Image: Octopi Media.

Current 450SX points-leader Eli Tomac has detailed his ‘lucky’ escape in that Houston Triple Crown crash scare, where the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider recorded 3-13-1 scores to salvage a P4 result.

The 33-year-old was in form from the outset at round four of Monster Energy Supercross 2026, posting a 46.684s qualifying time that was almost half a second faster than Chase Sexton (Monster Energy Kawasaki) behind him.

Tomac then finished third in the opening encounter of the three-race format before advancing toward the front in race two, only to accidentally engage his rear brake on the face of an up-ramp, which sent him spectacularly over the handlebars – remounting for 13th in the race.

“Houston was eventful,” Tomac recalled. “The crash through the ’bars was obviously a big moment, and I am very lucky to get out of that crash. I ended up just catching my rear brake in that transition – it was super high-speed.

“Sometimes those things get you – my brake barely dragged up the ramp, and of course, I went over the ’bars. [I managed] to get through there, but if I am going to throw something away, this is the night to do it, in a Triple Crown race.

“It was tough to rebound [in race two] because my front-end was a little tweaked, but I just know how crucial it is to get points, period. I know in a Triple Crown, anything can happen, so I was just digging and doing what I could with a twisted front-end.

“But yeah, I’m really just thankful to come out of this with fourth overall, rebound and ride well in the third race to get a win.”

Tomac holds 88 points to start the 2026 season, following 1-1-3-4 results across the first four rounds. The two-time champion carries a four-point advantage at the head of the 450SX standings over Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive).