Tomac Tears A1 A New One

Did you have your money on Eli Tomac winning the opening round of the 2023 AMA Supercross Championship past weekend at Anaheim 1? Of course you did; he’s the two-time and reigning champ, right? Plus, after upstaging everyone late last year at the opening round of the World Supercross Championship in Wales, it was clear the guy was on form and injury-free coming into the 2023 AMA SX season opener. And he looks better than ever aboard Yamaha’s much-updated 2023 YZ450F.

However, not all pundits agreed that the 30-year-old was a safe bet to back for the A1 win, pointing to the fascinating stats that Tomac’s average finish at Anaheim 1 was a lowly 10^th place, and that his best ever result at the SoCal baseball stadium was a sixth last year. Yep, believe it!

Well, Tomac sure shrugged off any doubters at A1 last weekend. Despite a mid-race crash that relegated him to sixth, ET regathered himself and stormed back though the field to take a thrilling victory on a gnarly, rain-affected and rut-strewn track. It was Tomac’s 45^th Main Event win and a stellar first outing for the much-lauded new 2023 YZ450F, while teammate Dylan Ferrandis narrowly missed the podium in a drama-filled 450SX Main Event.

The win also meant that Eli Tomac surpassed Australia’s Chad Reed to become the fourth all-time winningest AMA SX rider. With 45 wins, Tomac now only sits behind Ricky Carmichael (48), James Stewart (50) and Jeremy McGrath (72). Speaking about Tomac and the incredible stats the dude is racking up, check these for size:

Fourth in all time Supercross wins (45)
Fifth in all-time Supercross podiums (85)
Third in all time Supercross and Motocross wins combined (77)
One of only six riders to win a Supercross Main Event over the age of 30
Equal third (with Jeremy McGrath) for all-time AMA wins (450SX, 450MX, 250MX, 500MX)
Fifth in all-time combined title wins (all SX/MX in 250/450/500 classes) with eight titles (one win behind Ryan Dungey for fourth)
11^th all-time for starts (145)
Fifth all-time for podiums (88)
Sixth all-time for top-fives (107)

Eli Tomac: “It was an amazing Anaheim 1! It’s pretty special for us to do this at Round 1 with a new platform, and for me, it’s been 10 years that I’ve been in the 450 class, so it feels good to get this win. It was an unbelievable day for us as a whole. I was P2 in practice and was very close to first place there, and then in the heat race, I got the holeshot and ran away with that one. That was awesome. In the main event, there was so much that happened there. I was really close to the holeshot again. I was right there and battled with Justin [Barcia]. I made a pass for the lead and then made a mistake. I had a crash on the tunnel jump and ended up washing out. At that point in time, I thought the chance at the lead again was maybe over, but thankfully my bike was still straight, and everything was good. I somehow made it to the front of the pack again, so it was a wild turn of events, but overall the bike worked so well today. We’re off to the right start.”

Dylan Ferrandis: “It was a good day. Honestly, it was the best opening round for me in the 450 class. I had a chance to be on the box tonight. I was third at some point in the main event, but a small mistake cost me the podium. In the end, I finished fourth and was right on the wheel of the third guy, so it’s a good result, and I’m really happy with that first race. Honestly, after two very bad seasons in supercross, it’s good to be back in the mix and back to fighting for podiums. I know what I’m capable of, and I think tonight, I didn’t race to my full potential. I know I have a small margin to improve, and I’m ready for next week. The new bike is just so much better for me in supercross. I think we proved it tonight with Eli. He won, and I finished fourth. It’s a good start to the season for us.”

450SX CLASS: RESULTS – ANAHEIM 1

1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Yamaha

2. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM

3. Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda

4. Dylan Ferrandis, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha

5. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki

6. Colt Nichols, Murrieta, Calif., Honda

7. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Kawasaki

8. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM

9. Adam Cianciarulo, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., Kawasaki

10. Joey Savatgy, Clermont, Fla., Kawasaki

450SX CLASS: MAIN EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Torrential rain in the lead-up to this coming weekend’s Round 2 of the AMA SX series at Oakland, CA, has forced organisers to move the round to February 18. The next round will therefore be in San Diego, CA, on January 21.