Earlier this month word came out of California that Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing pilot Eli Tomac had made a decision to line up and compete in the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship, beginning with the AMA Pro Motocross Championship opening round set for Fox Raceway.
One day following, at the penultimate round of the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross in Denver, Tomac hit the dirt during free practice and landed on his thumb. Result of the small shunt? A Bennet Fracture. According to the National Library of Medicine, The Bennet Fracture is the most common fracture involving the base of the thumb and this fracture refers to an intraarticular fracture that separates the palmar ulnar aspect of the first metacarpal base from the remaining first metacarpal.
Got all that? We think we do. Long story short, on May 9, Yamaha, via a press release, announced that Eli Tomac had decided to get surgery on the injury, and in doing so, would be out of racing action for six to eight weeks. Immediately taken out of the season-concluding Salt Lake City Supercross, it was also communicated that Tomac would be absent from the opening rounds of Pro Motocross. Tentatively expected to return to action at the Southwick National on June 29, Tomac, from his home in Cortez, Colorado, spoke about just what went down with the thumb.
“It was just in free practice there in Denver and I just tipped over and I must have just landed on it wrong and with the weight of my body on it and it tore my ligament. I also actually even fractured a piece of my thumb, so it was kind of wild.
“What was interesting about it is that I did a quick X-ray at Alpinestars [medical unit] at the track,” continued Tomac. “This was right after the fact. I guess we missed it or didn’t have the correct angle, so I thought it was just kind of a jam or a sprain. It obviously hurt, but I was like, ‘Well, I can just try and get through this.’ I did get through the main event, but I crashed and that was actually because my hand gave out. At that point I didn’t really know what was up and said, ‘Well, I’ll give it a couple days here and see.’ It never got better, and I knew I had to get a real MRI on the thumb. Sure enough, there was some bad news with the thumb.”
A race winner and six-time podium finisher in the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Championship, Tomac believed he was building speed, confidence, and momentum heading toward the opening phase of Pro Motocross.
“Well, I was beginning to gain momentum,” explained Tomac. “I feel like my results have been a little bit up-and-down this season, but overall, I felt like I was coming around. My speed was pretty good most of the time. I was good in qualifying. I had one main event win this season and a handful of second place finishes. You know just thinking back, for it being a comeback season from a big Achilles tendon injury, I was feeling pretty good, and I was getting stronger. It was just unfortunate timing for this to happen. I was just enjoying the moment and enjoying the racing and it’s still what I love to do. Yeah man, stuff like this is a bummer, but I guess it’s a part of racing, you know?”
So once again, Tomac, as a result of thumb surgery and the healing process that will follow, will be forced to watch the motocross world go on without him.
“Yep, I do have to wait it out now,” he said. “So, I’m getting this fixed on Monday. That’s as soon as they could get me in to fix this thumb issue. I guess the only positive outlook to all of this is it won’t be as long of a recovery as say, my Achilles or my shoulder injuries. I think I’ll be back around the two-month mark. They said that I have to have pins in for six weeks and then they pull it and then basically you just have to let the wound heal. That’s when I can get back to riding. I envision myself back in two months or somewhere along that timeframe and that puts me somewhere in the middle of the motocross season, If I can get a few of those rounds in and then really be strong for the SMX, that would be another successful comeback in my eyes.”
Undaunted and genuinely enthused to get back to racing as soon as possible this summer, Tomac totally realizes that all is certainly not lost.
“Yes. That’s the good thing,” pointed out Tomac. “I’m not out the whole year and I’ve got something to go for, you know? And that’s just trying to get back healthy, and I know I can get back to racing before we round out the year. And it has been a good year. It was solid. Of course, I wanted more, and I wanted to be closer to the championship run, but at the same time, I have to have realistic expectations from what I came back from. I would consider it solid up to this point with a win in there. That was my goal number one in coming back from my Achilles injury and I accomplished that. Yeah, I wanted to be in the points race. I missed that a little bit. I don’t know, I’d rate the season an eight out of ten. Ten out of ten would have obviously meant winning the championship, but I got that one goal of winning the race and was able to make a successful comeback. The Achilles injury was really a horror story, and it can be for most people.”
What did Tomac make of the sensational Jett Lawrence, as well as the other world class racers he faced off against all winter long?
"Every year that there is always another level that you have to step up to. That’s the evolution of racing and I felt like we were able to step up in some parts, but there are other things that we definitely have to work on to catch up to those new guys.” Eli TomacAlign Media
“It was very competitive, and Jett is the newcomer right now,” stated Tomac. “He’s the guy. Cooper Webb made a bike switch and he’s on my team, on Star Yamaha. There was newness to the season, and it seems like every year that there is always another level that you have to step up to. That’s the evolution of racing and I felt like we were able to step up in some parts, but there are other things that we definitely have to work on to catch up to those new guys.”
Fourteen years ago, on May 22, 2010, to be exact, rookie racer Eli Tomac lined up and won the very first Pro Motocross event he ever lined up for at Hangtown in Northern California. Along the way, there were more than a few ups and downs for Tomac, but he continued to build his fan base. Nowhere was that more evident than the ’24 Monster Energy Supercross Series, where legions of fans cheered their hearts out and fully supported the veteran Tomac.
“I have noticed that with the fans and it’s so cool to see,” said an appreciative Tomac. “I feel like the sport, as a whole, is growing. The stadiums seem like they’re more packed. Our autograph lines have been ginormous this year. Unfortunately, people have to get cut off because there are so many fans in the lines. The support for myself and the sport has just been fantastic. Yeah, I’ve been in this a while now, and like you said, since 2010. It has gone by in a flash, but at the same time, it has been the most enjoyable ride ever, so right now I’m trying not to consider myself done at all. I want another season. I want to make a run at in 2025, so it has been great. Wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s really cool. I mean you think back to when you start at the beginning, and you try and build that fanbase. Obviously, it helps when you get good results and all that, but yeah, it’s just pretty hard to believe when you’re in my shoes and you see all these people wearing your T-shirt and hats and merchandise, but it’s so awesome. I want to leave a good example for the kids and anyone watching the sport, so yeah, I am just grateful for it all.”
This season marks Eli Tomac’s third year with the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing organization, a career move that comes at the back half of Tomac’s storied career. The relationship between Tomac and the e
ntire Yamaha contingent has been both positive and fulfilling.
“You know, if you would have asked me when I started my career if I would have been second place on the All-Time supercross career win list with 52 wins, I would have said, ‘Well, that’s a lofty goal.’" -Eli TomacAlign Media
“It has been a great fit for us. Right off the bat in 2022, we really came out swinging. We basically did the best that we could. We won both championships there. In 2023 we should have had the supercross championship locked up, but that’s when I injured my ankle. Overall, it has been an outstanding team. I’ve been able to have a good ride. Yeah, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team has been an excellent spot for us.
“You know, if you would have asked me when I started my career if I would have been second place on the All-Time supercross career win list with 52 wins, I would have said, ‘Well, that’s a lofty goal.’ You look at some of those names on that list and it's amazing, but I have achieved that, so it's been so good. I’m really grateful I’ve made it in the sport to the age of 30 and I’m still at a high level. Man, winning 450 championships, that’s the number one thing and I’ve been able to accomplish that.”
And what of the approaching 2024 Motocross of Nations poised to take place at the sprawling Matterley Basin circuit in Great Britain on October 6, 2024? If he’s healed and up to speed, would Tomac like to represent Team USA at the storied event that has been running annually since 1947?
“Oh yeah,” Tomac answered assuredly. “If I’m in the position to race it and I’m top two in those Open or 450 classes, yes, sign me up. It’s a race like no other, you know? There is no environment like it. Yeah, it’s a very cool event for us. But right now, yeah, I’ve got to keep myself in shape, so it’s not like I’m out six months this time. I’m out for a couple of months, so I’ll be cross training and hanging out with my family as much as I can and really just trying to get ready for the later part of this summer of racing. Those are my goals and those are my intentions, although I don’t have this under contract yet. That’s what I want to try and do. Right now, that’s my mindset and we’re doing everything we can to make that happen.”
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 10:38AM 
