Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac have logged a season for the ages, now heading into the 12th and final round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship separated by just one point (Tomac leads by one). The next-to-last round at Ironman Raceway didn’t disappoint, as Sexton managed to catch and pass Tomac for the lead in moto one, but then Tomac fought back to repass him and win the moto. In moto two, Sexton holeshot and held off Tomac for a bit, until the veteran Yamaha rider made a mistake, and Sexton got away. His 2-1 gave him the overall win.
Tomac spoke with our Kellen Brauer after the race, and also answered questions in the post-race press conference, hosted by Ryan Sipes.
How was your day?
Eli Tomac: Once again, we flip flop our motos here. Moto one, had to make passes early, too. Got to the lead fairly quick, knew Chase was there, I saw his pit board the whole time, so I knew he was going to be on me. Yeah, we were running away once again. Once he got around me, at this point it was all or nothing. I was able to make that line work in that sweeper past the mechanics. Moto one, it was a great thing for me. Moto two, we both got better starts, he obviously got the better one, but I did what I could. Got closer there in the middle of the race and made one mistake in the middle of the race. I was pushing really hard at that point and just cross rutted over a little single. I lost a lot of time. It was a big mistake. I honestly thought I was going to tip over and crash there. That was it, basically lost touch there and stayed where I was at that point.
Moto one, was it just lines? Your intensity went up and you went back by him. Lines? Getting comfortable? What was it?
It was lines, and the majority of it was the one by the mechanics’ area. I was going inside in that turn by the mechanics’ area, and it was killing me on momentum. Once I slid up the track it obviously helped a lot. That’s what I found. And we’re obviously at this point of the series, you’re giving it all you got.
It’s incredible how you two keep battling like this.
It’s been an exciting year. I’ve never been this close in the points, obviously, at this point in time in the series. I think we both have elevated the speed of motocross, to be straight-up. That’s just the way it’s been. It’s like every weekend we either flip-flop one and two, or whatever. Even Budds Creek was crazy. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s going to be a barn burner until the end with two motos to go. It’s been enjoyable. We’ll see what happens. May the best man win. There’s no letting off. There’s really no gifts at this point.
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Tomac Align Media ![Tomac and Sexton]()
Tomac and Sexton Align Media ![Tomac and Sexton]()
Tomac and Sexton Align Media
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO  | 546 |
| 2 |  Chase Sexton | La Moille, IL | 539 |
| 3 |  Jason Anderson | Edgewood, NM | 440 |
| 4 |  Ken Roczen | Mattstedt, Germany  | 394 |
| 5 |  Christian Craig | Temecula, CA | 373 |
Being that this may be your last season in pro motocross, has it been kind of rewarding or enjoyable that you’ve had this championship fight the way it is? Going 24 and 0 would probably be pretty cool, but then having this challenge as well is probably unique and fun.
It is. However it ends, it’s been a fantastic year for myself and the team. Like I said, I don’t feel like I’ve ever been in this position like this. So, it’s cool. We’ll see what happens.
In that second moto, how close was that moment for you? You got kind of high-sided and maybe almost tipped over the other way. What did it feel like?
It was sketchy. I probably should have crashed because the ruts here get massive. I somehow rode over a two-foot rut. It was like a straight-up curb. That was unfortunate. I made a big push right before that to get to him, then I did that. I’m like, gosh, dang it. I kind of lost touch. Obviously, it takes a lot of work to get back to there. I just didn’t have the time or have the opportunity with the lappers to kind of ball them up to get to him that way. So, once again, even day.
Going into this last round, I think a lot of people are saying [Fox Raceway] is like a “Chase track,” but for you, you always build throughout the season so we can’t take the first-round results in as a factor. How do you actually feel about going into Fox Raceway for what the track is going to offer for you?
Well, if you take away my first race this year there, I’ve had pretty good success there. What happens is, I normally figure out my motorcycle like two or three rounds into the series. So, I’m going to be in a much better spot. Obviously, I hope I do better than like 10th or whatever the heck I got there. I know I’m going to do better. My motorcycle is at a solid spot now, so I’m not worried about that and I definitely feel like I’m plenty capable of trying to win.
Main image by Mitch Kendra
