Since becoming the first rookie to win his AMA Pro Motocross debut, Eli Tomac of Cortez has been riding under the radar.
Tomac is looking forward to returning to Colorado when he competes in the Thunder Valley Motocross at 1 p.m. today in Lakewood. The 17-year-old expects to shine after a difficult few weeks competing in the 250cc class.
“I definitely want to turn it around,” said Tomac, who hasn’t finished in the top five since winning the season opener in Sacramento, Calif., on May 22. “I haven’t been stoked about my last few finishes, so I want to turn it around in front of the home crowd.”
Tomac said humidity wore him down and contributed to his sluggish starts the past three races in Texas, Pennsylvania and Maryland. After his historic finish, Tomac placed sixth, 16th and 10th in those races, respectively.
Tomac and his father, John, a hall of fame mountain bike competitor, trained in Cortez this week. They focused on working through Tomac’s slump. He took his bike on the course twice this week for conditioning work, before taking off Thursday and Friday. Tomac said training will give him an advantage over the other riders.
“I should be the best guy there,” Tomac said. “I train in the high elevation, so that will help me.”
Tomac and his father were scheduled for an 80-minute plane ride from Cortez into Denver on Friday morning before gearing up for today’s race.
“He’s going to be back in his natural element,” John said.
Out of his element in Maryland a week ago, Tomac added eight points to his total of 109, good for seventh place in the standings. He trails leader Christophe Pourcel by 60 points, and is hoping for a top-five finish this weekend.
“He is capable of winning,” John said.
After winning his debut, Tomac set a goal of finishing in the top three in the season standings.
“I’m going to stick to that right now,” he said.
He’s come a long way, from receiving a PW50 dirt bike for Christmas at age 7, to cruising around the area to competing in local races around Mancos and Cortez. Tomac is now one the main attractions on a larger stage.
“Totally looking forward to it,” he said. “It is definitely going to be fun for me.”
Shemar Woods: 303-954-1609 or swoods@denverpost.com
Motocross today
What: Fifth round of the 12-race national AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
When: Practice and qualifying at 8:30 a.m. Finals begin at 1 p.m with men’s 450cc class.
Where: Thunder Valley Moto- cross in Lakewood.
Tickets: Available at the box office or online at . General admission — adults $37, ages 6-11 $18, ages 5 and younger free. Grandstand tickets — adults $50, ages 6-11 $40, ages 5 and younger free.
