Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac took home his first overall victory aboard the YZ450F with a 2-1 result at yesterday’s High Point National in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania. The 2022 450SX Supercross Champion continued his forward charge in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross 450MX Championship, moving into second in the points standings. Teammate Christian Craig ended the day eighth overall with an 8-6 tally in the challenging conditions.
Tomac showed speed straight away, topping the first qualifying session and coming just shy of the fastest qualifier. He didn’t get the start he was looking for in the first moto, but he quickly made his way to sixth and then passed his teammate to break the top five by Lap 2. The Coloradan advanced to second at the halfway mark, but there wasn’t enough time to close the double-digit gap to the front, and ultimately finished comfortably in the runner-up spot.
In the second moto, Tomac once again found himself sixth but he was flying through the pack. He set the fastest lap of the race on Lap 4 to claim third, and then closed the gap to the frontrunners. At the halfway mark, he took second after the competition made an error and then claimed the lead a lap later. Tomac went on to score his third moto win of the season with a 3.5-second margin of victory and secured his first overall win of 2022. The multi-time champion continues to add to his legacy in the sport, earning his 28th-career moto win and securing third on the all-time win list in the 450 class. Tomac leaves the fourth round of the championship sitting second in the standings and trailing the leader by 14 points.
After a tough round at Thunder Valley last weekend, Craig rebounded with a solid qualifying in seventh and got a great start in the first moto battling in the top five. He struggled to find his flow on the rutted track and ultimately finished eighth. The Californian got another good start in fourth but was shuffled back to seventh on the first lap of Moto 2. He kept pushing and battled for position, crossing the line sixth to secure eighth overall.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team returns to action during the Fourth of July weekend for Round 5 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at the RedBud National in Buchanan, Michigan, on Saturday, July 2.
Jeremy Coker – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager
“All in all, it was a really good day. We improved Christian’s starts, which was a good thing. Unfortunately, he didn’t gel with the track really well and didn’t get the results he was looking for, but it was a good ride. It was a really good day for Eli. Even though it wasn’t that good of a start in that first moto, he battled his way through the pack and ended up with second, which was a really good ride. We made a few adjustments, and he was able to show the field what he was capable of in that second moto. It was really great to get the overall on the day; we’ve got the ball rolling now.”
Eli Tomac – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“It was an awesome weekend! It was our first overall win together in motocross as a team. I’m super thankful for all the work that has been put in, and I’m glad that I was able to get a win for the team. It was a tough fight today in Moto 1, but I was able to get to second. To be honest, I was struggling with a few lines in that first moto, but in the second one, I felt like I was the best guy with the lines, and I was able to make passes and go forward through the pack. I just felt great on the motorcycle in Moto 2 and was riding well. I’m looking to keep this momentum rolling.”
Christian Craig – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“Our day started off alright. I felt pretty good in practice and qualified seventh, which wasn’t bad. We went into the day wanting to put in two solid motos, and that’s what we did. In the first moto, I didn’t have any flow with the track, but in the second moto, I was able to rebound and battle up towards the front and went 8-6 on the day. I didn’t have the best ride, but we were battling, and our starts were better. We are kind of back on track after a tough Thunder Valley last weekend, but we were just a tick off today and we still need to be a little bit better. We’ll get back to work and move on to RedBud.”
