SAN DIEGO — In a race that took the battle down to the final lap, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac earned his 53rd career Monster Energy AMA Supercross victory Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium.
Significantly for the crowd favorite, Tomac takes over the points lead for the first time since suffering what was potentially a career-ending injury in 2023.
“It has been a long time since I’ve won one of these 20-minute main events,” Tomac said. “So it feels so good to rebound from last weekend; it was a heartbreak there in Anaheim… I had to work for this. I made a lot of passes and was able to keep it on two wheels. This feels so good.”
Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence was on Tomac’s rear fender until the very end but never mounted an attack for the top spot. Lawrence’s second place finish marked a strong improvement from his 12th-place finish at the Anaheim opener.
“That [race with Eli] was awesome,” Lawrence noted. “He got me at the start and I was trying so hard just to get close enough to make a pass, but he was ripping… I’m just happy that I’m ten positions better than last weekend, for sure, so I’m happy to be on the box… We tested hard this week to try and get the bike to a better spot, and it was much better.”
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb led early but was overtaken by Tomac and Lawrence nearly simultaneously at the race’s mid-point.
Webb, under the weather, held off a late race charge from Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen to keep his podium spot.
Last weekend’s winner, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton recovered from a first lap crash; he reached sixth place by the time the checkered flag flew.
The Western Regional 250SX Class produced a new first-time winner when Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer earned his first Supercross win and took over the division’s points lead.
Beaumer, 18, followed up his career-first podium with his first career win. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies, in only his second pro race, led early with Beaumer making several moves for the lead before working his way past six and a half minutes into the race.
Triumph Racing’s Jordon Smith was steady in third until taking over the second-place position at the race’s midpoint. Defending 250SMX World Champion Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan fought forward from a mid-pack start.
With just under four minutes left on the clock Deegan reached third, capitalizing on a mistake in the rhythm section from Rockstar Energy GASGAS Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco.
