Tomac Tallies Fourth 2023 Win with Narrow Finish in Oakland

Eli Tomac ties Ricky Carmichael’s career win total, Jett Lawrence cruises to third victory

February 20, 2023

By Keaton Maisano

While the Oakland fans had to wait an extra month to get their fill of AMA Supercross action following a postponement of Round 2 in January, the show put on Saturday was worth the wait.

In a main event that went down to the wire, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac narrowly won to collect his fourth victory of the season. In the 250SX West main event, Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence picked up where he left off, claiming his third win of 2023 and extending his lead in the standings to 20 points.

Tomac trailed for a majority of the main event, but a mistake by Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton allowed Tomac to take the lead with less than seven minutes on the race clock.

However, it was not smooth sailing for Tomac at the head of the pack. An unforced error on the final lap gave blistering-fast Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb a chance to threaten the lead, which was cut down to less than a second when both riders crossed the finish line.

The 450SX win marked the 48th of Tomac’s career, tying him with AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Ricky Carmichael for third all-time.

On the 450SX podium, Webb took second and Sexton grabbed third. The two riders trail Tomac by 7 points in the 450SX standings.

In the fourth 250SX West event of the season, Lawrence visited the top of the podium for the third time with his win in Oakland.

Trailing early, Lawrence patiently waited to pounce before taking the lead and holding it for 11 laps.

The win gave Lawrence a 20-point lead in the season standings over Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire, who took second in Oakland.

The AMA Supercross season resumes Saturday with Triple-Crown action in Arlington, Texas.