A total of 6,274 square miles in size and based at 6,181 feet of elevation, Cortez, Colorado, is a small municipality in Montezuma County. It’s also the home of the Flying T Ranch. Founded by World Cup Mountain Bike racer John Tomac and wife, Kathy, in 1993, the ranch and winery and its surroundings have also served as home base to the sensational Eli Tomac. A four-time AMA Pro Motocross Championship 450cc class champion, as well as a two-time Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX champion, Eli Tomac has held station in Cortez, throughout his entire 15-year professional racing career.
States a website promoting Cortez and the Flying T Ranch:
“So, next time you’re sipping a glass of red wine or watching motocross highlights, remember that Cortez, Colorado, gave us both the Flying T Ranch’s vineyard and the thunderous roar of Eli Tomac’s bike.”
Less than a week removed from scoring a podium finish at the curtain-dropping Ironman National in Indiana, Tomac, who had made his way back from a Bennet fracture of his thumb, found himself in Cortez and contemplating the radical highs and lows of being a worldclass motorsports athlete.
“It is not an easy thing and it’s something that you have to learn to overcome as a racer,” explained Tomac, of having to fight his way back from yet another untimely injury. “In our sport the highs and lows can mean injury, it can mean just struggling to be healthy for a period of time. It can even mean trying to find the right setting and feeling comfortable on the bike. And then at the end of the day, it all comes down to results, too. Yeah, really, it does come down to results, but there are so many variables with all of that. However, that’s what makes racing so cool. Racing is, may the best man win, you know? It’s green flag to checkered flag. If you perform and you go win, you’re the best guy for that time and moment. That’s what’s so cool. It’s not a judged event and the winner is the first one to cross the finish line. You cross the line first, and you’re the winner.”
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Tomac, whose father is a legendary bicycle racer and member of the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame, also spoke about the athleticism involved in becoming a worldclass supercross and motocross racer.
“Yes, the sport is extremely athletic and that’s what makes our sport very unique,” pointed out 31-year-old Tomac. “It’s such a skill and rider involved sport. The rider part of it all is heavily more weighted. Also, and in general, the rider is also over the equipment. All of the equipment is really good and really important, but in our sport specifically, the rider is a huge percentage of the performance equation and performance outcome. And athleticism also plays a major part in it all. There are so many variables with our sport. It’s always a fine line between being built like a gymnast who has been built up in the gym. Also, you have to have really good cardio, so it’s such a balance in our sport. I feel like all of that kind of changes over time, too. Some people are more towards the cardio-side of things, and the others are more gym-oriented. You definitely have to have a mix. I feel like you can get, maybe, 90 percent there with an everything program, but that last 10 percent you need is critical to tune yourself.”
Two rounds into his recent return to racing after the Bennet fracture, Tomac was pleased with his speed and endurance which added up to a podium visit at Ironman.
“Well, that was my goal coming back from this latest thumb injury,” offered Tomac of his podium result in Indiana. “My goal was to get on the podium. I was able to do that in Indiana and that was really cool. Really, it’s good for getting a jumpstart on the SMX events that are coming up and then even leading into next year. It’s all going to be really helpful and even just for the general information we were able to gather for the next motocross season, too. Having more time on the motorcycle leading into 2025 will really help me because I was also hurt last year. Overall, I’m happy with the comeback so far.
“Yeah, I’m feeling pretty good,” furthered Tomac. “At Budds Creek I would say that I was a little off on speed in moto one and then I really struggled in moto two. At the Ironman in Indiana I really turned it around. My fastest lap times were really close to the leader. I was also able to perform better in moto two there and that’s what I really missed out on the week before. Yes, I still need more building and I need a little more strength in my thumb to get back to 100 percent, to be quite honest. I’m happy with the direction things are going. I’m going to get stronger, in my opinion. Yeah, all is well.”
Eli Tomac firmly believes that nothing beats the intensity of racing to get a racer performing at full-on 100 percent.
“Yes, you can try so many things at home and test yourself on the clock and race against the clock as much as you can, but there is nothing like racing, no matter what. You learn so much in that environment and at the end of the day you have to just go race and see where you’re at and see where your motorcycle is at and see where you are at against the field.”
And so now Tomac will look to the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) set to launch on September 7, 2024 at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina.
“My mindset is now that I’ve got the podium in Indiana, my next goal is obviously to be battling for a win, and I want to do that in the SMX series,” said Tomac. “We’ve just got a lot on the line and it’s slightly new. I didn’t race it last year, so I feel like we are going to have to make some small changes to the motorcycle from our normal supercross settings. Overall, though, I’m ready for a new challenge and I’m excited to get to test there.”
Will he have a shot at a win in the three-round SMX series?
“I totally think so,” answered Tomac. “If I get off the line and get a good start, I think I’m totally in the mix for battling for a win. Like I said, overall, I feel like I’m getting stronger every weekend and my thumb is getting better, so I’m not going to have any excuses left by that time. I’m just looking forward to going out there and racing these SMX races.”
Hybrid circuits incorporating high speed straights with flowing, wide corners coupled in with supercross-themed technical jump sections, has Tomac feeling enthused with the SMX MX/SX racetracks.
“It fits with my style,” he said. “I didn’t race it last year, but overall and looking at it, the 20-minute races and having two of them with a little mixture of high speed, works for me. I feel like I am better at high speed tracks. This SMX series works. It’s a high speed supercross environment. Honestly, I think it’s going to fit my style really well.”
As another variable involved in Tomac’s return to competition, he will contest the approaching four-round 2024 FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX) for the Yamaha-backed Craig Dack Racing organization.
“WSX and all of this is all part of a building process,” explained Tomac. “There are multiple reasons why I’m racing the WSX. The number one reason is that I’m getting back on the line and I’m getting back in the groove. Like we were just talking about earlier, there is nothing like replicating the race environment. That’s goal number one and reason number one. Number two is that it’s going to be really cool for me to travel around the world. I’m going to see Australia, Canada, and Abu Dhabi and that’s another reason. I’m going to go check out the world. I know I only get so many opportunities to do things like this and I think it’s fitting for the amount of racing that I’ve done this year. In my opinion, this is all going to work out well for everyone involved.”
Race fans the world over recently displaying their enthusiasm in Tomac’s return to racing in both 2024 and 2025 has not gone unnoticed by the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing pilot.
“It is great to see the fans,” offered Tomac. “There is nothing better than seeing the #3 shirts in the autograph lines and just seeing fans at the track. I feel like the longer you can stay in the sport, the more people get to know you and you get a good connection with them. I’m excited to race another year. I anticipate it being my last full season and final season of professional racing. Yeah, I’m just looking forward to going out and having a good time.”
As recently announced in the global motocross media, Tomac will return to Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing for 2025, and line up for the SMX World Championship.
“It’s been a great match,” said Tomac, who will enter his fourth year with Yamaha in 2025. “Yes, the supercross endings have been unfortunate the last two years. I guess that’s racing. Overall, it’s been a great fit and we’re going to keep getting better. We’re going to keep improving. We’re signed-up together for another year, so it’s a good for all of us.”
At the sport for 15 years now, all along the way, Tomac has made it a point to try and set a super positive example of what he believes a worldclass racer should be.
“In my opinion, that’s a huge deal in how you present yourself,” said Tomac. “In my opinion you just want to be a good role model for the kids and give them inspiration to be the next 450 champion and being in the mix there at the top. Yeah, leaving a good example is a big deal and I try to do my best for that.”
Pointing out that 2025 is basically certain to be his final year as a championship-contending racer, when he looks back over his shoulder at it all, Tomac is very pleased with the racing body of work he’s created.
“I’m really happy on how long I’ve made it,” said Tomac, who contested his very first AMA Pro Racing event way back on May 22, 2010, at the Hangtown Motocross Classic. “To be honest, I didn’t see myself doing it past 30 years old. It’s almost like the number just doesn’t matter. You’ve got to do what you love doing. I’ve always told myself that if I’m competitive, then I was going to keep going. My longevity has outlasted what I envisioned in the beginning. It’s a little bit scarry how fast 15 years goes by, but overall, it has been a fantastic journey.”
Thirty-one years of age with an entire year of racing set before him, Tomac is fully aware he’ll soon call time on his professional career. And in doing so, he knows the rush, and pomp and circumstance of racing will, leave his life. Still, he’s fine with all of that.
“I think it’s going to be a hard thing to replace. I think that is one thing you have got to be grateful for. Getting that satisfaction of being able to compete and do something at the highest level that you always dreamed of is awesome and you’ve got to be grateful for the moments that you’re on the line.”
