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National motocross champion Eli Tomac, of Cortez, will defend his title in the Monster Energy Cup Supercross in Las Vegas, racing for a $1 million prize.<\/p>\n
To bring home the grand prize, Tomac must win all three 10-lap races on Saturday night. He won the event last year based on his second-, first- and fourth-place finishes and took home a prize of $100,000. He defeated rivals Ryan Dungey and Marvin Musquin, of the Red Bull KTM team, who teamed up last season<\/a> to give Tomac all he could handle.<\/p>\n Only one other racer has won the grand prize, a fellow Team Monster Energy Kawasaki\u2019s premier 450cc racer, Ryan Villopoto in 2011.<\/p>\n In an interview with racerxonline.com<\/a>, Tomac, who arrived in California earlier this week, was asked if he was planning on leaving Las Vegas with the grand prize.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, that would be amazing, and that is something I\u2019m definitely gunning for,\u201d Tomac said. \u201cShoot, every year I\u2019ve gave it my all, but I feel like we have a good shot this year. If we get three good starts and give it our all \u2014 and with the way that our supercross season was going \u2014 I think we have a really good base setting for supercross now.\u201d<\/p>\n The Cup has a couple of features not found on other supercross tracks. The track has a split starting gate, with riders positioned in lanes on opposite sides of the track. After the start, they race through separate first turns and rhythm sections before coming back together just before the finish line section.<\/p>\n The track also features a fast joker lane, which can be used only once and becomes important for a rider\u2019s strategy. For example, if Tomac a bad start \u2013 it happens \u2013 he might take the joker lane on the first lap to catch up or take the lead. With such a strategy, Tomac, who often posted the fastest lap times of the season, could then try to put in nine fast laps before other racers take the joker lane. In such a scenario, Tomac could come out ahead on lap 10.<\/p>\n In another scenario, Tomac could rely on his passing skills to catch up, then take the fast joker lane late in the race to rush to the lead.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the main thing you have to do is to literally remember that you have to do the joker lane,\u201d Tomac told RacerX.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re so focused and you\u2019re trying to think about the track or how you\u2019re going to deal with the guy in front of you. \u2026 You have to be able to switch that switch to make sure you take that Joker Lane.\u201d<\/p>\n Tomac, though favored to win the Cup, will face some stiff but familiar competition in Musquin, who placed second to Tomac this year in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship<\/a>, and Jason Anderson. Anderson, the hard-charging Rockstar Husqvarna racer from Albuquerque, is coming off a recent injury and foot surgery.<\/p>\n