Eli Tomac makes a statement with win in Minneapolis

Published Feb. 19, 2017 1:14 a.m. ET

Eli Tomac is establishing himself as the man to beat in Monster Energy Supercross.

When Ken Roczen went down hard during the Anaheim Supercross at the Angel Stadium on Jan. 21, many wondered if there would be any other riders out there who could stop Ryan Dungey from going on to win his third consecutive championship.

Tomac could very well be that man, having won three out of the last four 450SX Main Events. However, a couple of disappointing races earlier in the season have placed him at an early deficit in the points to Dungey.

The rider who interrupted his streak was Dungey’s Red Bull KTM teammate Marvin Musquin, who took the win last week in Arlington, Texas. Saturday night at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Musquin placed second behind Tomac, giving Dungey two riders to watch out for in the championship fight going forward.

For home crowd favorite Dungey, it was looking to be a solid night after the points leader challenge Davi Millsaps for the win in the first 450SX heat race, although he ultimately ended up having to settle for second.

Come Main Event time, however, he found himself behind Cole Seely, Davi Millsaps and Eli Tomac in the early stages. While Seely had taken the holeshot, his joy was short-lived as the HRC Honda rider went down, handing the top spot to Millsaps.

Tomac then took over up front for Millsaps, who then lost second and third to Dungey and Musquin respectively. Millsaps eventually dropped out of the top five, ultimately crossing the line in sixth position.

Up front, Tomac had pulled out a six-second lead by the time the field hit the halfway point. With four minutes to go, Musquin passed his more experienced teammate for second but was too far back to challenge the Kawasaki rider up front.

Jason Anderson placed fourth, having won his heat race, while Seely rounded out the top five.

Meanwhile, Kawasaki rider Joey Savatgy kicked off the 250SX East season with a win, after a solid night which also saw him take the checkered in his heat race. Jordon Smith took the Holeshot in the Main but gave the lead up around the halfway point to Savatgy. Zach Osborne then slipped on by for second but then went down, allowing Smith to retake and finish in second.

The 450SX and 250SX East riders will be back in action next week from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Unofficial 450SX results:

1. Eli Tomac
2. Marvin Musquin
3. Ryan Dungey
4. Jason Anderson
5. Cole Seely
6. Davi Millsaps
7. Brock Tickle
8. Trey Canard
9. Blake Baggett
10. Mike Alessi

Unofficial 250SX East results:

1. Joey Savatgy
2. Jordon Smith
3. Zach Osborne
4. RJ Hampshire
5. Adam Cianciarulo
6. Dylan Ferrandis
7. Anthony Rodriguez
8. Luke Renzland
9. Kyle Peters
10. Colt Nichols