Colorado’s Eli Tomac, already a motocross legend, driven to ‘prove he’s still got it’

While riding a tiny cc bike on his family s ranch in southwest Colorado a young Eli Tomac started down the track toward motocross immortality Tomac the son of iconic mountain biker John Tomac got that first bike for Christmas when he was years old In the decades that followed the father and son trained relentlessly on what was at first a small-scale track on just a couple of acres Now the same -acre ranch where Tomac still trains is a sprawling motocross oasis in the shadow of the Battle Rock sandstone formation in McElmo Canyon There s a full-size motocross track multiple supercross tracks and selected smaller practice tracks too encompassing about acres We started to build the track when we first started riding together and it kept evolving as his bikes got bigger as his skill level raised John Tomac disclosed We just kept advancing the track with him We added on we refined it we moved it a couple of times There s a lot of kids who are good racers when they re younger and they don t pan out later I think it helped that I was a professional athlete we had the land to practice on and I kind of knew a good pathway and I could gauge where he was at and where he might end up But even with all that he definitely exceeded what a normal expectation for a career would be Tomac is the local headliner at the Thunder Valley National on Saturday in Lakewood A four-time motocross champion and two-time supercross champion he s racing there for the first time in a couple of years after injuries prevented him from competing in and Tomac enters the race in third place in the class points behind leader Jett Lawrence The -year-old veteran s won four times in Colorado as a pro He claimed the first supercross event at Empower Field in and has also won at Thunder Valley three times the class in and the class in and Thunder Valley promoter David Clabaugh says Tomac s return notches up the excitement around the event Tomac who broke his leg in February at a supercross race in Tampa believes he still has the speed to win and vie for the circuit title this season despite being one of the oldest competitors in the field Tomac placed second in the first race of the season at Fox Raceway then fourth in the second race last weekend at Hangtown where he won the first moto but crashed in the second The comeback and the rebound have been really good Tomac declared I m looking forward to a better showing in Colorado because the last time I raced in Colorado in I ended up current my thumb in Denver during supercross That was a bummer I m more motivated when I show up in Colorado I get this natural lift and motivation and the home crowd s invariably great Andy Cross The Denver PostColorado pro motocross racer Eli Tomac at the finish line jump during the Moto for the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Thunder Valley National at Thunder Valley Park on Oct Photo by Andy Cross The Denver Post While Tomac looks to return to the Thunder Valley podium John is the grand marshal of Saturday s event John s guided Eli throughout his career from the time Eli won his first race at Loretta Lynn s at the age of nine to Eli becoming the only rider ever to win his pro debut in and through the championships and Eli s total American Motorcyclist Association wins Eli announced his father s coaching and help have been critical to his success and longevity The father-son duo got their start in the sport together when Eli was little and they d progress to races with John competing in his own class as an amateur He s been with me by my side since the beginning of it all going to every race Eli noted It s a little out of the ordinary but we ve made it work and I wouldn t have it any other way We ve been able to maintain a great father-son working relationship He s inevitably had a great eye in terms of technique on the motorcycle helping me find lines before the race and the little details of the sport others might overlook Considering both of their resumes John and Eli are one of the the greater part accomplished father-son duos to ever get on two wheels John won the National Off-Road Bicycle Association Championship in cross-country downhill and slalom in and went on to accumulate several more titles before retiring in as the winningest mountain biker ever He was also an elite road cyclist who competed for the U S A Cycling National Unit All that earned John induction into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and U S Bicycling Hall of Fame There s a reason why they call him The General ' commented motocross racer and family friend Jeremy Martin who trained with Eli in Cortez for several years That dude left no stone unturned and he held you accountable Even on the days you were tired he proved up put in the work was consistent was rock solid He did what needed to be done when you never required to do it Now The General is determined to see his son finish his career on his terms Eli says he s planning on racing at least one more year after this one then he might hang it up But John says he s heard that before and thinks his son has even more in the tank while going up against the sport s next generation of stars such as Lawrence a -year-old phenom who s already won an AMA -class title in motocross and supercross He says next year will be his last but he s described me that three or four times John quipped There s a few really fast young kids who are coming up now and he really enjoys competing against them That s part of the fire in his belly is to prove he s still got it A win at Thunder Valley would bump Tomac up the all-time standings He s right now fourth on the all-time motocross wins list with victories one short of tying Rick Johnson for third place He s also second on the all-time supercross wins list with His combined wins in motocross and supercross are only bettered by the sport s greatest rider ever Ricky Carmichael s wins and the king of supercross fellow icon Jeremy McGrath s wins Both are AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers a club that the speed demon from tiny Cortez seems destined to join The guys he s surrounded by in the record books are legends so I think Eli is absolutely a legend too Martin disclosed He s a good ol Colorado country boy who works hard has stayed true to his roots and has consistently located a way to win And I don t think he s done winning Toyota Thunder Valley National Andy Cross The Denver PostBack of Colorado motocross racer Eli Tomac's helmet before the start of the Moto for the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Thunder Valley National at Thunder Valley Park Oct The AMA Pro Motocross Championship returns to Thunder Valley Motocross Park in Lakewood this Saturday for the st running of the Toyota Thunder Valley National Here s the event schedule Practice and Qualifying a m Opening Ceremonies p m First Motos Class Class p m Second Motos Class Class p m