Eli Tomac's 53rd 450SX Win vs Jett Lawrence, San Diego Supercross 2025
The 450SX main event in San Diego delivered the most electrifying battle of the season so far. It was just the second round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, a part of the SuperMotocross World Championship series.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 2x 450SX champion Eli Tomac and reigning 450SX champion Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence went head-to-head. In the end, Tomac showed that “Beast Mode” was back and emerged victorious, earning his 53rd career win and extending his streak to 11 consecutive seasons with a victory in the premier class.
The story wasn’t just about the win but the thrilling battle between two of the sport’s most dynamic riders, yet again.
Early Action Sets the Stage
At the front of the field for the opening lap, Tomac’s teammate on the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team and 2x 450SX champion Cooper Webb quickly took the lead, with Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen and Jett’s older brother and teammate Hunter Lawrence close behind. Jett slotted into fifth, just behind Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Malcolm Stewart, while Tomac began his charge from sixth.
Jett and Tomac soon found themselves battling, with Jett making an early pass on Tomac, only for the veteran to retaliate, sand-blasting his way around the outside to reclaim the position. “At the start, I got around him on the outside in the sand, but then my dumb ass went back to the inside, and he got me back. That was a bit of a forehead slap moment for me,” said Jett in front of a room full of media members at the post-race press conference.
From there, both riders began methodically working through the rest of the field. Tomac’s aggressive pace saw him overtake Stewart and Hunter Lawrence quickly to claim third, while Jett followed in tow, analyzing Tomac’s every move. “It was a lot of fun racing behind him,” Jett said. "It’s cool to see different race craft—how he picks apart the track compared to how I do, especially with our bike differences. It makes for better racing and helps me learn a lot.”
The Battle for the Lead
As Tomac surged forward, he used outside lines to find better traction on the slick San Diego dirt. He passed Roczen for second and then set his sights on Webb. A perfectly executed skim through the whoops allowed Tomac to take the lead, but Jett wasn’t far behind. In a dramatic sequence, Jett also passed Webb immediately afterward across the on-offs leading up to the finish line, setting up the unreal battle at the halfway point of the main event between the young reigning 450SX champion and veteran “Beast Mode.”
Jett stayed within a second of Tomac, leaving the fans in anticipation for what would happen next for the remaining duration of the race, playing cat and mouse, studying his lines, and searching for opportunities to attack. “I picked up on a few things, but it took me too long,” Jett admitted. “After the mechanics’ area, I needed to enter the turn later to use the fresh rut, and after the big supercross triple, Eli was carrying the next turn better than I was. Those little things added up, and it wrecked my chances of making a pass.”
Close Calls and Respect
Tomac faced his own challenges, including a close call while lapping MotoConcepts Honda’s Vince Friese near the race's end. “I thought Jett was going to get me at that point,” Tomac admitted. “I sat behind Vince for maybe a half lap. When you’re behind someone, you anticipate where you think they’re going to go, and most of the time, you have a pretty good sense. That just didn’t happen after the Supercross triple and the on-off section. I thought I was hosed. It was super close—I thought I was going to give up the race because of that situation.”
Despite Tomac’s near-mistake, Jett couldn’t capitalize. A slight error in the whoops with two laps to go dashed his hopes of mounting a final attack. “I made a few dumb mistakes, but it was a lot of fun and a good learning experience,” Jett reflected. “Honestly, I’m happy with second. It’s better than 12th, and you’ve got to take the positives when you get them.”
Both riders showcased mutual respect during their battle. “It’s nice to race with a guy like Jett,” Tomac said. “Tonight, it was just full-on for 20 minutes—there wasn’t any time to take a break.” Jett also showed respect, “It’s fun racing someone who you know isn’t going to try and chop your front wheel off. You can actually use proper race craft. With Cooper, it’s the same—we get close, but we know if we hit each other, it’s just one of us off balance. It’s fun racing guys like that.”
Looking Ahead
Tomac’s all-out speed and composure to be nearly mistake-free for the entirety of the race ultimately secured him the win. “Tonight, it was just about making it happen all the way,” he said. “I think the days of getting a big lead and coasting it in are hard to come by now. We’re wide open for 20 minutes, just getting through the ruts and the chop. That’s what it takes to win a 450 main these days.”
Speaking on his ranking for this win and even answering some of the questions he had for himself this year entering his “last season,” he stated, “It’s up there on the list of wins. It’s been a while—I think the last time I won a 20-minute main event..I didn’t get one last year, so that’s a big thing for me—not just winning a Triple Crown, but the real deal. This was a huge deal for me, just coming back and proving that I’m in a better position and in better shape.”
Jett has a new-found comfort with the Honda HRC CRF450R from his round 1 finish at Anaheim 1, testing last week in California, and is looking forward to more battles like this one. “We found more control in the forks and the rear. It’s crazy to think that last year’s frame was actually stiffer, so we were able to run softer suspension. Another big change was gearing—we went back on gearing for the start because I struggled to keep the front end down last weekend.” He continues, “I had a lot of fun battling with Eli, and it makes me excited for more races like that in the future.”
