Round 8 of the 2018 AMA Pro Motocross Championship returned to action at the Spring Creek National as Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Eli Tomac regained the series points lead with a perfect day going 1-1 in Millville, Minnesota.

Tomac came to the 35th annual Spring Creek National determined to redeem his adversity-filled weekend at RedBud and did not skip a beat as he kicked the day off qualifying with the fastest lap time (2:12.2).

Focused on keeping the momentum going, Tomac lined up for Moto 1 aboard his KX450F and blasted off the gate in fourth.

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Halfway through the moto, Tomac manoeuvred his way around two of his contenders into second place while taking different lines on the track as he continued to find time on the front-runners. As he began to chase down the leader and avoid the plethora of lappers, Tomac eventually made his move for the front with five minutes and two laps to go, building a 13-second gap as he reached the chequered flag.

As the 38-rider field came off the gate in the second moto, Tomac was squeezed out from the front as they rounded the first turn.

Tomac went straight to work from seventh, quickly making his way into third within minutes.

As he charged the rollers with impeccable speeds and clocking the fastest lap of the race at 2:14.4, Tomac began closing in on the eight-second gap he had from the leaders.

As the race hit the halfway point, Tomac had caught up to his contender in second and battled for multiple laps before dropping the hammer and making his pass. With the leader now in sight, Tomac proved there was no challenge too great as he powered forward into first place with five minutes and two laps remaining.

Tomac went on to sweep the podium with a 1-1 finish and reclaim the coveted red plate with a seven-point lead in the standings and four rounds remaining in the series.

“I had so much motivation from how the last race went and I carried it into this week,” said Tomac. “The team and I were focused on coming back with a good race and to get back on track. I always have fun here but I was really ready to go this week and happy to get the red plate back. We’re going to keep working hard and looking forward to some good racing at Washougal next week.”

Eli Tomac, AMA Pro Motocross - Spring Creek National 2018
Eli Tomac, AMA Pro Motocross – Spring Creek National 2018