to go on and clinch the 2022 title, it’d give his Yamaha team the distinction of three title wins on the trot – following Dylan Ferrandis’ 2021 AMA 450MX title and Tomac’s 450SX title back in May.

Speaking of reigning AMA SX champs, Tomac’s teammate for the 2022 Outdoors, Christian Craig, posted a very respectable 5-3 result at Millville. That earned him fourth Overall and moved him to fifth in the championship standings.