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Eli Tomac debuted at the Motocross of Nations as a wide-eyed teenager in 2013 at Teutschenthal in Germany. There, he went head-to-head with a young Ken Roczen in one of the most exciting MX2 battles in the history of the event. The two battled throughout the moto and went 1-2 on 250s in the MX2 + Open class, with Roczen edging Tomac at home. In the second race, Tomac had a spectacular crash and finished 16th. Team USA would drop Tomac’s score and finish three points behind Belgium.
The following year, Tomac returned to Team USA, but once again was on the short end of the stick, as USA finished third behind France and Belgium in Latvia. He had to wait four years before he appeared again, but for the third time, Tomac and the US squad lost, this time on home soil at RedBud, where they finished a disappointing fifth. France won again.
When the Nations returned to RedBud, Tomac once again was selected, this time with Chase Sexton and Justin Cooper. The Americans held off France on home soil this time, giving Tomac his first MXoN victory.
A year ago, there may not have been a Team USA if not for Tomac. Chase Sexton got injured at the final round of the SuperMotocross Playoffs and Tomac and Cooper Webb stepped up to compete, with Webb a late replacement for Chance Hymas in MX2. Certainly not favored, the team finished a strong second.
With the Nations returning to the US, Tomac was on the initial team, and rode to a hard fought second in the second race, giving Team USA a slim chance at the overall. But it wasn’t enough, as the Lawrence brothers, Kyle Webster and Team Australia dominated for back-to-back wins.
“Well, we got on the podium,” said Tomac. “It’s so hard to beat Team Australia when they get all of those first and second-place finishes. That’s all I can say. I’m proud of Justin for stepping up and proud of RJ [Hampshire] for also stepping up to the plate here. We gave it our best effort. Australia is just very good right now, and they are hard to beat. Today, personally, I went for it too. I felt like I improved my riding every time on the track this weekend. To be totally honest, I was struggling a little bit yesterday on the qualifying day, but today, I was much better in the motos and was pretty happy with my riding.”
Tomac is now 32 years old and is changing teams this off-season, with the move to Red Bull KTM all but certain, yet not officially announced. The last few years, every one seemed like it could be the last in Tomac’s brilliant career. While he hasn’t won a ton at the Nations (aside from 2022) he’s given it everything he has, every time he’s been asked. Hopefully at Ernee we see Tomac get another shot.
He certainly deserves it.
Main image: Yamaha
EliTomac is simply fantastic. He’s the perfect balance between fast and reliable, I think he’s very goal oriented and puts team above personal accomplishment when he’s part of a team.
Justin Cooper has proven to be a winner and he didn’t disappoint this year, he rode great and as always solid.
RJ Hampshire was thrown to the wolves with little notice, he’s was riding hurt and I assume he didn’t let on because there was no time left to find a replacement, he’s no quitter, he had an excellent year and was solid all season. There’s no question about his heart, he gave it all he had but at such a high level there is no coming back from so many crashes, which were rare for him this year. I hope he gets another shot at MXdN glory because we all know he’s got that dog in him.
I don’t understand how Yamaha could not sign Eli to at least a 2-year contract. He is proven time and time again that he’s the best talent on the team on the team. Granted Degan is a up and coming rider, providing he doesn’t blow due to his poor attitude. Cooper and Web don’t have what it takes. In my opinion Jet, Hunter, Eli,Chase and RJare the top 5 guys right now. Yamaha would make a big mistake by not signing him.