Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac scored his first win aboard the YZ450F to extend his 450SX points lead at last night’s Round 4 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Anaheim, California. Dylan Ferrandis executed another impressive charge to the front, ending the night fourth to make gains in the points standings at the Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
Tomac got the day off to a good start, qualifying second and then taking his second heat race win of the season. In the main event, he got a decent start in sixth and quickly worked his way up the order and into the runner-up spot by Lap 5. He kept the pressure on and claimed the lead after the rider up front made an error. From there, he put in some fast laps to take his 38th-career win by a 4.6-second margin. Tomac’s debut victory with the team in just four tries advanced his position at the top of the standings to six points.
Ferrandis also showed strength early in the day, topping the first practice session and qualifying fourth. He got a good start in his heat race and finished third but, unfortunately, found himself 14th in the main event. The Frenchman wasted no time, making his way through the field on a difficult track to make passes and claimed fifth by Lap 7. On the heels of his competitor, he kept pushing and moved past with five laps to go. Ferrandis’ fourth-place finish scored valuable points, advancing him three spots to seventh in the championship standings.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team heads to Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday, February 5, for Round 5 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the first Triple Crown of the season at the State Farm Stadium.
Jeremy Coker – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager
“Honestly, the whole day was good. Earlier this morning, I felt really positive about how the day and night were going to go. This whole season, we’ve been executing during the day and not executing at night, and today we changed that. Both guys had an amazing start in the heat race. Eli had a good start in the main, and although Dylan’s start was average, he came through the pack like a madman. He had a really good chance to finish on the podium but kind of got a little stagnant behind Malcolm (Stewart) for a few laps. He pushed past that to finish fourth and gain some points. Eli rode a flawless race. He did everything he needed to do and executed above 100%, and the results showed.”
Eli Tomac – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“It feels great to get this win. It also feels good to get this win for everyone behind me. The team has been working so hard, and what we’ve been able to do and how we’ve been able to improve each weekend is awesome. We’ve just been inching our way forward and fine-tuning every week, so it feels so good to get everyone that result that we all work for. The track was so cool, with really technical rhythm sections, and my motorcycle was so good tonight. I could put it wherever I wanted to – inside, outside – and it was good for the distance, so that’s exciting for us.”
Dylan Ferrandis – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“We had a really challenging track, but I was feeling good on the bike, and the lap times were great all day. I finally got a good start in the heat race, which I was really happy about, and finished third. In the main event, I went on the outside, which wasn’t ideal, but I didn’t really have a nice spot on the inside. It was an okay start, but I got pinched in the first turn and was pretty far back in position. Then I just charged the best I could, made many passes, and finished fourth. The bike is good, and I felt strong in the whoops, so there are a lot of positives from today, but after the podium last week, I wish I would have finished on the box again. This season, the competition is tough, so it’s not always easy. I just gave everything I had, and fourth was my position today.”