Tomac started the day with another solid qualifying result in third. He didn’t get the start he was looking for in his heat race but quickly made his way to third. The Coloradan then waited patiently before passing both championship rivals in succession and then built a gap up front to score his third heat race win this year. In the main event, he got a much better start and was battling up front in third and quickly made his way to the runner-up spot. On Lap 13, Tomac was able to capitalize on the frontrunner’s error and moved into the lead. He continued to ride his own race and had a comfortable lead up front. On the final lap, Tomac went off track but kept his cool and held onto the win to advance his lead in the championship to seven points.
It was a tough start to the day for Cooper who ended up qualifying outside of the top 10 in 14th. Undeterred, the New Yorker and the team kept working, and he earned his best heat race result so far on the 450, coming back from eighth to sixth. It was then a challenging start to the main event, as he was pushed off track and was back in 15th. Cooper put his head down and fought his way back to 10th to finish inside of the top 10 in all three races so far during his 450 debut.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team heads back east to the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for the second Triple Crown of the season and Round 7 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the SuperMotocross World Championship Series on February 25.
2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX Oakland SX Results
2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX Championship Standings
Tomac Scores Fourth Win to Expand Points Lead in Oakland
Tomac Scores Fourth Win to Expand Points Lead in Oakland
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac returned to the top last night in an exciting 450SX Main Event at the RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland, California. In addition to strengthening his points lead with his fourth victory of the season, the reigning Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX Champion tied Ricky Carmichael for the third-winningest rider in the premier class with 48 career wins. Rookie Justin Cooper had a solid effort in the challenging conditions and fought his way back to a top-10 finish.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“It was a great rebound for us from last weekend in Tampa. This track was very technical in general. The dirt gets really soft, and the ruts get really tough. We basically had that challenge the whole day, but overall I felt really good on the motorcycle. I felt like we made some improvements basically everywhere compared to the weekend before. This was important for us to keep the red plate. We’ve just got to keep it rolling.”
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“It was a rough day for me. It started off on the wrong foot, but we continued to push on throughout the day. The track was one of the toughest I’ve ever seen, but it was good experience and another top-10 finish.”
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager
“Overall, it was a really good race day. Eli rode phenomenally from start to finish. He didn’t have such a great start in the heat race, but he came through and rode an awesome race to win. In the main event, we had a plan and we stuck to our plan and ended up winning. So, all in all, it was a really good night.”
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 Team Manager
“It was a tough day for Justin. He was really struggling with the track today. We chased some setup stuff during the day and got him as happy as possible. He qualified 14th and then went to his heat and ended up sixth, which was his best heat race finish so far, so that’s good. Then in the main, he didn’t get the best of starts. He got pushed off the track by another rider right before the whoops and lost a lot of positions there, but he put his head down and fought hard and worked his way up to 10th. That’s his worst result so far, but we keep learning every week, and really that’s the goal for him. We’ve got a few more races with Justin before he starts outdoor testing on the 250, so we’ll keep fighting and hopefully be in the top five with him.”