Image: Octopi Media.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing recruit Eli Tomac has been able to move past his ‘stubborn’ habit of keeping on the scoop tire in hard-packed conditions, confessing it was a lesson learned in Australia during the off-season.

After winning on debut in Canada during round two of the World Supercross Championship (WSX), the two-time 450SX champion finished off the podium on the Gold Coast.

“We had those two WSX races – Canada was a great start and went really well for us,” Tomac reflected. “And then in Australia, I had some struggles. We think we found a solution to that, which honestly, I believe was the scoop tire.

“I was pretty stubborn with that, in that specific condition, and it was a lesson learned there. That was what we honestly wanted to have happen, to find the weaknesses and improve from there, and it feels good that this isn’t our first race on the motorcycle.”

With two 450SX titles and 53 main event wins – ranking him second on the all-time premier class win list – the 33-year-old suggested that he still has more to prove in the series at this stage of his career.

“I think what I need to prove is that I am still competitive in getting wins and being in the championship hunt,” he explained. “There’s always that question, if you’re over 30 years of age, whether you can still be there, and that’s what I am trying to prove. I’m out there to contend for both wins and the championship.”

Tomac earned the 2020 and 2022 Monster Energy Supercross titles, with a leg injury sustained at Tampa’s fifth round last year bringing a premature end to his indoor campaign after winning in San Diego.