Tomac’s Podium Streak Continues with Third Overall at Unadilla
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac and Justin Cooper finish third and fifth overall, respectively, at the Unadilla National / Aug 17, 2025 /
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac continued his run of podium finishes with a third overall (3-3) at the penultimate round of the Pro Motocross 450MX Championship at Unadilla MX in New Berlin, New York. Teammate Justin Cooper also delivered a strong performance in his home state, ending the day fifth overall (6-4).
The Unadilla National track proved especially technical this year, with hard-packed and slick conditions. Tomac qualified third and was sixth after the start of Moto 1. He briefly dropped to seventh in a heated multi-rider battle but made some passes to complete the opening lap in fifth. Tomac advanced to fourth by Lap 6, then moved into third when the rider ahead crashed. The Colorado rider closed the gap to second but eventually settled into a strong third-place finish. In Moto 2, he once again started sixth, made it to fifth by the opening lap, and moved into fourth on Lap 6. On the following lap, he passed his teammate for third, where he would finish to secure his seventh overall podium of the season. With two moto wins and 12 moto podiums this year, Tomac remains third in the championship heading into the season finale.
Cooper got off to a great start to the day in front of the home crowd, qualifying second. Although he didn’t get the start he was looking for in Moto 1 and found himself back around 20th, he made an impressive charge to 12th on the opening lap. The New Yorker continued to push, making his way to seventh before mid-moto and advanced to sixth on the final lap. In Moto 2, Cooper narrowly missed the holeshot and slotted into third on the opening lap. He maintained a strong pace but was passed by Tomac around the halfway mark, riding on to finish fourth and secure fifth-place overall. With his consistently strong results in both Supercross and Motocross, Cooper clinched the No. 1 seed for the SuperMotocross World Championship Playoffs in the 450SMX class with a 97-point lead in the combined points.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team heads to Budds Creek Motocross Park next weekend for the Pro Motocross season finale and Round 28 of the SuperMotocross World Championship in Mechanicsville, Maryland, on August 28.
Rich Simmons – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager
“I’m happy with the day. I think it was a step in the right direction with both guys. Eli made a fork change that he was happy with. He could ride it better for longer and be more aggressive, and it was good to see him up front and in the fight with those guys. Same with Justin. He rode a little SMX this week as kind of a refresher for him mentally. He looked more aggressive and had more intensity this weekend. I was happy with the bikes. The crew did a great job getting ready for this race. We’re looking forward to next weekend.”
Eli Tomac – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #3
“It was a solid day for us here at Unadilla. As a whole, I rode really well and found a really good flow in both motos – specifically in Moto 1. I was comfortable and felt really good. I just wasn’t quite as fast as the two brothers (Jett and Hunter Lawrence) and missed out a little bit on the starts. This place can be my Achilles heel, so really, third was solid for us.”
Justin Cooper – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #32
“Practice went really well, and we qualified second. The track was really technical today – hard-packed and sketchy in some areas, so throttle control was important. I messed up my start in Moto 1 and came back from around 20th to sixth. In the second moto, I had a really good start, almost got the holeshot, and was third on the first lap. I ran there for quite a while, then Eli got around me and kind of towed me around, and I finished right behind him in fourth. It was a good day overall – better than last weekend – and my riding’s been good. We’ve got one more round to go.”
2025 Pro Motocross Unadilla National 450MX Results
2025 Pro Motocross 450MX Championship Standings
2025 SuperMotocross World Championship 450SMX Combined Points Standings
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