GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac was threatening to make this Lites West series become a yawner when he took control of things and rattled off a bunch of wins. At one point, Tomac had almost a full race lead going into the break and there’s no way that he would blow that, right?
Well, that’s exactly what happened as Eli went down in nasty set of whoops at San Diego and DNF’d with a banged up elbow. And much to Eli (and his team’s) chagrin, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Dean Wilson (himself having had some trouble earlier in the series) won convincingly. Suddenly, that 22 point lead that Tomac had went POOF. Wilson is now in the lead with a tiny margin of two points.
Wilson currently holds a slim two point lead over Eli Tomac with three races left.
Andrew Fredrickson photo
So with a small gap between first and second, it’s basically winner takes the series lead going into this weekend in Seattle, the first of the final three races.
Here are the points for those that can’t remember all the way back to San Diego:
1. Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki – 116
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda – 114
3. Cole Seely, Murrieta, Calif., Honda – 101
4. Marvin Musquin, Murrieta, Calif., KTM – 89
5. Nico Izzi, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha – 78
6. Matt Moss, Sussex Inlet, NS, KTM - 73
7. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Yamaha – 67
8. Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda - 63
9. Tyla Rattray, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki – 60
10. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki – 58
Wilson or Tomac are the favorites to win, with Cole Seely (he of one win, at Anaheim 1) having an outside shot at the crown. Everyone else, better luck next year.
Here are a few more things to look forward to for the next three weeks:
- Wilson and Tomac have more points and wins than the other guys but I’d seriously look for Seely, a back-from-injury- Wil Hahn and KTM’s Marvin Musquin to really get in between them, or maybe, just flat out beat them. The fact that Seely, Musquin and Hahn have been on the east coast racing the big bike class, while the other dudes have been off, is a big advantage in my opinion. Look at last year when Seely just came off the factory Honda 450 and ripped off a commanding win at Seattle. Hmmmm, we have a similar scenario now, huh?
Can Tomac bounce back after losing his commanding lead in San Diego?
Andrew Fredrickson photo
-Although you never really know with the Star/Valli team, it appears that Nico Izzi is staying on a 450 for the rest of the year, so he’ll lose his fifth place in the points. Also, in case you forgot, GP superstar Zach Osborne won’t be in Seattle as he went back to the GPs where he promptly got hurt. Don’t look for Tyla Rattray to race either as he’s recovering from injury and getting ready for the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. So we’ll have three spots in the top ten in points open and Billy Laninovich, Ryan Sipes and Vince Friese are next in line to jump up.
-If J-Star JDR KTM’s Matt Moss can get inside the top (hey, he got third at the last round and maybe he can carry that momentum from two months ago!) five it will be a comeback of sorts for Moss. Matt was here in 2010 and could possibly be the answer to the, “Who was the most unknown factory Suzuki rider ever in history?” and now, if he can keep it going, a top five points spot would be great for him and his team.
-Although he’s well back in the points, Rockstar Suzuki’s Martin Davalos will show a ton of speed, be at the top of the board in practice, maybe win a heat and then produce nothing in the main events. That’s just the way his season has been going.
Hope this little primer has helped for the weekend and I for one am very excited to see how this series ends. Should be a great one!
Can Seely make a late run and win his first career Lites title?
Simon Cudby photo
