Lately, we have been seeing some very short and bland responses from Eli Tomac in the post-race Yamaha race recaps. After his 6-9 day at the Spring Creek National, Tomac’s post-race quote was as follows:
“It was a difficult couple of motos this weekend. We’ll get back to work and try to be stronger next weekend.”
From a mediocre 6-9 day in Minnesota to being in the mix at the Washougal National, what was the difference for Eli Tomac? Tomac credited refining the wholesale bike changes that did not work last weekend as expected. But this go round, some tweaks were made, and he was much more comfortable, the riding was better, and so were the results. He finished 2-3 for third overall.
So, what was the difference?
“Yeah, just different setup, straight up,” Tomac said in the post-race press conference. “So, different setup. Found something that I was really comfortable on and [I] was in the same zone as these guys, like same zip code, so that was nice.”
Eli Tomac's Pro Motocross results so far this summer. Note his RedBud overall score was impacted by a DNF early in the first moto.
| Position | Race | Class | Date | Bike |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Motocross Budds Creek | 450 | August 23, 2025 | Yamaha YZ450F |
| 3 | Motocross Unadilla | 450 | August 16, 2025 | Yamaha YZ450F |
| 3 | Motocross Ironman | 450 | August 9, 2025 | Yamaha YZ450F |
| 3 | Motocross Washougal | 450 | July 19, 2025 | Yamaha YZ450F |
| 7 | Motocross Spring Creek | 450 | July 12, 2025 | Yamaha YZ450F |
| 13 | Motocross RedBud | 450 | July 5, 2025 | Yamaha YZ450F |
| 3 | Motocross Southwick | 450 | June 28, 2025 | Yamaha YZ450F |
| 3 | Motocross High Point | 450 | June 14, 2025 | Yamaha |
| 2 | Motocross Thunder Valley | 450 | June 7, 2025 | Yamaha YZ450F |
| 4 | Motocross Hangtown Motocross Classic | 450 | May 31, 2025 | Yamaha YZ450F |
| 2 | Motocross Fox Raceway | 450 | May 24, 2025 | Yamaha YZ450F |
“Yeah, so what happened at Millville is before that I went and did some testing and, yeah, it's like it's on me,” he added. “I'm like, ‘Hey, I think the bike's better.’ And then I take it to the race, and it was not better. So, I take responsibility for that, for telling the guys and, of course, It looked faster like on the clock and stuff and whatnot, like, yeah, it's better and then it just, it didn't work in a race environment. So, it was unfortunate. But I feel like now that I was able to make some improvements from what I was racing earlier in the season. So, I'm excited for the last couple.”
What kind of bike changes?
"I was changing...the fork and the shock," he said. "So, really it was like wholesale bike changes to try to just find a different feel. That's what happened before Millville and whatnot, so yeah, we were taking some serious swings at motorcycle setup and trying to be better."
"I mean, for me, like last week I wasn't close," Tomac added. "It's like, a whole, I was, you know, lost myself, so it's back to kind of usual for me, so that's nice."
There you have it. He took what he thought would work to Millville, Minnesota, and it did not work. So, some tweaks were made to that Millville setting and boom, more comfort, better riding, and better results. Sometimes it is that simple with Tomac!
Remember, Tomac came back last summer after his thumb injury, and finished 4-11 at the Budds Creek National for seventh overall before he really looked back up to speed at Ironman Raceway with 4-3 finishes for third overall. Like Chase Sexton, Tomac is ready to come out swinging these final few MX rounds hoping to come into the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) Playoffs locked in.
The post-race press release quote will be more positive after Washougal, but as we know, Tomac is still not a man of many words. As for the upcoming two weekends off, Tomac will have his hands full back home.
"We get off, I don't know, I'll probably go chase cows or something," he said.
Watch the Best Post-Race Show Ever video recap below.
