Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac finally delivered on the potential that Lucas Oil Pro Motocross fans knew he had when he halted Ken Roczen’s moto and 450cc overall win streak at the return of the Southwick National in Massachusetts before the largest crowd ever to witness a race there.
Tomac excelled at the hallowed sand track that was once a fixture on the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship before being dropped off the schedule after the 2013 season. The track was even closed for a time before being resurrected and returning to prominence as a full-fledged AMA National track.
And Tomac was ready for it. By his own reckoning, The Wick 338 closely approximates his favorite practice track, but there may have been something more motivating as well, namely that he is far too competitive a rider to take the 30-second drubbing that Roczen gave him in the second moto at the previous round in Michigan lying down. He turned it around today at Southwick, going 1-1 for fourth career Lucas Oil 450cc win as well as his first moto wins and first overall win of the 2016 season. In both motos, he had to battle his way past Roczen for the lead, and he pulled away to take commanding victories each time.
“That was the battle of a lifetime for us,” Tomac said. “Me and Kenny [Roczen] were going at it. It was just tooth and nail all the way through, but this [win] is a huge relief for us. It’s our first overall win of the season, our first moto wins of the season, and it’s a good start for Monster Energy Kawasaki. I don’t know…That was a good race.”
Roczen struggled with apparent handling issues related to the fork on his factory Suzuki en route to 2-2 moto finishes for second overall.
“We just weren’t clicking today. I feel like my bike wasn’t good enough for these kind of conditions, but top of that Eli [Tomac] and the Kawasaki team absolutely crushed it today,” Roczen said. “I tried to put up a fight in the second moto; tried to get a win or at least hang with him [Tomac], and that’s what I’ve done. So I’m pretty happy with how we rebounded from that first one. This is pretty much our only sand race that we have, so, [we are] going to Millville [Minnesota] next week. Two-two is still a good result, so I’m not too bummed. I’m going to keep my head up and keep charging.”
GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle charged into the lead at the start of Moto 1, followed by Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin and Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Christophe Pourcel. Bogle tried to get away, but Roczen and Tomac were on the move early in the moto. Roczen was up to second place by the end of lap one, with Tomac right behind him. The pair soon caught Bogle, who refused to yield, setting up a fantastic three-rider battle for the lead. Bogle held them off for a few laps before Roczen and Tomac dropped him to third on lap five.
The two then pulled away to settle their battle for the win, and Tomac got the better of it when he found a way around Roczen on lap seven. Then it was his turn to pile on the advantage, pulling clear of Roczen to take the moto win by more than 24 seconds.
“I was just feeling it,” Tomac said. “I just love the sand. I was having fun. My track at home his really soft like this, so it’s a comfort thing for me.
We were able to get out to a decent start, and just made a few passes and ended up getting Ken [Roczen] and [Justin] Bogle. Honestly, the biggest struggle that moto was vision. There is so much sand and roost coming off the tires that you have to manage your tearoffs or Rolloffs. Luckily I was able to see the whole time.”
Roczen immediately called out his front end woes on the first-moto podium.
“Everything went all right in the beginning, but I’m one of the only ones that’s out there on air forks, and they just get worse and worse towards the end. This is like the only track where we have sandy conditions with a really hard base. The bike wasn’t really clicking, and it cost me, but we’re going to go back and see what we can do.”
Musquin finished third, followed by Bogle and Pourcel.
Bogle claimed his fourth consecutive holeshot in the second 450cc moto, and Pourcel was once again off to a strong start too, but Roczen was much closer to the front this time, and he assumed the lead shortly after Bogle made contact with Pourcel and crashed. Roczen and Tomac once again found themselves first and second by the end of lap one, setting up another potential battle for the moto and overall wins.
Tomac began to pressure Roczen early, and the Kawasaki rider made a pass for the lead on lap six, only to tuck the front end and crash, allowing Roczen to retake the lead. But Tomac refused to give up, and he quickly remounted and passed Roczen again almost immediately. Roczen stayed in Tomac’s shadow for the rest of the moto, but Tomac never made another mistake, and he crossed the finish line first to claim the sweep and his first overall win since the round two of the 2015 season Kawasaki’s first in the 450cc class since 2013.
“The track here at Southwick is unique with the sand, and I am excited to have it back on the schedule,” said Tomac, who led the championship last season
until a crash at the third round left him with season-ending injuries. “I came into the day with a positive mindset, which I think was important. It’s great to get a win, but we want to keep the momentum rolling into the remaining rounds.”
Barcia made his first trip to the podium this season after a fine third-place finish in Moto 2, combined with his furious push through the pack after being involved in that back-of-the-pack pileup in the first turn of Moto 1 where he came from 24th to sixth. His 6-3 results netted third overall.
“I wish I could’ve fixed myself on the start of the first moto,” Barcia said. “I used a lot of energy in that first moto. It was tough [but] I’m very happy with the progress that we’ve made. We’re going to go home, work a little harder and just keep fighting. That’s all we can really do.”
Roczen still enjoys a solid lead in the Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross Championship Series points standings, leading Tomac by 47 points and Musquin by 136 points.
Tomac, however, isn’t conceding anything.
“One thing you do is never give up,” Tomac said. “We are just over halfway now. There’s quite a few races left, so it’s never over until it’s over. We’re going to keep fighting.”
2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
Red Bull Southwick National
The Wick 338
Southwick, Massachusetts
Results: July 9, 2016 (Round 7 of 12)
450cc Overall
1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, CO, Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki (2-2)
3. Justin Barcia, Monroe, NY, Yamaha (6-3)
4. Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (3-7)
5. Weston Peick, Menifee, CA Yamaha (7-4)
6. Christophe Pourcel, France, Husqvarna (5-5)
7. Benny Bloss, Oak Grove, MO, KTM (8-6)
8. Broc Tickle, Holly, MI, Suzuki (10-8)
9. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, IA, KTM (9-9)
10. Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, CO, KTM (11-11)
2016 Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross Championship Series Points Standings (after 7 of 12 rounds)
1. Ken Roczen-337/5 overall wins/11 moto wins
2. Eli Tomac- 290/1 overall win/2 moto wins
3. Marvin Musquin-201
4. Justin Barcia-181
5. Broc Tickle-171
6. Christophe Pourcel-168
7. Cole Seely-151
8. Justin Bogle-136
9. Ryan Dungey-131/1 overall win/1 moto win
10. Justin Brayton-120
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