Photography by Kit Palmer
Not a lot of people were talking about Eli Tomac in terms of picks to win Anaheim 1, the opening round of the 2015 Monster Energy Supercross Series, but the GEICO Honda rider turned heads and maybe made a few more believers by topping timed qualifying Saturday afternoon at Angel Stadium.
Tomac pushed his GEICO Honda CRF450 to a time of 54.586 seconds around the technically challenging track. Not only was Tomac’s time the best of the session, it was also notable for being close to a half-second faster than qualifying runner up Ken Roczen on the RCH Soaring Eagle Suzuki. Team Honda’s Trey Canard came in third, with Ryan Dungey and class rookie Dean Wilson rounding out the top five.
Tomac was pleased, but trying not be overly optimistic after topping the session.
“I snuck it in there at the end, just like he (Roczen) did in the first practice,” Tomac said. “I’m feeling really good. I was able to link together quite a few laps there and get in a good groove, so I’m excited. Everyone wants to get off on the right foot and try to avoid that big mistake. A podium is almost satisfactory here. It is a long series, so it’s important not to toss it.”
Second-year rider Cooper Webb went on a flyer on the very last lap of 250 West qualifying to steal away fast time from Malcolm Stewart. Zach Osborne was third fastest.
It was a great way to start the season for Webb, who rides for Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha. Webb said the track was well prepped for the final 250 time qualifying session.
“They actually worked on it and kind of fixed some of the spots,” Webb said. “It felt really good. The first one (session) my whoop speed was a little off, but I nailed it that time and got a pretty cool run in the sand. I’ve never been pole position, so I’m pumped. We’ll see if I can carry this momentum into the night.”
You can watch racing tonight from Anaheim live on Fox Sports 1 starting at 10:00 pm Eastern.
450SX Timed Qualifying from Anaheim, CA – Jan. 3, 2015
1 3 Eli Tomac Honda CRF450 54.586
2 94 Ken Roczen Suzuki RM-Z450 54.927
3 41 Trey Canard Honda CRF450 54.980
4 5 Ryan Dungey KTM 450 SX-F 55.425
5. 15 Dean Wilson KTM 450 SX-F 55.665
6 21 Jason Anderson Husqvarna FC450 55.776
7 14 Cole Seely Honda CRF 450 55.900
8 51 Justin Barcia Yamaha YZ450F 55.915
9 22 Chad Reed Kawasaki KX 450F 55.946
10 20 Broc Tickle Suzuki RM-Z450 56.067
250 West SX Timed Qualifying from Anaheim, CA – Jan. 3, 2015
1 17 Cooper Webb Yamaha YZ250F 55.728
2 34 Malcolm Stewart Honda CRF 250 55.868
3 16 Zach Osborne Husqvarna FC250 56.244
4 32 Justin Hill KTM 250 SX-F 56.262
5 28 Jessy Nelson KTM 250 SX-F 56.292
6 44 Zachary Bell Husqvarna FC250 56.310
7 911 Tyler Bowers Kawasaki KX 250F 56.394
8 981 Austin Politelli Yamaha YZ250F 56.884
9 157 Aaron Plessinger Yamaha YZ250F 57.028
10 40 Shane Mcelrath KTM 250 SX-F 57.029
