Tomac upsets the odds with Phoenix Supercross win

Satellite Honda rider Eli Tomac has upset the odds by taking the win in the second round of the Supercross World Championship, holding off last time winner Ken Roczen for the victory and factory KTM rider Ryan Dungey.

In front of a sell-out crowd of 50,000 in Phoenix’s Chase Field, Tomac got an early holeshot, but wasn’t able to keep Roczen behind him, and the German was able to pull several bike lengths clear in the early stages of the race.

However, by half distance in the 20-lap race, Tomac closed the gap and made one of several moves stick, before clearing off to take his first win in the class.

“That was one of the most fun races of my life and to come away with a win is a cherry on top,” exclaimed Tomac, who crashed twice in last weekend’s Main Event en route to a 20th-place finish. “To beat a guy like Ken Roczen; we respect each other and race each other hard. It’s just great. We definitely put our biggest effort into this after last weekend’s misfortunes, and this is what he came out here to do.”

The battle for third, however, went right down to the wire behind the opening duo, with Dungey being forced to chase down Yamaha rider Weston Peick for much of the race. It was lap 17 of 20 before the former champion made it work for him, with Peick taking his best ever finish in fourth.

Davi Millaps was fifth on the Monster Energy Kawasaki ahead of the Husqvarna of Jason Anderson to make it six manufacturers in the top six. 

1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
2. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
4. Weston Peick, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha
5. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki
6. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna
7. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM
8. Trey Canard, Edmond, Okla., Honda
9. Jake Weimer, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki
10. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Kawasaki