Tomac outduels Roczen for first career Supercross 450SX victory
Eli Tomac raced to his first Monster Energy Supercross 450SX victory Saturday night at Chase Field, taking the lead for good from Ken Roczen on the eighth lap in the 20-lap final.
Tomac, the Honda rider from Cortez, Colorado, rebounded from a 20th-place finish last week in the season-opening race in Anaheim, California. He won in his 15th career 450SX start.
"That was one of the (most fun) races of my life and to come away with a win is a cherry on top," Tomac said. "To beat a guy like Ken. We respect each other and race each other hard. It's just great."
Roczen, the Suzuki rider from Germany, was second after winning in Anaheim.
"I got off to a fast start but overall I didn't feel the greatest tonight," said Roczen. "I put it down the first 10 laps (or so), but then Eli got me. He rode better than me tonight, but I'm very happy to finish on the podium. We'll do some work this week and come out next weekend looking to get a good start, ride smart and come away with another good result."
KTM's Ryan Dungey was third, followed by Yamaha's Weston Peick and Kawasaki's David Millsaps.
Roczen leads the standings with 47 points, nine more than second-place Dungey. Tomac is seventh, 21 points behind Roczen.
Yamaha's Cooper Webb raced to his first Western Regional 250SK victory, holding off Honda's Malcolm Stewart. The 19-year-old Webb, from Newport, North Carolina, was making his 11th career start.
"I got an awesome start and that helped a lot," Webb said. "Phoenix was one of my favorite races last year, so to get it done here feels awesome."
KTM's Jessy Nelson was third after winning in Anaheim. He leads the standings with 45 points, six more than second-place Webb.
The series returns to Anaheim next weekend.
