VOL. 50 ISSUE 36 SEPTEMBER 10, 2013
P49
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY
STEVE COX
G
TAMINGTHE
OUTDOORS
UPHILL BATTLE PAYS OFF FOR
NEW CHAMP ELI TOMAC
EICO Honda's Eli Tomac
has shown a lot of promise in his short career,
so his success isn't much of a
surprise. At his first-ever AMA
National, at Hangtown in 2010,
Tomac actually won. From there,
though, he went on a dry streak
nearly two years long, as the heat
of round two in Texas that year
messed him up pretty bad, and
he didn't win another National
until 2012. Although he won the
2012 250cc West Supercross
Championship, and nearly won it
again this year (if not for a couple
mistakes and a very competitive
Ken Roczen), his outdoor struggle was so bad that he considered racing a 450 outdoors this
year, seeing his 165-pound body
weight as a big disadvantage over
2012 champ Blake Baggett's 129
pounds.
However, outdoor testing went
well for Tomac, and he decided
to give the 250cc Nationals one
more shot. And it paid off with the
2013 250cc National Championship along with a spot on Team
USA for the Motocross of Nations.
I got a chance to catch up
with Mr. Tomac not long after he
wrapped up his first outdoor title
at Lake Elsinore and chatted with
him about his 2013 season, the
upcoming Motocross of Nations,
his move up to the 450 class next
year and what he likes to do during the off season.
