Eli Tomac and stand-in rider Tyler Bowers talk about their Tampa Supercross results

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac continued his winning ways with a second straight victory as Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, returned to Raymond James Stadium Saturday night.

In the 250SX class it was Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Austin Forkner earning his first career supercross win in dominant fashion.

It was another great weekend for Tomac as the #3 Kawasaki once again kicked the day off by setting the fastest time in qualifying. He did not let off the throttle all night as he finished second in his heat race and was ready to notch another main event win.

As the gate dropped for the main, Tomac led the field around the inside of the first turn on his KX450F and began battling for the lead. Just passed the halfway mark, he solidified his position up front and went on to lead 13 laps and capture his fourth win of the season.

“It was a tough race tonight,” admitted Tomac. “A couple of guys got around me early on but I was able to find my groove and ride up to the front. I found a good line in the heat race and I used that to get by Marv (Musquin) and overall this was a good race track for us. A win in this 450 class is pretty hard to come by, and this feels really good.”

Stoked to pull off the W in Tampa! Tough track, gnarly rhythm section, crazy sand, and 26 laps! Looking forward to ATL #racekx @racekawasaki @monsterenergy @alpinestars @bell_powersports @oakleymotorsports @ppgindustries @tfant612

A post shared by eli tomac (@elitomac) on Feb 26, 2018 at 5:42am PST

Monster Energy Kawasaki welcomed fill-in rider Tyler Bowers to the team this weekend as the injured Josh Grant recovers. In his 2018 debut with the factory team, Bowers transferred directly out of 450SX Heat 1 with a sixth-place finish. In the Main Event, Bowers rounded the first lap in 18th and worked his way up to 14th place at the chequered flag.

“Today went well,” said Bowers. “I felt super comfortable on the factory Monster Energy Kawasaki as soon as I hit the track in the morning and felt I rode well all night. I had a great heat race, but didn’t get the start I wanted in the main and ended up finishing 14th. Overall, I think it was a great weekend and can’t thank Monster Energy Kawasaki enough for giving me this opportunity.”

[easy-tweet tweet=”Tyler Bowers – ‘Not gonna lie, I DID NOT dig the track this weekend.'”]

Not gonna lie, I DID NOT dig the track this weekend. Just could not find that flow. Glad I made it out and I'm ready to get some more time on this @racekawasaki mean machine this week! : @motoonemx

A post shared by @ tylerbowers on Feb 25, 2018 at 9:06pm PST