Marchbanks on Tomac Collision: "I didn't mean to do that on purpose"
Terrible situation to start the first 450 AMA Pro Motocross Championship moto of the season on Saturday, with four-time champion Eli Tomac going down and down hard after a collision with Garrett Marchbanks. Red Bull KTM says Eli suffered a strained neck in that crash, which ended his day, and we'll await more info as far as his return to action.
As for Marchbanks, of Monster Energy Kawasaki, he explained how it happened.
"Me and Eli were just sprinting, he made a pass on me, I tried to make a pass back, racing accident, I didn’t mean to do that on purpose," he said in Title 24's post-race interviews on YouTube. "I thought he was going to let off and he probably thought I was going to let off and we both just hit each other. I feel really bad for what happened, I hope he’s doing okay. My bike was super jacked up and I had to come into the pit to fix it up."
![Mitch Kendra happened to be there when Marchbanks came in for work on his handlebars after the crash.]()
Mitch Kendra happened to be there when Marchbanks came in for work on his handlebars after the crash. Mitch Kendra ![]()
Mitch Kendra ![]()
"I gotta go, I gotta go!" Marchbanks yelled, knowing the leaders were coming through soon. Mitch Kendra
Marchbanks returned to the track but found himself getting lapped, and he finished 28th. In the second moto he rode very well and carded eighth.
"Moto two, for the gate pick that I had, and to come around 28th to eighth, for how stacked it is, that was solid I was happy with that."
Marchbanks' 28-8 gave him 14th overall.
Fox Raceway (Pala) - 450
May 30, 2026| Rider | Hometown | Motos | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia  | 1 - 1 | Honda CRF450R Works Edition |
| 2 |  Jorge Prado | Lugo, Spain  | 2 - 2 | KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition |
| 3 |  Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | 4 - 3 | Honda CRF450R Works Edition |
| 4 |  Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY  | 3 - 6 | Yamaha YZ450F |
| 5 |  Haiden Deegan | Temecula, CA | 5 - 4 | Yamaha YZ450F |
Marchbanks had a one-year deal with Kawasaki for a 450 ride this season, but we're hearing it's very likely he will be re-signed by the squad for 2027.
