Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1488031
racing and racing in general, I think they got a feel for everything from how that world works. It all definitely helped to guide us along the way. And how cool was it for you to win the ESPY for Best Men's Action Sports Athlete this year? The ESPY meant a lot to you, didn't it? It did. And what's cool is that our sport came together. There was a ton of support from every- one in our industry. And then to just get the recognition that I feel our sport deserves was awe- some. I was just more excited for the sport of supercross and motocross, you know? I think we are on an upward trajectory and that showed. It showed that we have a lot of great fans and a great audience. You're now undoubtedly the best supercross and moto- cross racer on Earth. A pretty damn cool concept when you think about it. It's pretty cool. If you look at 2022, yeah, I was the best all- around racer, so that was really neat to be a part of, and I've said this a bunch this year, but it truly was a dream season for us. Yeah, it was a great year in general. Along the way in 2022, you quietly told me that going to Yamaha for the 2022 season was a gamble, but a calculated gamble. Can you talk about that? Yeah, in my opinion, 2022 was a gamble, but it was an edu- cated gamble. Especially this late in my career. We tried to sur- Well, we did. I'm sure in his head he thought I would end up here in this position. For all of those things to happen is a whole different deal. What is so cool about our story is that we made it all the way. Yes, what we did is a little bit unique in that way, but we were able to do it. I guess ev- eryone can kind of go down their own path, but we stuck together and made it work. My family has been involved the entire way and I think a lot of what we did came from him racing. My mom also raced a little bit. They were around the racing environment and kind of knew what was going on. Just being around two-wheel round ourselves with the people we thought would help me put myself in the most success- ful position. From the outside looking in, it probably looked a little bit crazier than what it actu- ally was, but I knew what I was capable of doing with the right things in place. I just looked at where I was at. There were a lot of questions aimed at me along the lines of, "Why would you take this risk?" For me, I felt like it was worth the risk of making a switch and that, for sure, put me on to the trajectory of this suc- cessful 2022 season. You mentioned over the summer that the camaraderie and team spirit present in the VOLUME 59 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 13, 2022 P75 "WE TRIED TO SURROUND OURSELVES WITH THE PEOPLE WE THOUGHT WOULD HELP ME PUT MYSELF IN THE MOST SUCCESSFUL POSITION. FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN, IT PROBABLY LOOKED A LITTLE BIT CRAZIER THAN WHAT IT ACTUALLY WAS..." (Above) Despite the pressure- filled year, Tomac always looked calm and cool. And he was. (Left) Everyone thought Tomac switching to Yamaha for the 2022 season was a risky move so late in his career. Tomac, however, didn't seem to think so and look what happened. Eli Tomac captured his fourth career 450cc Motocross title. He did it two years after his last 450cc Championship, only two other riders, Jeff Ward and Ryan Dungey, have ever done that in the premier class.