We all remember the legendary 2015 Motocross form that Eli was, possibly the fastest 5 moto's of all time, unfortunately got injured in the 6th.
2016 he was kind of blah, flashes but didnt have the stamina. He did win his usual Tracks: Daytona, Southwick, and Washougal.
Im not sure if the "Beast Mode" nickname came from 2017 or not but I wouldnt be surprised.
2023 Eli was in absolute control of the Supercross title chase and was in top form. Will no doubt go down as the biggest "Should've been Title" of all Time. He did'd even crash.
2024 similar to 2016 was a building year. He had flashes but not the stamina. It was fiitting that he only won a Triple Crown.
So far in 2025, Eli is looking pretty solid. Could this be a resurgence of his 2017 form?
We're only 2 races in but I agree. Except I'm hoping for 2022 form, which is basically 2017 form without the mental mistakes lol
His riding style even looks younger again. He looks very fluid on the bike.
I suspect a DNA test would reveal it is the same rider, and after last weekend is also Jett's daddy....
I watched a couple clips of ELI ,s recent Gypsy tales . ELI is a hard core racer I never heard him talk so open & honest & racer detailed etc. I think he s aid in 16 he wasn’t quite strong enough. He said he just won the nitch races Southwick & Waushogul. When I get a chance I want to watch the whole thing. I,m rooted for him to Win. I didn’t know he was that cool . The media portray people soo different.
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I was waiting for someone to say it. Haha!
When we talk about just SX in 2016, you're pretty much spot on I guess.
You can change my mind, but when it comes to MX I think 2016 Tomac was just as quick as in 2017/2018/2019. The difference: 2016 Kenny wasn't there anymore.
Tomac at the two US GPs after the outdoor season in 2016 put on an absolute clinic, going 3-4 seconds faster than the whole MXGP field. I still watch these races from time to time, that was insane. I don't think any other rider than Kenny would have beat him that year in MX.
Another thing that isn't talked about enough and always comes to my mind, how did Tomac suddenly became a good starter once he got on the Yamaha? He was mediocre back then, maybe even one of the worse starters among the factory riders. In 2022 for example he had the best avg start outdoors. That can't be just the bike, or?
He talks about his hatred for hydraulic clutches so I think that made a big difference, but I also think it’s the power his Yamaha puts out, if it’s a long start straight, you can almost guarantee he will be towards the front.
Not to just zig where you zag but I remember a lot of people at least online discussing whether or not his starts would improve once he got to the Yamaha. I want to say Weege for sure discussed this before and during 2022, but I could be wrong. You have a good point that it’s kinda crazy how much better he got, especially in ‘22 MX
Last week he was manhandling/wringing the shit out of that bike. He's in amazing form.
It's worth a listen. More open than I've seen him. Also crazy to hear him say a stock 450 is too slow, who else has ever said that?
I gotta disagree. Every year on the Kawi he got better and he peaked in 2019. He said himself he had no strength in his shoulders in 2016. 2017 was super inconsistent. He won but would finish outside the top 5 the next race. 2018-2019 Eli were peak mx Eli. His starts were trash on the Kawi, you're absolutely right. Its wild how much his starts improved on the Yamaha. If he was getting those Yamaha starts back in 2019, he might have had an undefeated season
The oldest reference I could find for "Beast Mode" on Vital was after Hangtown in 2015. https://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Moto-Related,20/Tomac-went-full-Beast-Mode,1286512
Which is interesting, because I'm not sure what the consensus for "Beast Mode" is. To me, it's when Tomac is back in the pack a bit and then just goes on a rampage passing guys to take the lead. And that Hangtown race, I believe he took the lead early in both motos.
And unfortunately the AMA results archive has been mangled, so I can't pull up the lap sheets. https://americanmotocrossresults.com/
At one point in the heat of the battle I recall thinking ; ' he's throwing that 450 around like it's a pit bike'
Chase is capable of the same kind of technique when he's feeling it.
Jett is just an artist on the bike, letting the machine do much of the work.
But If I'm Honda or KTM , I'd be a bit worried having seen THAT out of 32 year old Eli Tomac.
That stood out to me too. I don’t think I can recall anyone saying they wanted every bit of power out of a factory 450. Dude is a complete animal.
Post a reply to: 2016 and 2024 Tomac are the same rider.