After 3 Rounds of racing in Salt Lake City, Tomac is pulling the pin on this title race and storming ahead of Roczen and Webb as he extends the point gap at the top of the table.
Roczen Vs Tomac. Poster by MXVisuals.
It's a tough time for any Ken Roczen fans out there- myself included. Sunday night saw the third round of AMA Supercross in Salt Lake City commence through cold, rainy conditions. First thought as a welcomed change in the weather to throw this championship title race into full swing; time for a proper battle between Eli and Ken. Or so we thought.
Following some fast performances from Tomac in the Utah sun, it's safe to say, I thought the cooler temperatures would give Roczen the boost needed to overcome breathing issues and put a stamp down on the extending points gap between the two leaders.
After only managing third and fifth in the first two rounds of Salt Lake City, Roczen was left trailing Tomac by 13 points.
Tomac chasing down Roczen in Round 2 at Salt Lake City. Photo by Racer X Online.
13 points already seems a fairly tall order to pull back against one of the fastest guys on the planet, but we're always hopeful when it comes to Roczen; he's proven time and time again that he can come back against the odds.
So, Round 13- is this Ken's lucky number for the night? Looking at Heat 1, it doesn't look like it.
The night started well for Ken, pulling out a lead in his heat race against Cooper Webb- setting himself out to be a threat for tonight's main event. But, unfortunately, after being chased down by Cooper towards the later stages of the race, Roczen suffered a slow puncture on the penultimate lap causing him to lose the lead. Thankfully he held on for a second place finish, but the initial threat of his intense speed fell away to a Webb victory.
Not often you see punctures- at least from what I can remember.
Anyhow, the main rolls around and Roczen has bagged his spot. The gate drops and all eyes are scanning the pack- Tomac grabbing a tight line, chasing down Webb and Osborne who are battling for the holeshot. But where's Kenny? Slight sigh of relief as he rolls around turn two in 6th place and my ever hopeful self is thinking, 'there's still a chance here...Supercross is unpredictable.' Sure enough the next few laps look promising with Roczen dicing with Anderson to move up the positions; but Tomac and Webb were now out front and looking on rails.
An epic display of punch for punch riding between Eli and Cooper just saw that gap to the lead stretching further and further. The lead battle continued through the full race duration, with lappers becoming the only dividing factor in some moments. A stunning run through the whoops handed Cooper the lead on Webb as they lapped Roczen for the first time.
Webb grabbing the lead on Tomac in the mud. Photo by Swapmoto Live.
However, Tomac's persistence pushed him through till the end, finding a triple, triple line through the back rhythm section to catch and pass Webb in the final 3 minutes. Lapped riders littered the track in front of both Eli and Cooper till the very end, tainting Webb's effort for a final comeback pass in the penultimate laps.
It was a bitter end for Roczen, (and my fan ego) as his fatigue in the wet conditions saw him slide down through the pack, leaving him in 10th position across the line- two laps down on fellow title contenders Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb.
It's been a tough couple of rounds for Ken; the gap between him and Tomac is now 26 points. It'll take a long haul back now to get that Championship title.
Overall points standings following Round 3 in Salt Lake City. Photo by Supercross Live.
Ex-champion, Ricky Carmichael said that after a great start to the season, "it's all but over for Ken Roczen."
I guess it's either the inner-optimist in me, or the sheer unpredictability of Supercross that thinks there's still a chance for Roczen to claim this title. I mean, Tomac has been in the position to win this thing before and things have swung totally the other way, so is there going to be added pressure in his mind regarding the outcome of this title race?
We know Webb came back from a poor start last year to take his first title, so he's well inclined to take a stab at this title too. He's a fair way behind in third place, but once again the inner optimist can't rule it all out.
Is this a runaway show for Tomac now though? If he keeps winning then it certainly looks like they'll be carving his name in the trophy for the 2020 season- the most unorthodox and challenging year these riders will have faced.
Let's see what happens in the upcoming weeks. Check out our social links to see all the latest Supercross action!
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