MILLVILLE, Minn. (July 14) - Eli Tomac capped a spectacular day for the GEICO Honda team by leading a 1-2 sweep of the Spring Creek National Saturday in the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
Tomac finished third in the first moto then won the second to claim the overall victory at Spring Creek Motocross Park. Teammate Justin Barcia finished second in both motos, putting two GEICO Hondas on the podium.
"It's almost as good as it gets," Tomac said. "It's cool to see us both up there."
Will Hahn finished sixth overall, while rookie Justin Bogle ended up a strong eighth in his first race back from knee surgery.
"Keeping those GEICO Hondas up front is always a good thing," Barcia said of the 1-2 finish.
They were up front most of the day, in fact. Barcia led most of the first moto before dropping to second behind Blake Baggett late in the 16-lap race. Then, in the second moto, Tomac got the jump on the field and led most of the way. Tomac slipped to second before Baggett went down seven laps into the race and fell back.
Tomac then took command and won the moto by more than 23 seconds to claim his third overall victory of the season.
"This was a tough one," Tomac said, referring to the 90-degree weather Saturday. "It was a good day of motos. The first one where I was third was probably one of the best battles of the year between all of us. We were all right there the whole time. The second moto came around, and I was able to get out front the first lap."
Tomac stayed close for a lap after Baggett took the lead.
"I was trying to put the pressure back on him, and he ended up making a mistake, and I capitalized on that," Tomac said. "Then I rode smooth and smart from there."
Tomac's physical fitness was clearly a factor, as he extended his lead in the second moto, even after a long, hot day.
"The humidity was pretty nasty," Tomac said. "The first moto was really hot, and we had a really short recovery time in between the two. You had to be ready quick."
Barcia raced hard in both motos, and while he was happy with second, he was a tad frustrated with not winning.
"It was really hot today," Barcia said. "The track was really, really tough. I pushed it as hard as I could and ended up with two seconds. It was a good day. I'm happy with it. Obviously, I want to win, and I'm going to go for it every weekend. I'm trying hard, and hopefully it comes soon."
Barcia did make up some ground on Baggett in the points standings, remaining second after seven events. Tomac stays in third place.
Hahn solidified his sixth-place standing in the points with a fifth in Moto 1 and a seventh in Moto 2. The key to both his races were solid starts, as he squirted out near the front of the field in both motos.
"Two good starts," Hahn said. "The first moto was good. I rode like crap in the beginning, but I came through and got fifth, which I'm happy with. That's where I want to be."
Hahn was happy with his riding in the second moto, and he fought hard for a seventh.
"But still sixth overall, sixth in points," Hahn said, "and moving forward to the next round."
Bogle, too, was looking forward after his second start of the season and first since the opening round. He said his repaired knee felt good but wanted to improve his stamina in the next race.
"It was good," Bogle said. "The day didn't go how I pictured it going, but we'll get there. I had to get my feet wet, and next weekend should be better. I'll go put some work in this week back home, and hopefully turn it around."
