Translated from a French interview.
https://moto-station.com/moto-verte/mx-sx/itw-eli-tomac-jessaie-detudie…
With a month and a half to go before the opening of the American Supercross Championship, Eli Tomac has resumed training for a few weeks at his home in Colorado. Aware of the task that awaits him, particularly against Jett Lawrence, the official Yamaha Racing rider has only one ambition: to seek a third major title and thus join legends such as Bob Hannah and Jeff Stanton.
With 51 Supercross victories, and the second best performer in history behind McGrath, Eli Tomac could be planning a golden retirement in the sun. But that's to misunderstand the Yamaha Star Racing rider, frustrated by the outcome of the 2023 season. With a brand new Achilles heel, he is building his comeback after seven months without racing. 2024 is shaping up to be one of the biggest years in Supercross, with Hunter and Jett Lawrence joining the 450cc lineup against Tomac, Sexton, Roczen, Webb, Ferrandis, Barcia, Anderson, Cianciarulo, Stewart, Plessinger, Craig...
“Of course I never wanted to end the 450 SX season in this way, walking out of the stadium holding my leg. As a rider, I think I still have a great season ahead of me. I'm not done yet and I didn't want to retire on this image. If I had won the title, then yes, it might have been my last season in Supercross. But I didn't want to stop this way. »
After 14 years as a professional, Eli Tomac did not want to retire on a failure. It was in August that he made the decision at his home in Cortez, Colorado, to return in 2024 with the sole aim of winning again!
“Yes, that’s my one and only ambition for next year. 2024 will be the year of redemption or revenge. I want to get back to the top step in the Supercross championship and that's all I'm concerned about at the moment. »
Anaheim is scheduled for January 6 and until then, Tomac and the whole team are burning fuel at the test track in preparation for his return.
" I'm back ! That's the simplest way to put it. I'm riding Supercross again and it's nice. I went back to my normal training schedule. I do a little testing on the bike and a lot of riding in between. My goal was to get back on the bike in November and here we are. It's perfect in terms of timing. Missing out on the title really disappointed me to the core. I felt like my career wasn’t over yet. That's the main reason I came back. It was horrible to leave like that. Anything but that! It's not like I had a big crash or my engine blew up on the track. I was just doing a classic rhythm section and my Achilles tendon gave out. It was a crazy thing to do. Basically, I immediately told myself that it wasn't time to leave and that I still had the motivation to do another season. »
Next year, Eli Tomac will cross paths with the brand new King Of Paris Jett Lawrence.
“It’s true that there's a lot of talk about Jett Lawrence. Everyone will look at him and he will have a target on his back so to speak. The big unknown will be to see him in a full 450cc SX season. Don't kid yourself, he'll be there. But don't forget Chase Sexton, he's the number one in Supercross. As far as I'm concerned, these are my two main rivals for the title. After that, there will be four or five good riders in the running for the championship too. There are always a lot of unknowns. I'm thinking of my teammate Cooper Webb, Ken Roczen, Jason Anderson. The field will be very strong, as it is every year. What impresses me most about Jett Lawrence is his racing behavior and what he shows on the track at his age. This is exactly what characterizes the next generation of riders. I have never been able to win so many races in a row and so many wins on the day. It's impressive to see and I'm trying to study a lot of things about him, because I know I'm going to have to face him for a season. It’s cool, and to tell you the truth, I can’t wait. »
Despite all his titles, Eli Tomac still has a thirst for victories fueled by that 2023 disappointment.
" That's what I want. Actually I need to prove some people wrong. I can still win at 31 and be champion again. »
All the more reason to think about the image he will leave in the sport and his probable entry into the Hall of Fame one day.
“Yes, I definitely think about it, but you know what surprises me the most? You never know what your future will hold and how far your career will go. And at 31, suddenly, I realized all that. It happened so fast. It was an incredible few years to get to this point. But it's hard for me to talk about myself or brag. Being the second most successful rider of all time in US SX (51 wins) is no small thing. I want to win more. Yes, people often talk to me about titles and victories. But deep down, I'm not satisfied with all that. There's something missing and that's why I'll be riding in 2024. Maybe I'll take the time to realize and reflect on what I've done once I've retired. But not before. »
Edit: typo
Wow a nice interview from the guy that most vital members are saying can’t touch Jett!!😂😂😂😂
"Don't kid yourself, he'll be there. But don't forget Chase Sexton, he's the number one in Supercross."
I have a feeling, if it comes down to Jett vs. Eli for the #1 plate, Chase will help Tomac's case.
Say what you will about Chase, but I see a guy that would put his head down and fight for the win, and let the chips fall where they may. He's not that guy.
First off,
It's going to be good to see him lining up on the gate again.
Seriously, who isn't an Eli Tomac fan ???
But we've all seen him play the long game over the course of a 17 round SX series.
Win when it's there.
Take what you can get when it's not.
That's not going to work well for him, or anyone else, with Jett who's going to be going after wins race after race.
His 1st place points will rack up quickly.
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The way Jett approaches races is how all of these top guys did at one point.
How would 2015 have looked for Tomac without the shoulder? What about 2017 for Kenny or ACs entire career? How many championships should Stew have won?
Throughout the history of the sport the crazy fast riders that want to win every race end up hurt and the Cooper Webbs and Ryan Dungeys end up stacking championships whilst the faster riders (including Eli at one point) were being told they needed a championships mentality.
Jett has this ridiculous speed and racecraft but he's also never been put in his place by an injury, as far as I remember it was just the collarbone when he was going for his first win. If Eli and Chase can reliably have more pace than him and on the odd weekend adding Kenny, Anderson, Mookie etc to it and he has to search for more speed and push his limit how will that win everything approach work then? With that said I can really see him setting sail with this championship, shockingly for a rookie I do think he's the guy to beat coming into the season!
There is a strong possibility Jett wins most (if not all) of the SX races this coming season..Eli or Chase or Hunter might get a win if Jett has a bad day (crash or mechanical)…
Unlike most here, I'm not living in the past.
We have an upcoming season that is the focus of Eli, Jett, and all the rest.
They're not obsessing over the Stewart era, or any others.
We're looking at two completely different approaches to a championship.
The long game may not work for many seasons to come.
Indoors, or out.
He didn't even win all races in Paris against a Hunter after 3 weeks on the bike and a mediocre Kenny. Or SMX. What makes you think he can will all SX races this year? He'll win some (or a lot) for sure and is definitely a title favorite, but there's a reason why a perfect season in SX has never happened.
" there's a reason why a perfect season in SX has never happened. "
Not true . Jimmy Ellis won all four main events in 1975 .
I thought Kenny looked great, why would you call him mediocre?
Through MX, SMX, MXoN, WSX, and Paris, Kenny seems to be getting faster and much more consistent.
Don't sleep on the #94.
This will not age well. Save your post and set up a reminder to repost in May.
You are out of your mind if you think Jett is just going to dominate everyone. The guy has not raced a 450 SX and he is going against one of the best ever and several other contenders for a full 17 rounds. He could win and likely will win races, but it sure as hell isn't in the bag nor is he a clear favorite.
A1 can't come soon enough!
He looked great at SMX and MXoN but he was definitely off in Paris. Just didn't have it, didn't look aggressive and crashed more times that weekend than in the entire 2023 season combined. He also had a bunch of near crashes and weird moments that were off camera that he usually never has
Actually you are correct, he did have a few more bobbles than usual.
Eli is the quintessential professional. Was sickening watching him go out the way he did last year.
There is a good chance this will age well. Expecting Jett (barring injury) will win majority of the SX races. I hope this isn’t the case…
None the less..let’s check back..
I hope not either , nothing against Jett , it just makes for a boring season. That said I agree with you . I'd say he gets at least 10 wins and the title .
I feel like the old dogs era is done. Glad to see Eli ride one more year though.
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When was the last rider to get 10 wins......
Not sure probably RV ? I just think we're seeing a generational rider here . I think he'll do it .
I just found it. Since 2002 RV, RC, and Reed all did it one time, and Stew did it twice and none as a rookie. I agree he is generational with an undefeated outdoor season already, but there is a lot to see for winning more than half the series in SX....in his first year
Villopoto had 10 wins in 2013 and you are correct it wasn't his rookie season. I stand by my prediction.
See my edit above.
Gotcha . I don't think it matters that he's a rookie .
RV - 2013
It for sure matters especially if everyone comes in healthy. 17 rounds in 19 weeks is no joke
It’s clutching at straws this line of thinking that Jett won’t or might not last a full 450SX season. He’s just completed a year of 250SX, 450MX, SMX, MXoN and Paris SX without looking like he’s slowing down.
I’m not making predictions about how many he’ll win but there’s absolutely no evidence that a long season will get to him.
If you add in his MXoN and Paris rounds, which 450 rider got more gate drops then him in 2023?
(only Dean Wilson)
Fredrik Noren.
He did all 17 rounds of SX, 11 rounds of MX, and 3 rounds of SMX.
I don't see Jett replicating his outdoor championship in the 2024 SX series. He's damn good...but some key players are back in the saddle now.
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