Eli Tomac Muscled the Mud at Unadilla

August 11, 2018 | Unadilla MX | New Berlin, N.Y.

Tomac embraced the challenge of the torrential rains as he qualified third after setting a 2:11.1 lap time to open Round 10 of the 2018 AMA Pro Motocross Championship. After a mid-pack start in Moto 1, Tomac charged the sloppy track aboard his KX™450F making his way up to fourth before running into an issue with his goggle’s roll-off canister, which forced him to pull off into the mechanic’s area. The entire Kawasaki crew made quick work to switch out Tomac’s goggles for a fresh pair, reviving his vision and allowing him to return to the track without losing his fourth-place position. After jumping every hurdle thrown at him and nine minutes remaining on the clock, Tomac made his way around three of his contenders and rode on to an incredible 25-second margin of victory.

As the gate dropped on Moto 2, the rain had finally come to an end, but only to create yet another obstacle for the riders as the track became tacky and limited to one ideal line. Although he shot off the gate in third, Tomac stayed focused on the ultimate goal of winning the title. Due to the tough conditions, Tomac decided to ride at a consistent, steady pace in order to finish the race without incident. Tomac went on to pass one other rider to finish second in the moto for second overall (1-2) and retain his 15-point lead in the championship with only two rounds remaining.

As the rain began to subside and the gate dropped for Moto 1, it was Savatgy who immediately jumped out to a second-place start, looking to stay clean, dry, and maintain clear vision in the sloppy conditions. Ultimately, the challenges of the mud would send him off-course and off his motorcycle as he exited the famous “Gravity Cavity.” After a quick remount and hard charge, Savatgy was able to navigate his KX™ to eighth in Moto 1. Forkner also succumbed to the muddy conditions and suffered a crash in Moto 1, crossing the finish line in 23rd place.

As the gate dropped on Moto 2, both of the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki machines rocketed out of the gate to start inside the top 10. Savatgy quickly found his way into a five-rider battle at the front of the pack, which lasted for the majority of the race. As the race went on, Savatgy continued to push, setting his best lap times later in the race. He was able to finish the moto on the podium in third place, giving him an 8-3 score for fourth place overall. Forkner was forced to weave his way through traffic for a consistent race, finishing in ninth in Moto 2, which earned him a 14th overall on the day (23-9).