Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha’s Eli Tomac took over the championship lead with a runner up finish in San Diego.

Tomac showed strength with his charge towards the front in his heat race, taking the runner-up spot in the final moments. In the main event, he got a good start and quickly moved to third and then advanced to second on Lap 5.

Although he was passed after the halfway mark, he kept riding his own race and reclaimed the position after the rider ahead had an issue. From there, he put in some solid laps to cross the line second. His debut podium with the team puts the red plate on his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing YZ450F as he heads into the next round with a one-point advantage.

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“It was a solid night.’ Said Tomac. “We have been improving every weekend, and we put ourselves in the game tonight with that start.”

“It’s so nice when your work during the week pays off. I executed a good start in the main and was riding well; I was just consistent tonight and felt solid everywhere.”

“It’s really cool how we’ve been improving every week, and now we’re on the podium and leave with the red plate.”

“We are going to keep improving, keep getting better, and with a little bit of fine-tuning, we’ll be there. Consistency is going to be key this season, and we’re going to try and keep it going.”