Tomac Fires First Shot with Epic Anaheim 1 Victory
/ Jan 24, 2023 /
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing enjoys a stellar debut with the all-new YZ450F at the opening round of the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac added Anaheim 1 winner to his list of career achievements, taking a thrilling victory at last night’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross season opener. It was a stellar first outing for the 2023 YZ450F at the Angels Stadium of Anaheim, with teammate Dylan Ferrandis also showing strength and narrowly missing the podium in a drama-filled 450SX Main Event
Riders were met with challenging conditions after Mother Nature drenched Southern California in the lead-up to the opening round of the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the inaugural SuperMotocross World Championship series. Tomac got off to a great start, taking the runner-up spot in qualifying and grabbing the holeshot in the first 450SX heat race en route to a dominant victory. In the main event, he took over the lead on Lap 3, but unfortunately, before the halfway point, he crashed on the tunnel jump and was shuffled to sixth. The reigning champ put on a masterclass performance, making his way back to the front in the final laps to score his first Anaheim 1 victory at the debut race for the all-new YZ450F.
His teammate Ferrandis also enjoyed a great start to the new season. The Frenchman qualified sixth and took a runner-up spot in the heat race, giving the team a stellar 1-2 finish. He got off to a solid start in the main event and made his way from ninth to fifth by the halfway point. With his eyes set on a podium, he kept charging but, unfortunately, made a mistake in the challenging conditions and ended up just shy of the final podium spot in fourth.
Next weekend, the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team heads north to the RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland, California, for Round 2 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship on Saturday, January 14.