Before the opening round of the 2024 FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX), the WSX Canadian GP, there were countless questions about which version of Eli...
Before the opening round of the 2024 FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX), the WSX Canadian GP, there were countless questions about which version of Eli Tomac the series would be getting in Vancouver.
With the motorcycle legend back on the bike after recovering from a hand injury which saw him miss most of the AMA Motocross Championship in 2024, the questions were unsurprising. They were also entirely justified.
But when Tomac returned to action at Budds Creek before stepping onto the podium at Ironman, it was clear that WSX would be getting the icon that the world knows and in Vancouver, the 31-year-old was the class of the field.
It started with reigning two-time WSX champion, Ken Roczen, taking first blood in GP Race 1, however, but Tomac quickly fought back by beating Joey Savatgy to the Race 2 victory by a bruising 22-second margin.
READ MORE: ‘I have some work to do’ says Savatgy after Vancouver podium
With Roczen coming off his bike in the second moto – and given that Tomac finished second to the German in the first – the evening immediately swung his way, and it never looked like it would go any differently.
“I would say the start made the biggest difference in the second moto, and not getting caught up in the race,” said Tomac after winning GP Race 2 at BC Place in Vancouver.
“That first moto was wild, especially the first two laps when I was dicing with Ken and Vince [Friese], but my target was just to get a clean start, hit my lines, and stay alive. The track is very tough.”
As Tomac alluded to, track conditions became increasingly more difficult to contend with over the course of the WSX Canadian GP, but in GP Race 3, the native of Cortez, Colorado, pieced together yet another masterclass.
“Right now, the whoops are just a tough rut to enter,” he continued after claiming his second victory of the night in GP Race 3.
“The ground is getting a little bit slicker so it’s hard under brakes there and in the rut, it just gets more difficult.
“I actually felt like that was one of my strong points – making up time by accelerating through the whoops. I was feeling really good that time.”
After going 2-1-1, Tomac successfully qualified for the series’ SuperFinal, which sees the top eight riders from each of the WSX and SX2 classes go to head-to-head in one combined race to receive additional championship points.
In the SuperFinal, Tomac was again the class of the field but won in the most spectacular way possible: with a flat rear tyre.
“I was getting a little bit loose down in the second to last rhythm lane and I was like ‘uh oh’, but I did know that that was my final lap,” explained Tomac. “It got a little sketchy out there.
“I’m thankful to get through that but what a great evening for us, Monster Energy CDR Star Yamaha. It was a tough track, but I just had a lot of fun racing tonight so thank you, Vancouver. I hope we put on a good show for you.”
With his third win of the evening in the SuperFinal, Tomac claimed the overall WSX Canadian GP victory ahead of Roczen and Savatgy, with Colt Nichols coming home with a hard-fought fourth place, falling just shy of the podium.
READ MORE: Colt Nichols hails Vancouver performance, eyes podium in Perth
By amassing 100 points, Tomac also leads the WSX 450cc Riders’ Standings, 16 points ahead of Roczen.
“I’ve just been building,” added Tomac, when asked about his road to recovery. “Ever since I came off this injury from the summer I feel like I’m just improving.
“The year before I was off to a late start coming into the season, so this is great for me, to be back winning races and just feeling awesome out there on the motorcycle.”
Eli Tomac will be back in action in the FIM World Supercross Championship on 23-24 November for the next two rounds of the 2024 season, in the WSX Australian GP at HBF Park in Perth, for a historic double header.
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