SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac earned his first Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship title in the 450SX class during Sunday’s season finale inside Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Tomac won the title by 25 points after a smart ride to finish fifth in the race.
The tension was high for Tomac to deliver his first 450SX class title in his seventh year in the class and after three second-place season finishes. Off the start, Dean Wilson got into the lead and ahead of his two Husqvarna teammates Anderson and Osborne. Tomac crossed the holeshot line in ninth position.
The only rider still with a mathematical shot at the title, defending-champion Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb, was knocked over by another rider and started the race picking his bike up off the ground in the first corner.
Tomac slowly moved up the leader board. Webb recovered from his tip over but never caught up to Tomac.
Upon being presented the championship No. 1 plate, Tomac was asked about the unorthodox series.
“Just unbelievable circumstances. I just always think back to the whole of this lifetime worth of riding, and just going through everything,” Tomac said. “The failures with the team, coming here, with the whole COVID going on right now. So pretty unbelievable. There was a time we didn’t even know if we were even going to ride or not between Daytona and this swing of the series. And it’s finally here and, unbelievable.”
Breaking records with his fifth place finish, Eli Tomac, at the age of 27, became the oldest rider to win his first 450SX class championship, the first rider with 30 or more wins to earn his first title, and the first father to win a first Supercross premiere class title – fitting that it happened on Father’s Day.
Tomac won seven races during the 17-event campaign that finished with seven consecutive races at Rice-Eccles Stadium.