We finally have a two-time winner in the 450 class of 2022 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, and it’s not a surprise that Eli Tomac accomplished the feat. The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider has been improving each week and at RedBud he got better starts than usual (nearly holeshot both motos) and delivered his first 1-1 of the year. He now has two overall wins in a row. Series leader Chase Sexton, though, continues a solid season, going 2-2 despite bad starts and even getting tangled with a downed Jason Anderson in a moto. Sexton has finished first or second in all but one moto this year—a fourth at Thunder Valley.
With Anderson suffering falls in both motos (7-4 scores) and Roczen saying he was sick and fading to 4-7 finishes, Sexton and Tomac are threatening to break away in the 450 standings. Tomac spoke about his day in the post-race media conference, and Sexton offered a quick synopsis of his season.
Eli Tomac | 1st overall
Take us through your day, Eli.
Eli Tomac: It was a great day for us, from practice, to having super good starts both motos, the first one especially. Second moto had a good start, too, but Justin got inside of us in that one. Just a good day. It was fun track to ride, and I think the prep was pretty good here. The sand whoops were harder, and it was nice to do the [LaRocco's] Leap this year. There have been a few years where only one guy was jumping it, or no one was jumping. So, I don’t know what else to say. Yeah. A good day for us.
Moto two, you were behind the 94. Looked like you tucked in there and waited for a bit. Were you being patient?
Yeah, Kenny is really good on the first few laps. We went back and forth I think maybe once in those early couple of laps. He’s just really good there. We were throwing down a great pace and I was trying to stay just out of his roost there. Somewhere around halfway I was able to pick it up and make the move on him. It was good to move forward.
You had your family with you. Your great grandma was here?
Yeah! My great grandma, and then my son and daughter’s great-great grandma. I think it’s five generations, so it’s pretty special. That’s my dad’s side of the family and they’re from Michigan. It was cool to have them here.
To have that kind of family support here had to be gratifying. Then we had a moment where your daughter was trying to decide if she should come up to you around the podium. Had to be a special day.
Yeah, it was special. There’s no place like RedBud, the energy up there is amazing.
The fans you spoke about, it’s electric. I’ve talked to other people, and they say they’ve never seen a motorsports podium quite like the RedBud podium.
That’s right. And it’s America’s birthday weekend so it’s a cool weekend.
You had the pace to be up front, obviously, but how did it feel to get those starts and not have to charge forward? You had some clean air.
Well, I finally got a holeshot! That was nice, first one of the year, and moto two was close, really close. As these guys have been saying, when you’re in the 450 class, getting up front is a big deal. You eat a lot of roost. You have clean vision. This track is sandy so you’re using a lot of tear offs. It’s a big deal to have clean air.
Did you change anything with your starts? I know you mentioned the gate pick in the first moto and then you went to that one again.
It was just a gate that I liked, period. I can’t even say why.
Tomac later elaborated on his gate selection (next to the starter’s box, in the middle instead of the inside) to our Steve Matthes: “I lined myself up more outside, and I assumed the better guys down on the inside would kind of pile up. I took a gamble and it worked. I think the dirt was a little better out there, too. That was it man, good starts, got out front, did my thing.”
This could possibly be your last season racing Pro Motocross, so it could be your last national here. But is there a chance we could see you here for Motocross of Nations if you’re presented with the opportunity. Can we talk about that?
Yeah, we can talk about that. If I’m selected, I’m here.
Chase Sexton | 2nd overall
Obviously, you lost some points today, but overall, you’re riding well, hanging in there. Do you feel you’re in a pretty good position?
Chase Sexton: Yeah, I’m just really encouraged by my riding. Last year I was scrapping just to be getting moto podiums, and now I feel like I’m way more consistently on the podium. It’s a cool feeling and a spot I wanted to be in. I grew up watching these guys racing. Obviously, I want to give them a fight and win, so I still have a lot of motivation. This outdoors, I’ve felt a lot, I guess, fresher than in past years. It’s the best outdoor series I’ve ever had, 250 or 450. My riding has been good, I just need to be a little bit better on the starts and we’ll be in a good spot.
