Tomac Eyes Top Spot at Budds Creek Motocross
Both of GEICO Honda’s 450 riders started their outdoor campaigns late, but budding superstar Eli Tomac and veteran Christian Craig are quickly making up for lost time with impressive results.
The duo hope to continue that trend this weekend at their title sponsor’s main event, the GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National in southern Maryland.
Buoyed by overall finishes of third and second place in his first two Motocross races aboard a big bike, Tomac has grandiose plans as the tour begins its second half.
“I’ve been pretty pleased with how things have gone for me so far,” Tomac said. “The smiles are back, for sure. We definitely want to have another big weekend at Budds Creek because GEICO is sponsoring the race and we’ll have a bunch of GEICO folks there rooting for us in person.
“It’s going to take a mistake-free race to be on the top step in the 450 class right now. I believe that bike setup is key for each track because the more comfortable you are on the bike the easier it is to make it through two 35-minute motos. I feel very good on the bike and we’ll continue to work as a team to make it even better.”
Although he missed the first four races with an injury, Tomac’s impressive return has him ranked 12th in the standings. Last year’s 250 MX champion is now just 40 points out of the top 10.
Joining Tomac for the second race in a row is Craig, who returned to competitive MX action for the first time in two years last weekend at the RedBud National. Craig, who retired in May 2013 after a crash suffered during the Las Vegas SX race, will complete the outdoor season with the GEICO Honda team.
“I’m pretty happy with how the first race went,” he said. “I honestly didn’t know what to expect since I haven’t raced an outdoor event in a long time. I was hoping for a top-15 finish the first weekend and I ended up 14th overall, so I was happy with that for sure. Now I want to be inside the top 10. I had a few tip-overs at RedBud that cost me a couple positions, so I know I’m capable of a top 10.
“My fitness felt pretty good all weekend, but as always there is room to improve. In the first moto my last two laps were my best, which was encouraging, but by the second moto I did get a little tired towards the end. I need to continue working on my fitness and also my starts. Being a GEICO race and being the new guy on the team, I really want to have a good showing for them.”
MAVTV will carry the first motos live from 1-3 p.m. ET, Saturday. The second motos will air live on NBCSN from 3-5 p.m. ET, also on Saturday. A highlight show will be broadcast on NBCSN from 11 p.m.-midnight ET, Thursday, July 17.
