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If Yamaha hadn’t of wasted his first year in the states by making him race Lites, I reckon he wins that 2003 SX title.
I’m not sure RC would have matched him in 04 either.
2005 is a different story; Yamaha screwed up with the new frame and RC’s Suzuki was way better than his Honda, and the GOAT is the GOAT.
Windham got 10, Villopoto and Millsaps 2 each, and 1 each for Lusk, La Rocco, Hill and Grant.
Three of the seven titles were decided by 7 points or less.
I’d say easily the most competitive era of supercross.
I’d like to see him get 51.. Anderson and Sexton will make that difficult though, they’re going to be a handful in 23 SX
Will he push the limits the same way Sexton are willing to do or will he back down and start to think about life after racing now that he has a date for it?.
We know that Sexton will be up there, the question is if Tomac will be 100% in it mentally?
Is it crazy to think Tomac could reach Mcgrath's record? He still needs 26 wins to tie. He could easily win 10+ this year based off how the 1st two rounds have gone? I don't know how he could retire as long as he keeps winning at his current pace on the Yamaha. He said he when he signed with Star, he was likely retiring after that year, but all the winning made it easy for him to come back for 2023.
I will bet you $100 Eli doesnt surpass McGrath. Interested?
I don’t think anyone will ever touch McGrath. With Tomac’s current 2023 start with 15 rounds left I see him easily passing Stew for 2nd all time barring injury.
Pit Row
Eli just passed McGrath for total overall combined wins between MX, MX lites, SX, and SX lites with McGrath at 89 wins and Eli now at 90 wins, 3rd all time behind James (98) and Ricky (150). Its possible for Eli to pass James in total SX wins (likely to happen) and total overall SX/MX wins this year to be #2 all time in both (needs 9 more wins to do this which may be tough this year, but would likely get it if he races one more year/part of next year).
Would be cool to see Eli get to #2 in both categories. Hard not to put him on MX Rushmore regardless. Dude is a beast.
It’s not just the 72 wins. It’s how he did it. If a pro who is on top of the world tops Jeremy McGrath’s record, it still won’t actually be topping it. It’s the dominant way McGrath did it that can’t and won’t be topped. It’s not even about the 72 number. Trust me, McGrath will never be topped, no matter how you look at it. It’s not going to happen.
Yup or when RC and James were hurt. Reed is super overrated, especially on these boards.
Eli looked so effortless in his ride. I'm not sure anyone will keep him from passing JS7's record. I'm just waiting for the folks that pipe up and say RC's numbers are only that good because he had no real competition to start saying that about Eli. They don't realize there is plenty of competition, it's just there are some riders that are soo good they dominate the field. But there are always new faster riders coming up. If Jett stays healthy, we'll see a lot of records shattered. I believe he has the right mentality like RC, ride just fast enough to win and stay healthy. If JS had that mindset, he'd have crushed MC's record. But things can change with one mistake. And not even the rider's mistake. Could be the guy next to him. Back to Eli, he's very dangerous this year, fast, comfortable, and having a good time. This is his year.
TM
I don't think anyone could say that about Eli. He's been racing stacked fields his whole 450 career, if he never rode that Kawi in his prime he would've had a chance at getting near McGrath's win totals in Supercross. Plus his Outdoor wins? He would've been the new GOAT. Yes I said it.
2009 Chad Reed would give Eli a run for his money over the course of a season.
I think Tomac gets to 2nd all time in SX wins this year. Not easily but I think he get there. As for 72, I agree that this record is untouchable. JS was the only one who had a chance and he blew it with poor decisions and Bubba's World and the SX only deal that saw him not stay in it 100% through his career. There is no doubt that he was the baddest dude on the planet on a dirt bike and the only guy that could beat him outdoors was a fit and focused RC at 100% of his capacity every lap. In SX most would agree there was no one better than JS, but only achieving 2 SX titles doesn't put him in the same air as RC, RV, Dungey, Stanton, AND soon to be Tomac. I remember an interview Jeremy was asked whether or not JS would beat his SX record and he said something to the effect that "I hope he makes a ton of money and becomes satisfied with what he has achieved" so that he wouldn't pursue his record with the focus and drive and longevity and consistency that he would have needed to beat 72. I mean 72 is a number that would require someone to be winning consistently for a decade in SX and that is a tall order, to stay fit and focused and healthy and dialed in for that long. The number just tells us how tough it will be to beat. Tomac, in theory, could beat it as he still has a few years at the top level but he would have to continue to win at a pretty high clip, and he has 2 kids, a great life, and is already an all timer. Does he want to pursue the all time record? Sure doesn't look like it. The amount of sacrifice and effort and focus and time away from family and everything else, not to mention the risk and Tomac will tap out long before he even begins to sniff 72. And congrats to him-he is already in rarified air, one of the best ever. Congrats to him. He is amazing.
I would love to see him win 51+ and end up 2nd overall. I think he deserves to be held in very high regard and that would help for sure. Regardless, I don't think we seem him again after SX this year other than maybe the 3 SMX races. If he could win the SX title, surpass Stew, and then win the first ever SMX title this year and then retire it would be awesome.
I’m a huge Tomac fan, but he’s nowhere near “goat” status. You do realize that RC has 3 more big bike SX championships and 3 more big bike MX championships than Eli? Not to mention Ricky’s 3 250 MX championships in a row. The guy literally won outdoors every single year of his career. Nobody is touching that. Not Eli. Not Jett. Sure, Eli now has more individual wins than RC in SX, but it’s taken him 3 years longer to do it. It’s really not even close.
Unless an injury or something else happens I think he races the Outdoors this year. His wife even kinda hinted at it last night. He is a completely different guy than he was on the Kawasaki. He's more personable in interviews, happy, and seems to be enjoying the sport again. Case in point him cracking up at the post race press conference and breaking out laughing, when Anderson's tweet about Barcia being a bitch was brought up. Kawi Eli would never have laughed. Just look at the history of the Kawasaki riders and miserable they looked at the races. RC, James, Davi, Villopoto, and Eli were just the most obvious. I've heard interviews from guys like Weimer, Hahn, Lusk Hughes, etc talk about how high the tension was there. Look at what they did to Fro. He won 2 outdoors and 1 Supercross title for them, and they fire him for getting arrested for a small amount of weed while partying in the off season in Havasu?
Now look at how happy these guys are after leaving Kawasaki. Especially Villopoto and Eli.
True and a very valid point. I got ahead of myself there. I do think Eli has faced tougher competition, ironically because RC and Aldon bringing the hardcore training into the sport. Which you have to be doing if you want to be successful these days. It's a proven program. Ken, Cooper, and I think Anderson all fell off a bit when they left Aldon. Did Anderson win his title when he was still with Aldon? I can't remember. But yes I jumped the gun with the GOAT thing, but I do think Eli will be easily one of the top 3 or 4 riders of all time when all is said and done.
I think your are forgetting the 17, 18 and 19 450 Outdoor Champ was Eli… that’s 3 in a row. Just sayin.
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