ANAHEIM, California: Eli Tomac is feeling fine and ready to be the first rider to consistently challenge Jett Lawrence for primacy on a dirt bike since the young Australian began his domination of the 450 SuperMotocross competition.
During Monster Energy Supercross Media Days, a confident Tomac admitted that Lawrence is one of, if not the, rider to beat but with a completely healed Achilles Tendon, he knows he is also going to be one of the riders that the field has to chase.
“I’m excited to race (Jett and Hunter Lawrence) because it’s just newness to the field,” Tomac told NBC Sports. “And Jett, he’s obviously had such an incredible start to his career. I mean, everyone knows about the perfect (Pro Motocross) season, so I’m excited to get out there with him on the track. And, well, Hunter, you know, he had a great 250 career also.”
Both riders were listed earlier during the offseason as a reason why Lawrence will need to look over his shoulder when the season begins, but Tomac holds a special place in that list. He has six combined championship in the stadium and outdoor series and almost certainly would have added a seventh in 2023 if not for a late-season injury.
Tomac was leading the Supercross championship with two rounds remaining in the 2023 season with a substantial lead entering Round 16 on his hometown track in Denver when he landed hard on a jump during the main event and suffered the injury. He was leading the race at the time and prepared to pad the points.
Ruptured Achilles tendons can take up to a year to heal, but Tomac was back on the bike in early October, barely six months after his injury.
“Overall I feel really good,” Tomac said. “It’s been a consistent healing process and never really had any hiccups with it. I was on my motorcycle in the first or second week of October. So it was good. I rode motocross for three weeks or so early in November. November is when I hopped on the supercross track. And, yeah, there we are.
“It was just like a consistent process of just getting a little bit better and better. Once I got my boot, I felt really normal and it hasn’t been that bad. So, (Achilles ruptures) sound like horror stories, but you can come back that’s for sure.”
Tomac’s return to the track in the season opener on January 6, 2024 will allow Jett and Hunter Lawrence the opportunity to race one of the legends in the sport - an opportunity that was afforded Tomac when he came into the 450 series a decade ago in 2014.
“Before he got injured, he was the main guy,” Lawrence told NBC Sports. “Personally, if I’m one of the guys that are going to be the main guy and I haven’t beaten the main guy - Chase (Sexton) obviously is up there for sure - but it’s not quite the same as beating Tomac, because I haven’t got to race him yet.”
The overlap of legends racing legends is a rare occurrence. Tomac’s career would be great regardless of his early competition, but it is even more so because he had the chance to race Ricky Carmichael, Chad Reed and James Stewart. Tomac’s career is an example of how generations overlap and keep the history of the sport alive.
“I feel like that would be a great experience for me to try and beat him, learn off him, because he’s our most recent legend,” Lawrence said. “I mean, if any person got to race against (Ricky) Carmichael or the opportunity to race James Stewart and (now to) learn off of (that rider), he would take it for sure.
“I’d much rather just kind of learn off of him and just keep on winning. ... I’m just very excited to learn off of him. Race him and hopefully give him a good battle. And I’m just going to race him respectfully but also very hard.”
Tomac now knows what Carmichael, Reed and Stewart felt. And he can relate to the excitement of the two 450 Supercross rookies.
“Thinking back, I totally know what those guys are feeling,” Tomac said of Jett and Hunter. “I remember lining up with James and Chad. And it was like I was racing my idols, so it was kind of crazy - a crazy feeling.”
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