Monster Energy’s Tomac, Sexton & Kitchen all podium at Lakewood, Colo. MX National

450 class rider’s miscue costs Eli Tomac (Star Racing/Yamaha) the o/a victory; Levi Kitchen (Star Racing/Yamaha) scores first career moto win & o/a 250 podium

CORONA, CA – June 13, 2022 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – In front of his home state fans, Colorado native Eli Tomac (Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha) came out blazing at the Lakewood Thunder Valley Raceway MX National, Round Three of 2022 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, presented by Monster Energy, catching and passing longtime rival Ken Roczen (Honda) in the opening 450 class moto to take the win. Then, in the second and decisive moto, Tomac rallied back from a sub-par start and raced his way up to 3^rd place – which would have been enough for the overall victory (1^st-3^rd).

Only problem was that Tomac’s Monster Energy-backed cohort, 450 class point leader Chase Sexton (Honda), who was leading the second 450 moto, made a last lap mistake that not only cost Sexton a spot on the overall podium, the bobble allowed Roczen to sneak by for the win – giving him the overall 450 victory over Tomac on the day at Lakewood.

Tomac, a three-time MX Nationals champion, would take the situation in stride, acknowledging the crowd and saying “It’s always fun racing Ken (Roczen). We both raced each other really clean. Bummed I didn’t get the overall, but it was a good weekend for the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha team.”

Sexton, for his part, got right to the point on the Moto 2 podium, saying: “It’s a bonehead mistake. That’s the last one I’ll make this season.”

Overall on the weekend it was an incredible run for the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha team. In addition to Tomac, the 250 team was led by Levi Kitchen’s opening moto victory and career-best 3^rd place overall finish. As a whole, the team put four of its five racers in the top ten (Justin Cooper 4^th, Matthew Leblanc 8^th and Nick Romano 10^th). And had it not been for a Moto 2 crash that was not his fault, Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Nate Thrasher (14^th), who placed 8^th in the opening 250 moto, could have also made the top ten.

And on the Monster Energy-backed Green Machines, Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson was fast all weekend in the 450 class, placing 4^th (3^rd-6^th) overall while his teammate, Joey Savatgy placed 9^th (8^th-9^th). And on the 250s Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki was led by Jo Shimoda in 5^th (7^th-6^th) and Seth Hammaker in 9^th (5^th-15^th).

450 class podium L to R –…