On Wednesday night, Eli Tomac confirmed his intent to race in 2024 with the announcement of a new contract with Star Racing Yamaha.
The two-time Monster Energy AMA Supercross champion’s return to the sport has been highly anticipated after he ruptured his Achilles tendon during the penultimate round of the Supercross season on May 7.
At the time, Tomac was tantalizingly close to wrapping up a third Supercross title in what was supposedly his last season of professional competition. But in a matter of seconds, his championship hopes were dashed.
The 30-year-old has spent the summer in recovery mode, largely staying quiet about his career plans until Wednesday.
“Well, first off, I’d like to say the end of Eli Tomac racing a motorcycle was not the second to last round of the 2023 supercross season,” Tomac noted. “My recovery has been going very well and is ahead of schedule in terms of the protocol. I believe I will be back on the motorcycle around the six-month mark in preparation for the 2024 racing season.”
The 2024 season will be his third year with Star Racing Yamaha and his 14th year of professional competition.
Since bumping up to the premier 450cc class in 2014, Tomac has earned four AMA Pro Motocross championships and two Supercross championships. In his debut year with Star Racing Yamaha in 2022, he won both titles.
It is unconfirmed if Tomac will race both series in 2024, or Supercross only.
“It definitely was a gut punch at Denver to have the championship taken away that way. We were hoping that Eli would come back. I don’t think anyone would fault him for calling it a career with what he has accomplished, but we’re happy to see that Eli still has that fire and can’t wait to go racing,” said Star Racing Yamaha team manager Jeremy Coker.
Last year, Tomac reached second place on the all-time wins list by securing his 51st career victory at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on April 8.