Eli Tomac Earns His 1st 450SX AMA Supercross Championship

Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT — June 21, 2020

It’s Championship Sunday for the Monster Energy AMA Supercross riders. A beautiful day in Utah greeted the competitors with a fast track to race on. In the 450SX division, Eli Tomac is close to unseating last year’s champion, Cooper Webb. No mistakes, no accidents that would take him out of the event, and a 19th place finish will lock up Tomac’s first 450SX championship.

The 250SX East and West riders will be on the track to settle their points battles with a season-ending showdown.

250SX East Heat

Shane McElrath(12) led from gate drop to checkered flag in the 250SX heat. Defending champion and points leader Chase Sexton(1E) was in 9th after the first lap. Sexton rode up into the 2nd position setting up the battle for the East Championship in the Showdown.

250SX West Heat

Disaster struck Dylan Ferrandis(1W) in the West Heat as he crashed and got run over, only managing a 10th place finish, sending him to the last chance qualifier. While Ferrandis won the LCQ, it was just extra drama he did not need with a title at stake. Justin Cooper(32) won the heat followed by Christian Craig(62) and championship contender Austin Forkner(52) taking the 3rd spot.

250SX East/West Showdown

McElrath took the lead at the start of the Main Event and began to build on it. Cooper crashed pon the first lap and was out of the race. Forkner moved into the 2nd spot, Sexton was 7th at the start and Ferrandis 9th. A perfect scenario for upsets by the two guys 2nd in East and West points.

Forkner made a mistake and pitched forward over the handlebars face-first into the dirt. He lay in the fetal position on the track, apparently hurt badly. The race was red-flagged and a complete restart would be required, wiping away McElrath’s big lead.

Forkner was helped off the track but would not be able to ride in the restart. Allowing Ferrandis to cruise to the West Championship for the 2nd year in a row. Jett Lawrence(83) took the lead with McElrath in 2nd and a much better start for Sexton had the defending East Champion in the 3rd position.

McElrath caught Lawrence and got beside him. Lawrence would not let the lead go and fought back forcing McElrath to the outside of the track. Sexton took advantage and passed both riders for the lead. At that point, it was Sexton’s race to lose. He pulled away for a solid win and like Ferrandis, Sexton repeated as the 250SX East Champion.

250SX East/West Showdown Results

250SX East Final Points Standings

250SX West Final Points Standings

450SX Heats

In Heat 1 for the 450SX riders, Broc Tickle(20) from Holly, Michigan earned the holeshot and led early. The only rider left with a chance to catch Tomac, defending champion Cooper Webb(1), did not get a great start and had to battle his way to the front. Knowing the importance of every spot, Webb recovered for a 2nd place finish behind Jason Anderson(21). Tickle held on for 5th and will get a decent gate choice in the Main.

In Heat 2, the championship leader, Eli Tomac(3) started back in the pack. He rode a smart race, avoiding trouble, moving forward when the opportunity arose and taking the 3rd spot to advance easily to the Main Event. Ken Roczen(94), eliminated from championship contention last Wednesday, earned the Heat win. Zach Osborne(16) finished second.

450SX Main Event

Tomac was 9th on the start and Webb went down in the first corner falling to the back of the pack. At the end of the 1st lap, Tomac sat 10th and Webb 14th. With Webb seemingly out of contention for the win, all Tomac had to do was stay out of trouble.

And that is exactly what Tomac did, riding to a fifth-place finish, he wins his first 450SX Championship. Zach Osborne(16) grabbed his first 450SX Main event win, cooper Webb finished 8th.

Broc Tickle finished in 6th and moved into the top 20 in the season’s standings. A good showing for someone who rode the Utah races with a broken hand.

450SX Results

450SX Final Points Standings