Kawasaki dominate at Oakland SX

Tomac showed a hint of what was to come with a dominant win in Semi 1. As the gate fell for the 450SX Main Event, Tomac exited turn one in eighth place. He knew he had to pass quickly to catch the leaders and that's exactly what he did.

 

Tomac began attacking the track at a blistering pace, creating unique racing lines and rhythm combinations that allowed him to quickly close the gap to the race leader. With two laps to go,

 

Tomac made the pass for the lead and ignited the Oakland fans. Tomac went on to win by 10 seconds, making it two wins in a row for Monster Energy Kawasaki. This marks the first back-to-back win of Tomac's 450 Supercross career and elevates the Colorado native to second in the points standings.

 

Josh Grant was unable to compete, due to a crash in practice earlier in the day.

 

"Today was very hot and cold,” said Tomac. "It took me all day to really dial the track in and I truly believe the semi was my saving grace. It allowed me to perfect my lines and get a good idea of how the track was going to deteriorate in the Main Event. I was feeling loose in the main, which allowed me to perfect my rhythm in the dragon-back section after the finish line. Overall, it was a good night and let's keep the ball rolling.”

 

"Tonight was all about minimizing your mistakes and capitalizing on others',” said Eli Tomac's Mechanic, Brian Kranz. "We ran down the points leader, passed and gapped him. It feels great.”

 

Justin Hill not only picked up a second consecutive win last weekend, but also scored Pro Circuit's 250th AMA win. Carrying that momentum,

 

Hill began his night with a second place finish in the first 250SX Heat Race, while teammate Austin Forkner showcased his supercross skill with a fifth place finish after crashing in turn one at the start of the race.

 

When the gate dropped on the 250SX Main Event, it was Forkner coming around in second place, before coming up short in the rhythm section and going down in front of the entire field. Hill made it through the carnage and before the end of lap onehad raced into the lead.

 

Hill quickly began to pull away, building up to an eight second lead before hitting some debris in a rutted corner and going down. Luckily, the large gap allowed him time to remount and remain out front. Hill regrouped and went on to win his third consecutive Main Event and is the 250SX Class points leader. Forkner pulled out of the race after his first lap crash.

 

"Tonight was exhausting,” said Hill. "After being sick all week, I wasn't feeling 100% coming into the weekend, but I stayed positive and I was determined to win. My attitude this year has been strong and I'm not allowing anything to bother me. If anything, I'm using everything, good or bad, as fuel to motivate me.”

 

"Today wasn't easy,” said Forkner. "I struggled to find my groove and get a clean lap in. Once I made it through the heat race in one piece, I made another mistake in the main and it ended my race. I have to take the good with the bad and just move on. There's always next week.”