Kawasaki last night put out a press release announcing that Eli Tomac would not make himself available for Team USA selection for the upcoming Motocross of Nations in Maggiora, Italy on September 25.
In the statement, Tomac said: “This was not an easy decision to make. I have raced the Motocross of Nations twice now and it has always been an honour to be chosen for this prestigious event.”
Tomac has recently returned to good form in the Pro Motocross series, with two overall wins in the last three rounds, so it is a blow to Team USA. But with an insanely heavy race schedule, the 23-year-old has taken perhaps the only option available to him.
At the close of the 2016 season Tomac will have competed in the gruelling Monster Energy Supercross championship, the 12 round Lucas Oil Pro Motocross series, Monster Energy Cup and is contracted to race the final two MXGPs at Charlotte and Glen Helen. “This year, due to the race schedule being so full and the commitments I have made for the month of September, the team and I will not have the time and preparation needed to compete in a race as big as the Motocross of Nations,” Tomac added. “Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to represent the US again in the future. I wish Team USA 2016 the best as they compete against the world in Italy and look forward to seeing us back on top of the box where we belong.”
It is likely that the US team will be unveiled at Unadilla this weekend and with Tomac now ruled out, it has been speculated that the team to be Justin Barcia, Cooper Webb, and Alex Martin.
Kawasaki said that immediately following the 2016 season, Tomac and the entire Monster Energy Kawasaki team will focus their collective efforts on preparing for the forthcoming 2017 Monster Energy Supercross Series.
