That was a “slump” in Eli Tomac terms. After winning a record seventh Daytona Supercross, a neck issue slowed him at Indianapolis, leading to the first-two race string this year without a victory. He also lost the points lead to Cooper Webb. At Seattle, Eli was part of yet another huge battle early in the race, going at it with Webb, Ken Roczen and others before unlocking the right lines and taking over second. Then Chase Sexton fell from the lead yet again, and Tomac was clear to snag the victory. This win was the 50th of his career in Monster Energy Supercross, tying him for second all-time with none other than James Stewart.
Eli can’t really focus on that, though, because he’s also tied for the points lead with Cooper Webb right now. Eli won’t even talk about the idea of winning a third supercross title, because there’s too much work to do right now in order to get that done. He spoke about all of it after the race in the post-race press conference.
Eli we talked a little on the podium, seemed like 1/3rd of the way you just figured something out, then you went on a five to seven lap real hard push. Was it something that you found?
Eli Tomac: Well it was honestly, when I got out of the mess at the beginning of the race, we were all riding as a train there, and I think me and Ken passed each other three times. Or maybe twice. So, that was the beginning of the race, I was just stuck, me and Kenny were stuck like glue at times. What really started working for me was the left side of the whoops and the skim. That’s where I made up the majority of my time and made some passes there, too. As usual, it was tricky but it raced well.
You had a cool line out of the first corner, too, that rhythm.
Yeah it was a pretty conservating line, starting that rhythm with a roll (single jump) but it was a line I knew I could do every lap. I would actually make some time at the end of that, but I would gain some time at the beginning. It was good because I could guard the inside, too. Yeah that lane, that first long lane, that was probably the sketchiest one, where you could drag pegs when you would go off the table top there.
After giving up points two races in a row to Cooper (Webb), did you have a sense of urgency to get them back tonight?
Absolutely. Losing points two weeks in a row, it’s not fun. Either way though, we were so close anyway. It’s good to not lose for a third week in a row, it was a good bounce back for us.
You just tied James Stewart for second all time in [supercross] wins. Being in a battle like this, do you even have time to enjoy those achievements or are you just focused on the battle at hand.
It’s special, for sure, but we’re obviously neck-and-neck right now [in points], so I’ve got to stay focused on that.
You sort of touched on this, but the last two weeks, kind of struggling a little bit, was there ever a concern over the points lead, or did you think you would get it back?
Well the most important thing is that I stayed within a position in points, the difference between a first and second. So I wasn’t that worried, but yeah, it gets you like “Man, I just lost points two weeks in a row?” So that gives you motivation. But most importantly, you have to try to stay within one position.
What is the difference in pressure or motivation between having the red plate or not having it, especially late in a season like this?
To me it doesn’t make any difference at this point. Right now we’re tied up, clean slate. You gotta do what you gotta do.
There aren’t many races in the Pacific Northwest. Can you talk about the fans here a little bit?
I think it’s always a great crowd here and it always has good energy. There were a lot of people in the building tonight, and to be honest most of the buildings this year have been pretty packed. Supercross is exciting and I think we’re providing a lot of entertainment for everyone.
You were pretty honest that you had a neck issue the last two weeks, was there anything else going on that would cause a bit of a slump?
I guess Indianapolis was the really bad one, but I’m trying to look past it and I do feel like I’m past it now. Just keep going.
We have a weekend off, are you happy about that or would you rather keep rolling?
I think everyone somewhat looks forward to this weekend off, we’ve been going wide open for however many weeks now. So yeah, spend some time with the family at home. But before you know it, we’ll be right back into it.
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Chase Sexton | La Moille, IL  | 372 |
| 2 |  Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO | 339 |
| 3 |  Cooper Webb | Newport, NC | 304 |
| 4 |  Ken Roczen | Mattstedt, Germany  | 304 |
| 5 |  Justin Barcia | Monroe, NY | 267 |
For both Cooper [Webb] and Eli, this would be a third championship if you get it. Can you talk about what a third title would mean and what drives you?
Cooper Webb: Yeah it would be special. We both have two and that’s an amazing. It’s kinda weird, but this is the first year we’ve really went head to head. I think that’s what everyone hopes for. It definitely is what we work for every day, and it’s the ultimate goal. After you win a series, it’s an addicting feeling. To have a third would be an amazing feeling and that’s what we keep striving for.
Eli: Yeah it’s just cool that we’re tied right now. That’s cool for everyone to see. Yeah, I don’t want to talk about the end [winning a third title], but I think it’s cool right now for everyone to see us this close.
After the race you mentioned you had different line options on the track. Where did you feel like you were making up the most time?
For sure that left side of the whoops, with the skim, and then that long rhythm lane, I would go all the way inside and roll. It would keep you out of the transition where it was table off. I felt like that [transition] was pretty bad. There were mistakes to be made there. I gave some up in the beginning, but I felt like there was time to make up in that rhythm section.
