Local professional motocross rider Eli Tomac will be competing at the Rockwell Watches Thunder Valley National in Lakewood on Saturday. The race is part of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship and his only Colorado race this season.
The Cortez native is coming off a third-place finish at the Red Bull Hangtown Motocross Classic in Sacramento last Saturday. That race was the first of the outdoor season.
Tomac, 20, is the son of hall-of-fame mountain biker John Tomac. He said having a father who was a professional athlete helped him become a professional at the age of 17.
“He gave me the background for training and knowing how to approach the way to be a professional athlete,” Tomac said. “Its good to have him in my corner and have someone there that has been there and done that.”
John said he is seeing a lot of improvement in his son and said he can place well in this weekend’s race.
“If everything goes well, I can see top-3 or better,” John Tomac said.
Even though motocross is considered dangerous by some, the elder Tomac said he is fine seeing his son race on a dirt bike.
“I still get a little nervous, but I’m also comfortable to a certain degree.”
Eli is in his fourth year as a professional.
The GEICO Honda rider is currently tied with Blake Baggett for second place in the 250cc standings. and is considered one of the top contenders for the 250 Class title this season, which will likely be his last in the division before moving to the premier 450 Class in 2014.
“When you are racing at home you always have a little extra motivation,” said Tomac, who still lives and trains in Cortez. “We’re in the elevation, so some of the guys might feel it as we go along.”
Though he was pleased with the way the outdoor season started, Tomac is not content.
“I don’t think you can ever be satisfied,” Tomac said. “There’s always something about your start or your ride that you can make better. I do like the way we started at Hangtown, and the next step naturally is to finish on top of the podium at the end of the day.”
Each motocross event is decided with two 30-minute races known as “motos.” Winning a moto gains a rider 25 points, while the second-place finisher receives 22 points.
The rider with the most points at the end of the two motos is the overall winner.
The first motos from Thunder Valley will be aired live on NBC Sports Network starting at 1 p.m. The second motos will air on FUEL TV at 3 p.m.
The 12-race Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship concludes on August 24 at the Red Bull Lake Elsinore National in California.
ecarrillo@cortezjournal.com. Sam Green contributed to this story.
