Talking with Eli Tomac the eve of the season-ending 2018 Monster Energy Supercross Series last May at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vega, Nevada.
“Eli, the 2018 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations set for RedBud in October. If invited to be a member of Team USA, will you answer the bell?”
“Oh yeah.,” declaratively answered the 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship MX450 champion. “That’s a really tough subject from last year, but the way everything falls this year, yeah, I’ll be gunning for that race, for sure.”
At age 25 Eli Tomac is, arguably, the best overall supercross and motocross racer on Planet Earth. A millionaire with one of the elite rides in all of international racing, life is good for the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider from Cortez, Colorado. Still, with the money, fame and adulation comes pressure and expectations, not to mention radical ups-and-downs in a form of racing where a rider is only as good as the last big thing they accomplished. A two-time veteran of the Motocross of Nations (2013 at Teutschenthal, Germany and 2014 at Kegums, Latvia) Tomac will serve as Captain America come this approaching weekend at RedBud and the 2018 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations. Amped up to the hilt and in fantastic spirits, Tomac talked with us today about a race that means a hell of a lot to him and a race he desperately wants to win.
Yep, I’m in Colorado right now and we’ve been doing our prep work here and we’re heading out this Thursday. I guess that’s a little bit early, but we’ll get settled in. Yeah, it’s going to be here before you know it.
Laughter Yeah, I think it’s going to be awesome. I think every des Nations is a special experience, it really is a race like no other. This one is going to top the rest of them. It should be really cool.
Yeah, I mean that’s what’s going to make it so rad. When you have that many people it really turns the event into something special.
You know for me, I’ve done it enough now to where it’s good pressure, you know? Maybe early on in a career, yeah, sometimes it can hurt you. But for the most part, it’s good for us and for me. I dig it. I dig the pressure now that we’re on the home turf now. If anything it’s going to give us confidence. Yeah, I’m all about it.
I mean for me, I kept myself busy. It wasn’t that bad. It was a good break and we had a little bit of time. We got a new bike, so that was exciting to get on. I think everything is better about it too. I had motivation during this off-season and we still have an off-season after this race, but so far, for me, it has been easy time off. It’s felt good.
Laughter Gosh, when you jump on one of those… Maybe it’s because we don’t ride them anymore, but it’s so much fun. It was so much fun to just let that thing eat.
It’s way different. You have to ride them a lot higher up in the powerband, where with the 450 you have all that torque. The 250, you have to keep that thing singing up high; you have to keep her going.
You know riding that thing the other day, if you could get it off the start and you were on the right track conditions, it could be competitive. But on the wrong track conditions and if you had to get off the start, you’d get worked. That’s where the four-stroke is different.
I didn’t watch the highlights this time. I normally do, but I didn’t watch Italy yet.
Well, that’s what’s going to be tough. I will say, yes, the team result is for sure at the top of the list, but at the same time, we want to show America that we truly are the fastest and the best, so if I’m in the right position, heck yeah I’m going to give him a run for his money and do everything I can to beat him.
Yeah, I’ve been there and I’ve always had this good energy and a good racing spirit, and it has been exciting. That gets me through that weekend. It’s a double-day event and it’s long and tough, but we haven’t won as a team when I’ve been on it, but for the most part I’ve had a great time and it has been exciting.
Laughter Just that time out in California a few weeks ago when we all rode together, but yeah, we’re all ready. We’re good to go.
The weather can always throw a wrench in the spokes, but as long as it is not a downpour and the conditions are loamy, I would say that the playing field is the same for all of us. We’ll be just fine. If it does happen to turn into mud, I think all three of us are proven mud riders. Either way, we’re in a good position.
It would be. It would just be the icing on the cake for this year. We had a lot of success in both series in 2018, but to get the Chamberlain Cup for Team USA would be outstanding.
I mean it’s going to be bonkers, but I think it’s going to be a good thing for us. We won’t know until we get there, but I think it’s going to be a good race and our team is healthy coming in so we’ll give it all we’ve got.
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