Monster Energy Kawasaki riders Josh Grant and Eli Tomac qualified directly out of 450SX Heat Race 1 with Tomac finishing second and Grant fifth on a rutted and difficult course.
As the gate dropped on the 450SX Main Event, Tomac and Grant circled the opening lap in seventh and eighth, respectively. While making moves towards the front, Tomac collided with another rider at the end of the third lap. Tomac remounted his KX™450F in 20th position and began his long climb back up to the front on the grueling, technical track. Grant held on to finish 10th place with Tomac close behind in 13th place.
“Today was a rollercoaster,” said Tomac. “I struggled all morning with the track conditions and I couldn’t put in one clean lap in timed qualifying. I felt better in the heat race and heading into the main event we made a small change which would have helped if I hadn’t got tangled up with a few riders and gone down. There’s nothing we can do, that’s racing and we’ll rebound next week.”
“Today went well,” said Grant. “I think we made a lot of progress during the week and I felt comfortable on the bike all day today. I just need to eliminate some of the mistakes and I’ll be where I want to be.”