450 Words: Tomac Update

“What was interesting about it is that I did a quick X-ray at Alpinestars [medical unit] at the track,” continued Tomac. “This was right after the fact. I guess we missed it or didn’t have the correct angle, so I thought it was just kind of a jam or a sprain. It obviously hurt, but I was like, ‘Well, I can just try and get through this.’ I did get through the main event, but I crashed and that was actually because my hand gave out. At that point I didn’t really know what was up and said, ‘Well, I’ll give it a couple days here and see.’ It never got better, and I knew I had to get a real MRI on the thumb. Sure enough, there was some bad news with the thumb.” 

A race winner and six-time podium finisher in the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Championship, Tomac believed he was building speed, confidence, and momentum heading toward the opening phase of Pro Motocross.

“Well, I was beginning to gain momentum,” explained Tomac. “I feel like my results have been a little bit up-and-down this season, but overall, I felt like I was coming around. My speed was pretty good most of the time. I was good in qualifying. I had one main event win this season and a handful of second place finishes. You know just thinking back, for it being a comeback season from a big Achilles tendon injury, I was feeling pretty good, and I was getting stronger. It was just unfortunate timing for this to happen. I was just enjoying the moment and enjoying the racing and it’s still what I love to do. Yeah man, stuff like this is a bummer, but I guess it’s a part of racing, you know?”

So once again, Tomac, as a result of thumb surgery and the healing process that will follow, will be forced to watch the motocross world go on without him. 

“Yep, I do have to wait it out now,” he said. “So, I’m getting this fixed on Monday. That’s as soon as they could get me in to fix this thumb issue. I guess the only positive outlook to all of this is it won’t be as long of a recovery as say, my Achilles or my shoulder injuries. I think I’ll be back around the two-month mark. They said that I have to have pins in for six weeks and then they pull it and then basically you just have to let the wound heal. That’s when I can get back to riding. I envision myself back in two months or somewhere along that timeframe and that puts me somewhere in the middle of the motocross season, If I can get a few of those rounds in and then really be strong for the SMX, that would be another successful comeback in my eyes.”

Undaunted and genuinely enthused to get back to racing as soon as possible this summer, Tomac totally realizes that all is certainly not lost. 

“Yes. That’s the good thing,” pointed out Tomac. “I’m not out the whole year and I’ve got something to go for, you know? And that’s just trying to get back healthy, and I know I can get back to racing before we round out the year. And it has been a good year. It was solid. Of course, I wanted more, and I wanted to be closer to the championship run, but at the same time, I have to have realistic expectations from what I came back from. I would consider it solid up to this point with a win in there. That was my goal number one in coming back from my Achilles injury and I accomplished that. Yeah, I wanted to be in the points race. I missed that a little bit. I don’t know, I’d rate the season an eight out of ten. Ten out of ten would have obviously meant winning the championship, but I got that one goal of winning the race and was able to make a successful comeback. The Achilles injury was really a horror story, and it can be for most people.”

What did Tomac make of the sensational Jett Lawrence, as well as the other world class racers he faced off against all winter long?

“It was very competitive, and Jett is the newcomer right now,” stated Tomac. “He’s the guy. Cooper Webb made a bike switch and he’s on my team, on Star Yamaha. There was newness to the season, and it seems like every year that there is always another level that you have to step up to. That’s the evolution of racing and I felt like we were able to step up in some parts, but there are other things that we definitely have to work on to catch up to those new guys.”

Fourteen years ago, on May 22, 2010, to be exact, rookie racer Eli Tomac lined up and won the very first Pro Motocross event he ever lined up for at Hangtown in Northern California. Along the way, there were more than a few ups and downs for Tomac, but he continued to build his fan base. Nowhere was that more evident than the ’24 Monster Energy Supercross Series, where legions of fans cheered their hearts out and fully supported the veteran Tomac. 

“I have noticed that with the fans and it’s so cool to see,” said an appreciative Tomac. “I feel like the sport, as a whole, is growing. The stadiums seem like they’re more packed. Our autograph lines have been ginormous this year. Unfortunately, people have to get cut off because there are so many fans in the lines. The support for myself and the sport has just been fantastic. Yeah, I’ve been in this a while now, and like you said, since 2010. It has gone by in a flash, but at the same time, it has been the most enjoyable ride ever, so right now I’m trying not to consider myself done at all. I want another season. I want to make a run at in 2025, so it has been great. Wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s really cool. I mean you think back to when you start at the beginning, and you try and build that fanbase. Obviously, it helps when you get good results and all that, but yeah, it’s just pretty hard to believe when you’re in my shoes and you see all these people wearing your T-shirt and hats and merchandise, but it’s so awesome. I want to leave a good example for the kids and anyone watching the sport, so yeah, I am just grateful for it all.”

This season marks Eli Tomac’s third year with the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing organization, a career move that comes at the back half of Tomac’s storied career. The relationship between Tomac and the entire Yamaha contingent has been both positive and fulfilling.