Eli Tomac is hoping that some home cooking helps him take two steps up the podium this weekend when the AMA Pro Motocross Series heads to the GEICO Honda rider’s home state of Colorado for the Rockwell Watches Thunder Valley National at Thunder Valley MX Park.
Tomac, who finished third overall in the season opener at Hangtown last weekend, goes into Saturday’s race tied with Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett for second place in the 250cc standings.
“When you are racing at home you always have a little extra motivation,” said Tomac, who still lives and trains in Cortez, Colorado. “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.”
Tomac’s teammate Zack Osborne finished fifth overall last weekend in his first National on American soil in a handful of years.
“I raced at Lakewood a few years go, and it’s a track I really like,” Osborne said. “It’s going to be my first National there, but I did ride the Motocross des Nations at that track in 2010. I got my season off to a good start last week and I stayed healthy, which is important in outdoors riding because the races are so demanding on you physically. I think I’ve got a good shot at competing for a podium finish this weekend.”
Justin Bogle raced for the first time all year last weekend, returning from a wrist injury suffered during training for Supercross.
“My first moto I got tangled up with another guy at the start and it went downhill from there,” Bogle said. “The second moto was better; I got a better start and finished eighth. This week I want to get better starts, find a good rhythm, and just ride consistently from start to finish.”
Two GEICO Honda riders will be on the sidelines for this weekend’s race: Zach Bell is week to week with a bad shoulder and Wil Hahn is on the shelf for a few more weeks recovering from surgery on his hand.
