Eli Tomac of Cortez won the final race of the 450 AMA Supercross season in Las Vegas on Saturday, leading start to finish and claiming second place in the 2019 series.
Tomac won the holeshot, and quickly stretched out a four-second lead over Marvin Musquin in the fourth lap. Cooper Webb and Zach Osborne were farther back in third and fourth.
Ken Roczen passed Osborne for fourth in the sixth lap, putting the series’ top riders in front of the pack.
Although Tomac had slipped in his heat earlier Saturday, he was spot-on during the main event on the big and fast Vegas track, which included a rhythm lane running the length of Sam Boyd Stadium. After a near-slip in the whoops midway through the race, he recovered and lengthened his lead, racing to the checkered flag 12.061 seconds ahead of Musquin.
Series-leading Webb finished third, 17.466 seconds back, and Roczen and Osborne filled out the Top 5.
Webb claimed the season title with a third-place finish and 379 points overall. Tomac was second with 361, and Musquin was third with 350.
It was Tomac’s sixth win of the season.
He also won at San Diego in Race 5, Detroit in Race 8, Daytona in Race 10, Nashville in Race 14, and Denver in Race 15.
Webb won seven races in 2019, including back-to-back victories at Anaheim and Oakland in Races 3 and 4, and Minneapolis and Arlington, Texas, in Races 6 and 7. He also won in Atlanta in Race 9, Houston in Race 13 and East Rutherford in Race 16.
Tomac got through the 2019 season with few troubles, compared with 2018, when he placed third overall behind Jason Anderson and Musquin. He began the 2018 season with a crash and finished last, then missed the second race. He came back to win back-to-back races in the third and fourth races, but again crashed out of the sixth race. In the final 11 races, he made a dazzling comeback, posting six wins and standing on the podium in four other races to finish a distant third behind Musquin.
He then won the $1 million Monster Energy Cup in October by winning all three races in the main event’s triple crown.
Fast all dayEarlier Saturday, Tomac was the top rider in qualifying rounds, with a fastest lap of 58.242 seconds, 0.428 second faster than rival Musquin. Roczen, Osborne and Webb rounded out the top five.
He also won his heat, racing from fourth place after one lap to second place behind Webb after three laps. He charged hard throughout the race but saved a jump to fall behind Webb, then charged gain to catch Webb. After a bold inside move on Webb, Tomac grabbed the lead and held on to win by 1.632 seconds.
Osborne won the first heat from start to finish, holding off Musquin by 0.707 second.
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship series begins May 18 in California for the Hangtown Classic.