Eli Tomac on First Pro Motocross Race with KTM: “There’s plenty of room for improvement”
Eli Tomac was able to return to racing over the weekend at the Spring Creek National round, and while it might not have been a weekend to write home about, being at the race alone was big.
Tomac suffered a strained neck in the opening lap of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship in California back in May and his return to racing was not talked about...until the middle of the last week when it was announced Tomac was back for round seven in Minnesota.
The four-time 450 Pro Motocross Champion told our crew on Friday he was expecting to be around the podium, although he knew there were still many unknowns because of his first race back after the neck injury and it being his first real motocross race on the Red Bull KTM 450 SX-F. Tomac finished 9-12 for 11th overall and is looking for improvements.
Tomac said in the post-race KTM recap press release:
"It's good to get my first full Pro Motocross race weekend of the season under my belt. Pala didn’t go according to plan, so being able to get two solid motos done today, I’m happy. Obviously, there’s plenty of room for improvement, but I will do some testing with the team this week and be better at Washougal."
Big picture though, it was great to have Tomac back in action because 1) the fans love him and 2) being back now and (hopefully) getting to race these five final Pro Motocross races will help him get up to speed faster than if he just raced the final two or three even. He will race Washougal this weekend then have the two weekends off due to the schedule before the final stretch run. He could make significant progress before the August 15 Unadilla National.
![Eli Tomac]()
Eli Tomac Align Media ![Eli Tomac]()
Eli Tomac Align Media
As for his teammate Jorge Prado, he got pushed wide in the first turn in the first moto and had to move forward through the field. He finished 13-3 for sixth overall and held off RJ Hampshire for the final spot on the podium in the second moto. Prado holding off Hampshire was a deciding factor in the overall podium, and neither were giving up, with Prado taking the position by about 0.7 seconds.
Here is what Prado said after the race via KTM's PR:
"Today was a hard day. First moto, I got pushed out in the first corner, and we had to work our way towards the front with so many riders to pass. Then in Moto 2, the start was a little bit better, and we were fighting hard – I’ve been sick all week, so I was pushing myself a lot as I wasn't able to do anything during the week. RJ [Hampshire] was close in the last few corners, but I held on for P3 in that moto, which was not a bad improvement. Thank you to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing for the effort. We’ll get there."
