If for nothing else, we know that it's an undeniable fact that Eli Tomac's willingness to go and run Motocross Des Nations pre-inital team lock in was genuine. Chase Sexton's hand injury from Moto 1 of SMX Vegas has officially taken him out for the time being, and ET3 is now set to lead a Team USA squad consisting of himself, Cooper Webb, and Aaron Plessinger.
A Puncher's Chance
Losing Sexton for Des Nations is massive no matter what, but the fact that Team USA's backup option, keyword backup, was ELI TOMAC means that this team still has a genuine shot at stealing one over at Matterly Basin. I had my concerns about Tomac once he came back initially at the tail end of Motocross, but even in some losing SMX efforts, he looked so much better than he did at the Budds Creek National it's not even funny. I wouldn't exactly call losing to the Lawrence brothers and Sexton (while showing race-winning pace for the most part) a badge of dishonor.
I could say the same with Aaron Plessinger and Cooper Webb with their injuries/recovery, but they also looked good enough to where I feel confident enough with them going into that first weekend in October. Given that this is England, I wouldn't exactly bet against there being some inclement weather, and at this point in their careers, there might not be two more guys I'd trust in a situation like this than Tomac or Webb, even if the latter hasn't had much outdoor success to speak of in recent years.
Legacy Talk
Back to Tomac: I pondered this as the rumors picked up about this happening earlier today, and I think it's a worthy topic. Right now, he's second and third all-time in premier-class Supercross Main Event and Pro Motocross National Wins, with two Supercross Titles, Four Motocross Titles, two Monster Energy Cup wins, and a domestic Motocross Des Nation win.
Should Tomac add an overseas MXoN win to his resume, in which he is a key reason why the United States wins, how close would he be to James Stewart (so good btw) from an all-time vantage point? Having a Des Nations win on home soil and overseas would mean the only two notable things Stew has that Tomac doesn't would be a perfect MX season and a Supercross season with double digit Main Event wins. And for the record, I don't think a win next weekend alone would get him past Stew, but I think those two being compared all-time becomes a conversationable topic that isn't ushered out the window instantly.
ET3's resume is as good as anyone in this sport's history, and if he can lead Team USA to yet another Chamberlin trophy in King Charles's backyard when he could've turned this down last-minute offer easily with World Supercross on deck, that would only add to it.
Main Image via Yamaha Motorsports
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