Eli Tomac of Cortez won the overall title in the 450 Supercross in Minnesota on Saturday night by placing first, fourth and third in the triple crown event.
Jason Anderson was second with second- sixth- and first-place finishes, and Marvin Musquin was third with a seventh, first and second.
Heading into the final of three races, Tomac was the points leader, with five points. Justin Brayton was second with 6, and Musquin was third with eight.
In the final race, Tomac and Brayton raced to the first turn, but Tomac, who got stuck in a slow lane, was passed by Weston Peick and Anderson and dropped to fourth.
While Anderson and Brayton traded leads, Tomac moved into third after Peick went down in the whoops.
By the fourth lap, Tomac trailed Brayton by 1.3 seconds, but closed the gap in the fifth to a half-second. Caught again in a slow part of the track in the sixth, he was passed by Musquin and dropped to fourth.
In the eighth lap, Musquin and Tomac both passed Brayton, putting Tomac into third, and in contention for the overall victory.
By the 12th lap, with Anderson running six seconds ahead of Musquin, Tomac stayed in a comfortable third for the remainder of the 20-lap race, enough for the overall win.
Brayton and Justin Barcia completed the overall Top 5. It was Barcia’s first race since injuring his hand in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 17.
With the win, Tomac strengthened his third-place position in the series’ overall standings. He now trails Anderson by 65 points and Musquin by 26 points. And he leads fourth-place Brayton by 14 points, with three races to go in the season.
Earlier Saturday, Tomac was the fastest qualifier, followed by Malcolm Stewart and Musquin.
He carried that momentum into the first main event, and quickly got in front of Anderson. He stayed there for all 14 laps.
Anderson finished second, about 4 seconds behind Tomac. Barcia was third, and Brayton and Peick completed the Top 5.
In the second main event, Tomac started in the No. 1 spot at the gate, but got off slow, and was seventh after the first lap. He moved into sixth by passing Christian Craig in the fourth lap, then into fifth when Anderson, racing in second, went off the track in the ninth lap.
Tomac passed Blake Baggett in the 10th lap and finished fourth in the 16-lap race. Musquin passed Brayton in the 14th lap to win the race and was followed by Brayton and Peick. Baggett finished fifth, and Anderson, penalized a lap for being on the throttle while he was off the track, finished sixth.
Since the first two races in Anaheim and Houston, Tomac has raced from last place to third in an Supercross series in which he has seemed to either crash or win. Although in third place in the standings, he has won seven races, compared with Anderson’s four. Musquin, who is in second place, has two wins on the season.
Last week in Seattle, Tomac overcame a heavy and muddy track to win the 450SX and jump into third place in the standings. In a race shortened by 8 minutes because of track conditions, Tomac saved a crash in the third lap, then passed Musquin for second place, about 8 seconds behind Anderson. Anderson went down briefly in the sixth lap, and Tomac went past him for the lead and eventual win.
On March 24 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Tomac crashed while racing for the lead against Musquin, and finished 15th.
On March 17 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Tomac won wire-to-wire.
On March 10 at Daytona International Speedway, he raced from 22nd to second place after crashing in the first lap.
The Monster Energy AMA Supercross series next goes to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, for the 15th of 17 races on April 21.
StandingsOverall standings in the 450 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series, April 14.
1. Jason Anderson (Husqvarna): 311
2. Marvin Musquin (KTM): 272
3. Eli Tomac (Kawasaki): 246
4. Justin Brayton (Honda): 232
5. Blake Baggett (KTM): 224
6. Weston Peick (Suzuki): 202
7. Broc Tickle (KTM): 184
8. Cooper Webb (Yamaha): 181
9. Dean Wilson (Husqvarna) 165
10. Malcolm Stewart (Suzuki): 134