Press Release
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac took home a top-five finish at yesterday’s 13th round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Hampton, Georgia. The reigning champ rode a smart race in the challenging conditions to only concede one point in the 450SX title fight.
Since its debut, Atlanta Motor Speedway has been the longest and one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar. Tomac got the day off to a great start and topped the timesheets in practice and the first qualifying session. He ultimately qualified seventh in the combined times and then came back from 10th to fourth in his heat race. In the main event, he had a decent start from the eighth gate pick and made his way from seventh to fifth by Lap 4. He kept pushing but, with the championship picture in mind, settled for the top-five result to leave Atlanta with a six-point lead and four rounds remaining.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team heads north next weekend for Round 14 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the SuperMotocross World Championship series at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on April 22.
Jeremy Coker – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager
“Today started off very well. Eli was fastest in the first two practices, but the track developed differently for the final qualifying practice than we thought it would, and that caught us a bit off guard. We made adjustments for the heat race, and we were much better. The track did not race well, so it was very important to get a start. Unfortunately, we did not have the best start in the main, but Eli did what he needed to do and kept Cooper (Webb) in his sights to only lose one point. We will rebound next week and try and get back on the top step.”
Eli Tomac – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“We had a tough battle from behind this weekend and struggled on the starts. Overall, it was decent, and we salvaged some points. I’m looking forward to a better ride in New Jersey.”
