Eli Tomac didn’t have much left to accomplish in his career, but he accomplished a whole lot this year anyway. His tour de force through the 2022 season of Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship gave him titles in both series in the same year for the first time. What once seemed like a common occurrence has become his is a rare accomplishment, as Tomac becomes the first rider since Ryan Dungey in 2015 to do “the double” and nail both titles in the same year.
Now, Tomac has capped his double-title season with a triumphant turn on Team USA at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. This puts him into even rarer air.
How rare? We dug into the history books.
By the way, we’re using today’s 450 class and its predecessor, the 250 two-stroke class, for these stats, but we’ll also mention 500cc National Champions.
Two Titles In One Year
Note: Riders who claimed both AMA SX and MX titles plus the MXoN overall are noted in bold lettering.
1978 - Bob Hannah
Hannah won supercross and motocross was part of Team USA as we’ve documented here, but the team didn’t win the event.
Team USA win? No
1979 - Bob Hannah
Hannah swept the 250s indoors and out, but Team USA did not participate in the Motocross of Nations.
Team USA win? No
1982 - Donnie Hansen
“Holeshot” Hansen won both the AMA’s 250 Supercross and National Motocross Championships. As part of the legendary first-ever Team USA win in 1981, he was set to appear on Team USA again in ’82 but suffered a massive head injury while training in Germany before the event. He never raced again.
Team USA win? No
1983 - David Bailey
Here’s a “first American” stat you never realized: Bailey was the first to do it all, winning the 1983 AMA 250 supercross and 250 motocross titles, then appearing as part of a winning Team USA with a powerhouse of teammates in Mark Barnett, Broc Glover, and Jeff Ward.
Team USA win? Yes!
1985 - Jeff Ward
Wardy romped in 1985, narrowly taking the AMA Supercross Championship over Glover, winning the 250 National Motocross Title, and leading Team USA to victory in Gaildorf, West Germany.
Team USA win? Yes!
1986 - Rick Johnson
RJ’s breakout season with Team Honda included the 250cc titles indoors and out, and he was the 250 rider for that legendary 1986 Team USA in Maggiora, Italy, that went 1-2 in all three motos.
Team USA win? Yes!
1988 – Rick Johnson
Johnson won the 250 Supercross Championship in ’88 but lost the 250 Motocross Championship battle to Ward. He won the 500 National Motocross Championship, though, and then teamed with Ward and Ron Lechien to win the Motocross of Nations in France. So while he didn’t win the 250 class indoors and out, RJ still gets a nod here for two titles and an MXoN victory in the same year.
Team USA win? Yes!
1989 - Jeff Stanton
Stanton quickly took the mantle at Team Honda when Johnson was injured, winning both 250cc titles and then helping Team USA succeed in Germany.
Team USA win? Yes!
1990 - Jeff Stanton
Stanton again, and this time in dramatic fashion. After defending his titles in the U.S., his final-moto heroics in Vimmerby, Sweden, helped keep Team USA’s win streak alive.
Team USA win? Yes!
1991 - Jean-Michel Bayle
The Frenchman did what no one else could do, winning all three AMA National Championships in the same year (250 supercross and motocross, and 500 motocross) but Team France did not win the Motocross of Nations.
Team France Win? No
1992 - Jeff Stanton
Stanton won both the 250 titles indoors and out, again, but passed on the invite to race for Team USA. The Americans still won, but Stanton was not on the squad.
Team USA Win? Yes, but not for Stanton.
1995 - Jeremy McGrath
McGrath backed up his fourth-straight supercross championship with his first AMA 250 National Motocross Title, but did not race for Team USA.
Team USA Win? No
1997 - Jeff Emig
Emig won the 250 Supercross and 250 National Motocross Titles and appeared on Team USA, but the team struggled in Belgium.
Team USA Win? No
2001 - Ricky Carmichael
Carmichael was part of a winning Team USA in 2000, but he didn’t win both titles that season. In 2001 he broke through big by dethroning McGrath to win his first supercross title while also defending his 250 National Motocross Championship, but after the attacks of September 11th, 2001, Team USA declined the international travel needed to race in Motocross of Nations.
Team USA Win? No
2002 - Ricky Carmichael
RC wins both titles again, but Team USA didn’t race Motocross of Nations. The whole event was shrouded in some controversy as the original race was scheduled to take place on a new track in California that never got built. After delays, the event resumed back in Europe, but Team USA stayed home.
Team USA Win? No
2003 - Ricky Carmichael
Carmichael is champion again, indoors and out, and clearly the fastest in the world, too. In ’03, Motocross of Nations uses a strange one-moto format, and Carmichael beats Stefan Everts to win it. The rest of Team USA (Ryan Hughes, Tim Ferry) struggles with crashes and bike problems and Belgium wins the event.
Team USA Win? No
2005 - Ricky Carmichael
Finally, Carmichael gets ‘em all in one year! He is part of a winning Team USA alongside Kevin Windham and Ivan Tedesco. Surprisingly, this would be Carmichael’s only season with two titles and an MXoN triumph.
Team USA Win? Yes!
2006 - Ricky Carmichael
RC wins both titles again but hurts his shoulder at the final motocross race of the season. He’s unable to line up for Team USA, but the team wins anyway with Tedesco, James Stewart and Ryan Villopoto.
Team USA Win? Yes, but not for Carmichael
2010 - Ryan Dungey
How sweep it is. Dungey records perhaps the greatest rookie season ever, winning both major titles in his first shot on a 450. The ‘Nations wins comes on home soil at Thunder Valley in Colorado, with Andrew Short and Trey Canard as teammates.
Team USA Win? Yes!
2011 - Ryan Villopoto
Maybe the best single season ever, as RV wins Monster Energy Supercross, Lucas Oil Pro Motocross, wins Motocross of Nations alongside Dungey and Blake Baggett, and then bags $1 Million for sweeping the Monster Energy Cup.
Team USA Win? Yes!
2013 - Ryan Villopoto
RV wins both titles but does not race for Team USA.
Team USA Win? No
2015 - Ryan Dungey
Dungey wins both titles but does not race for Team USA.
Team USA Win? No
2022 – Eli Tomac
Tomac does all three on his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing YZ450F.
Team USA Win? Yes!
Total
In total, only 10 times has a rider won both supercross and motocross titles in the same season and scored a victory at the Motocross of Nations, and Tomac is the first to do it in 11 years.
Riders to win AMA Supercross, Motocross and Motocross of Nations in same year:
David Bailey
Jeff Ward
Ricky Johnson (2)
Jeff Stanton (2)
Ricky Carmichael
Ryan Villopoto
Ryan Dungey
Eli Tomac
