There’s little doubt that Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac is in it to win it, and at round 13 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series, the Coloradoan showed his domination once again by pulling off his fifth straight win of the series and pulling to within four points of reigning series champion and current points leader Ryan Dungey.
And Tomac is showing no signs of being caught on the track as he catches up in the points. He is clearly driven to claim his first career Monster Energy 450c AMA Supercross Championship.
“I’m not giving up,” Tomac said after become the first rider since Ryan Villopoto (2013) to land five straight 450cc Supercross wins. “It’s all I can do. Just go out there and give it my best.”
Lately, Tomac’s best has been more than enough, and at The Dome at America’s Center, Tomac was the class of the field as he claimed his 12th careeer 450cc main event victory. In the Monster Energy AMA 250SX East Supercross Series, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Jordon Smith also started a streak of his own by grabbing his second straight (and second career) 250cc Supercross win.
When the gate dropped for the 450cc main event, Red Bull KTM’s Dungey claimed the SupercrossLive.com holeshot, but Tomac got away second and established his dominance early by making an aggressive pass on Dungey to grab the lead on the opening lap. Dungey and Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin ran second and third respectively.
Tomac continued to push hard early in the race, and it allowed him to build a cushion over Dungey, who was still busy fending off Musauin. Once Dungey was able to get clear of Musquin, he tried to cut into Tomac’s lead, and for a time it appeared as if he might catch the Kawasaki rider. Dungey was turning in quicker lap times than Tomac, and that brought the time gap below two seconds.
As is often the case on the tight and rough AMA Supercross tracks, however, Dungey began to get balked by lappers while Tomac was able to slip past them easier. Tomac was able to stretch his lead again, crossing the finish line 6.7 seconds ahead of Dungey. Tomac was able to up his season win tally to eight.
“Today was a little bit rough,” Tomac said. “I may not have shown it, but I didn’t do a whole lot of good. I didn’t get a good start in the heat race, but I nailed it in the main event and made the pass [for the lead] early. From there I tried to do what I could to open up some space, but Ryan [Dungey] was riding good and kept me honest the whole time. We just kept pressing on.”
Dungey landed his 11th podium finish of the year, but it is clear that he is going to have to dig deeper to find a way to halt Tomac’s charge. Even so, Dungey said he was excited at how the night went for him.
“I felt like I rode awesome,” he said. “You don’t win them all sometimes, but I felt so good. We were catching Eli [Tomac] a bit, and I was really happy with my riding. He just got away there at the end. Overall, I’m really happy with tonight. Not disappointed at all. Of course I really want to win, but Eli’s tough right now. He’s riding really good. It’s the challenge of racing, and pushing myself to be better. It’s a good thing.”
Good or not, Dungey now finds himself holding onto a series points lead that was once a lot more robust–as much as 29 points earlier in the season. He now leads Tomac, 276-272. The final three races will be crucial if Dungey wants to defend and claim his third Monster Energy AMA Supercross crown in a row and the fourth of his career. It is inceasingly likely that the title will be decided between the two men as Musquin sits third, 49 points out of contention.
Like Tomac, Smith is also setting his sights on the 250SX East title, and he drew to within six points of series leader Joey Savatgy after posting a second consecutive win in the 250SX East main event. RMATV/MC-WPS-KTM’s Dakota Alix grabbed the lead ahead of the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki-backed Savatgy, but Savatgy quickly dispatched Alix. Smith quickly found his way into second place early, followed by Smith into second. Kissimmee Motorsports Kawasaki’s Gannon Audette also displace Alix to move into third place.
Savatgy and Smith gapped the field by more than five seconds as they battled for the lead, but theirs wasn’t the only tight battle on the track. Behind them Audette, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo, and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne were engaged in a closely fought battle for the final podium spot. Osborne passed Cianciarulo on lap three and , with Osborne diving to the inside of the Kawasaki rider, taking his line, and moving into the positionto pass Audette for third place.
Savatgy’s lead dissipated after a miscue that sent him off the track on lap seven. He didn’t crash, but he did yield a lot of time to the charging Smith, who then took over the lead. Meanwhile, Osborne was up to third. Savatgy then made contact with a lapper and had to fight hard to keep Osborne behind him. Savatgy was able to pull clear of Osborne, but it was too late to prevent Smith from landing his second win in as many weeks. Smith crossed the finish line with a .4-swecond margin of victory.
“The racing this year has been crazy,” Smith said. “[Tonight] it was about the start and minimizing the mistakes. The track was really tough. My team made some changes to my bike and they worked out great.”
Savatgy’s runner-up finish marked his fourth such finish in as many weeks.
“We rode good and did what we had to do,” Savatgy said. “I executed off the start, put ourselves in a good position [out front], and started to pull away. It seems like I want to just give these things away. I can’t even begin to explain it. I’m frustrated, obviously. We’ll go into the break, regroup, and come out swinging [at the next race].”
Even so, Savatgy still stands atop the series leaderboard with 146 points. Smith is second with 14. and Osborne, who finished third in St. Louis, is third in the points with 134.
The Eastern series now takes a one-week break as the Monster Energy AMA 250SX West Supercross Series resumes action at the next two rounds in Seattle, Washington and Salt Lake City, Utah.
2017 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series
The Dome at America’s Center
St. Louis, Missouri
Results: April 1, 2017 (Round 13 of 16)
450cc Main Event
1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
3. Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM
4. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna
5. Josh Grant, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki
6. Cole Seely, Sherman Oaks, Calif., Honda
7. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM
8. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki
9. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki
10. Justin Brayton, Mint Hill, N.C., Honda
2017 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series Points Standings (after 13 of 16 rounds)
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 276
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 272
3. Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM – 227
4. Cole Seely, Sherman Oaks, Calif., Honda – 211
5. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna – 188
6. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM – 163
7. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., KTM – 160
8. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki – 143
9. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha – 136
10. Dean Wilson, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna – 136
250SX East Main Event
1. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., KTM
2. Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki
3. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna
4. Dylan Ferrandis, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Yamaha
5. Christian Craig, Corona, Calif., Honda
6. Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki
7. Mitchell Harrison, Brighton, Mich., Yamaha
8. Gannon Audette, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki
9. Kyle Cunningham, Willow Park, Texas, Suzuki
10. Anthony Rodriguez, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha
2017 Monster Energy AMA 250SX East Supercross Series Points Standings (after 7 of 9 rounds)
1. Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki – 146
2. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., KTM – 140
3. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna – 134
4. Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 128
5. Dylan Ferrandis, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Yamaha – 104
6. Christian Craig, Corona, Calif., Honda – 81
7. Luke Renzland, Hewitt, N.J., Yamaha – 70
8. Anthony Rodriguez, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha – 69
9. Mitchell Harrison, Brighton, Mich., Yamaha – 66
10. Kyle Cunningham, Willow Park, Texas, Suzuki – 62
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