Insight: Eli Tomac
Monday, January 21, 2013 | 9:45 AM
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PrintOf Eli Tomac’s three wins to start the season in 250SX West, the battle at Anaheim 2 was definitely the best. Ultimately, he overcame Cole Seely and Ken Roczen to get the win.
Racer X: You looked fast and you were jumping some cool stuff in practice but I think you ended up fourth?Eli Tomac: Yeah, in the second one. And that practice was actually, I think, quite a bit faster. I ended up fourth in the second round but my first one was faster, so I was third overall.
Was that concerning at all? That’s good for most dudes but this year you’ve been so fast.
It was and it wasn’t because I was trying a couple of different lines here and there. And then I just knew I never put in one of those really good laps so I wasn’t shaking in my bones or anything.
The heat race, you didn’t have a good start. I guess it wasn’t that bad, either, because you got up front early.
No, my starts were actually pretty good. Like, top three for me. I was like, heck yeah! I’m stoked. If I can see the leader right there!
You inched up on Roczen.
I barely inched up on him, like maybe a half second or a second. He finished like a second and a half in front of me. And then the main event came around…
Tomac has won three straight races to begin the season.
Simon Cudby photo
It was a battle.
It was a good one. Had to have been good for the fans. It was fun for me. It wasn’t easy. It’s obviously fun when you get the W, too.
But a little nerve-racking at times?
We were scrapping and I was like, man, are these guys going to fade at all? I was kind of waiting on maybe a mistake here or there and then kind of figure out where I was faster. I was actually losing a little bit of time in the whoops and then I would get it back in the sweeper, is where I was getting those guys. The flat sweeper after the finish there. That was kind of my spot.
Is that normally your thing, the sweepers?
I guess, maybe if you want to call me a good throttle controller guy but normally I’m just twisting it. So maybe it was just my spot tonight, I guess.
So you were all staying about the same distance from each other, were you like, “Okay, I’m managing this, or were you like, man, I don’t know if I’m going to get them?”
I wasn’t really managing, I was just kind of waiting more than anything. And then I just really started to go and just found a couple of those good lines and a couple of outsides and just got in the groove.
Did Roczen make a mistake? I think you passed him past the mechanics’ area?
Yeah, because he went inside over that little double right by the start and then I think he kind of lost a lot of momentum. And then I was on the outside and just sling-shotted. That’s how I got him there.
And then Seely…
Seely, I almost got him after the finish line, but didn’t fully shut the door. I could have just probably ruined his day but I was a little bit of a nice guy. I went outside and actually I can’t even remember where I ... was it right after that? It’s ridiculous I can’t even remember where I passed for the lead, but that’s what happens when all the action goes down in the race. It just goes by like a flash.
Tomac was too much for Seely and Roczen to handle at A2.
Simon Cudby photo
Yeah, the first ten laps were crazy. So that was one of the more satisfying ones just because it was a battle.
For sure. Those are the guys I’m going to have to be dealing with, those two are going to be the stiffest ones all year. You can’t count anyone else out, but those are the guys that I think are going to be there week in and week out.
Do you get a little more worked in an intense battle like that? Did you get into the red zone?
I was almost a little red zone when I tried to pass Roczen. I tried to get underneath him in that berm. I guess it was second corner, if you came from the start. It was the right-hander before the on-on-off. I could have been a little bit more aggressive there, too. But E.T. nice guy came out again. Some people probably won’t call me “nice guy” from last year in Seattle but normally I am the nice guy. That was when I was a little bit red line and then I kind of did settle in for another lap or whatever it was.
But at the end of the fifteen you were totally good.
Yup, I felt good at the end.
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ET if you faster you don't have to block pas to get bye. RESPECT!
Great track better racing all the way around.
OH Yeah Holeshot
ET if you faster you don't have to block pass to get bye. RESPECT!
Great track better racing all the way around.
OH Yeah Holeshot
my opinon.....ET is the next big thing of US racing...he will be the guy that could and i think will do what MC did bak in 93....
i wont be shocked at all if he a least podiums on the 450 this yr!! could win...
way better then bam bam...the big red must keep him...
Tomac is a talent! If things keep going his way, by the time the series heads east, ET could have an 18 point lead towards a repeat championship. So then, don't be surprised if he shows up to do battle with the 450's on the east coast. Windham's retirement could be the perfect opening for Eli. As a member of the Geico Factory Connection Honda team, it is not much of a stretch to see him slide onto their 450 very soon, inside and out!
BD25 yep i totaly rate the kid....his line choices his smooth yet agressive!! and he races!!! really puts it down!!! his the kid most likely 2 upset the vets
Hope Eli wins championship for sure. No one has mentioned that if he does win it this year, he was only one bad Vegas night (2011) away from being a 3 time 250SX champion.
Roczen has to be hating it.. He kept getting run down and passed in the Nationals, and now the same thing in supercross, it has to be frustrating... He isnt a rookie either, he needs to get a big win just for confidence..
Go Toe Toe - Go Toe Toe
Will there be a re-airing of the 250 race, anyone?
If they do re-air it hopefully RacerX will post it a day or 2 in advance so we can record all the CBS owned stations for 24 hrs solid, so maybe we can catch it. That may be CBS's strategy, knowing that is the only way to get some of their 'crap' shows viewed.
Tomac is going to be a headache for a lot of people in the future, not just Roczen. Roczen will be 2nd fiddle until ET is out of his class. Tomac doesn't even want to say it, but he waited until lap 10 to turn it up one notch and then go past and leave Roczen behind. It's going to take a bad start or crash for Eli to lose a single 250SX this year. He is on it. Roczen is doing great and is fast as hell, but his only problem is having ET in his class.
ET is the future. He has John in his corner. I'll put my money on that he does win a 450 sx main this year.
ET is riding east rounds on the 450 according to a friend in the loop, which ones I don't know...
Ever since I saw him at southwick last year I felt he's the man, 5 seconds a lap faster than the rest. I thought he'd be a good pick at the MXdN after seeing that. Anyway I nominate him for the FMotP, I was going to say villo but not sure now. Time will tell.
Nice job Eli.
This is strange coming from a red rider, but I feel that ET needs to find himself on a KTM next year. With ET on the KT, he will benefit from RDs excellent testing and DeCoster's down to earth, winning-is-the-only-thing approach. What an amazing team that would be! The Honda guys are in too much of a turmoil - too much going on to focus on making the bike as good as it could be.
I am going out on a limb, but I feel that RD and CRs bikes are the best handling bikes on the gate. Chad and Ryan are gifted testers - probably the best test riders/racers of their generation. Next race, just look how composed their bikes are. These two riders are the perfect riders to anchor an up-and-coming kid so that they learn the ways of the force, but not the hard way. While other riders are fiddling, these two are making wholesale changes, even at this late date. Hammerheads like JS, RV, and the rest just deal with the turbulence through perfect balance, luck, and mongoose like reaction times. Eli rarely has the best handling bike, but he has the heart of a lion and rides on a thick layer of talent and agression.
@Big Ugly-- I dont see it, with K-Dub retiring it opens a spot for Tomac, wether its Factory Honda or the Geico 450 team, he will be on Honda next year.. Maybe Barcias teammate.. And Canrd to Geico, who knows.. I dont see Factory Honda having 3 450 riders myself..
Let me stop the speculation now...................Tomac is already signed, done deal with Geico to stay on their program when he moves up to the 450. He is not going anywhere. In regards to the lites battle, I see Seely taking over Roczen, its Cole's 3rd race back from a major injury 9 months ago. Seely is not going to let those guy's win every weekend, I am certain about that. Give em hell Cole!
Eli is 21. Roczen 18. Quote from Eli from pre-season interview a month ago, "You can do a million laps when you are 16, there is no way you are as strong as are when you are 20. You are just stronger when you are 20-21."
If this was college football/basketball/wrestling, Ken would be a freshman praying to be noticed for a starting spot, Eli would be a Jr or Sr returning starter. I can attest personally from D-1 sports that those are HUGE years developmentally. When you are a Frosh you don't want to believe it, when you are a Jr. you KNOW it's true. There are exceptions, but thats how it works. Just got to keep leaning forward and working hard until the man-strength replaces boy-energy.
Argue this if you like, but it's true. Seen it, lived it. Good for Eli. And in 2-3 years we will see where KR stacks up. Both pretty well, I reckon.
IMO ktm made a mistake by having roczen race the west against tomac, the only way he is beating him is if he (tomac)beats himself like he almost did last year roczens chances would have been better against dean wilson as he is not that great at SX either
@big ugly keep dreaming! you bring that up every time eli gets brought up jon tomac is smarter than that to let his boy go from a bike they know they can win on to a bike thats still a question mark just for the money dungey and decoster made their beds dont expect anyone else to follow not for another few years they still have a long way to go with that bike
mxsxforlife02 I hope youre right "if it aint broke dont fix it" comes to mind
@Elsinore--Eli is still 20 years old, he doesnt turn 21 until next November, he is barely 20 by 2 months..
@Elsinore-I agree about the age difference, that is why I take issue with guys being 25 and 26 years old in the 250 class.. Not only does it help you physically, but they are so much more emotionally mature also..You always have an exeption sometimes, but for 90% of the people it is fact..
if eli beat tickle 2 years ago in vegas roczen would be the points leader...he would of been forced to 450 this year................really its a perfect sx lites career if eli wins this title. 2nd in his 1st year then 2 championships the next 2 years and pointed out.........
Tomac and Barcia are to each other what the Ryan's are ..both fast but one rides all out and the other smooth and in control.. You all know which riders are which but I do think tomac will be the best .. I'll say he is a more perfect version of dungey with style and riding and it will prevail over the barcias and villos of the sport this time around.. Hope I get to see it this year when we go east
mofo, your math is better than mine. Thanks. Point I was making not affected, tho.
I agree with a lot of you guys, Tomac is gonna be the next big star in the 450 class. The guy is a beast, he just rides on another level and never seems to slow down. I'm really stoked to see him on the big bikes for the outdoors. The field is gonna be so deep, by next year, anyone in the top 10 will be able to win on any day. There will just be that many fast guys in the class. Roxzen said on the PulpMX he'll be on the big bikes next year to, so it's gonna be crazy!
I agree with a lot of you guys, Tomac is gonna be the next big star in the 450 class. The guy is a beast, he just rides on another level and never seems to slow down. I'm really stoked to see him on the big bikes for the outdoors. The field is gonna be so deep, by next year, anyone in the top 10 will be able to win on any day. There will just be that many fast guys in the class. Roxzen said on the PulpMX he'll be on the big bikes next year to, so it's gonna be crazy!
@pitbull I meant to win the west title for roczen would take a little luck I feel as good as he is riding he could have won the east fairly easy
yeah you're right plus he dont care for the traveling he's been very vocal about that during the outdoors plus him having to race tomac will only make him a better rider and next year he willl look like tomac does this year
not that he looks bad but there are times where tomac just looks on another level if you know what I mean
I think Tomac is going to suck on a 450. Never win a race, and John Tomac will be sad.
Seriously, lots of riders move up and its not so easy, Tomac will have his growing pains. Look at Barcia, he made a rookie mistake and KOd himself already. It's a tough class.
I really really really like Eli, his parents have really done a good job with him. He is a real gentleman
I agree Rick Barcia is a supercross specialist, he has never won a title outdoors and won two east titles in supercross , one with a fractured wrist.. Barcia will make some waves outdoors but wont be a title contender.. The 450 is a whole different animal.. Tomac will have a learning curve.. I am sure he has ridden them a million times, but its different when you are racing one week in and week out..
@jeremy--If Roczen doesnt like to travel, he just needs to go home.. Its time grow up and put on the big boy pants..Traveling is part of racing professionally, if he cant do it, find another job..he knew that coming in..
Tomac is going to win championships in 450 SX *and* MX. Stamp it.
RV is not one to be under estimated. Tomac is amazing but i think the comp is 9/10 in 250 class 450 is 10/10. Plus the speed these guys have like roczen he needs to be on japanese bike. might be diff in .5 lap.