Star Yamaha on Tomac: “There was not a shock failure in any way.”

There’s been quite a bit of speculating this week wondering how or why Eli Tomac could drop from a third-place start to a tenth-place finish in Detroit, Michigan. A mechanical failure or injury was certainly under suspicion considering how quickly Tomac dropped back, and specifically there has been online speculation that something failed in his rear shock. We reached out to Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager Jeremy Coker on Tuesday and he followed up today with an explanation:

“Yes I would like to [respond]. There was not a shock failure in any way," wrote Coker today in a text message. "His current shock setup is good on harder, drier tracks. When we got to the sticky, rutty dirt like this weekend it sucked the rear of the bike down and in turn gave him arm pump.”

That’s it. That’s the word from Tomac’s team. The good news for them? This weekend’s race in Glendale, Arizona, should mark a return to harder, drier dirt.