Cortez native and legendary racer Eli Tomac, 33, has announced his retirement from professional racing, which will become effective after the Monster Energy SuperMotocross World Championship playoffs.
The KTM rider had reportedly planned to compete in the 2027 Supercross season, according to RacerX, but has decided to move forward with retirement instead.
Tomac has been racing professionally since 2010, but began his journey in racing long before that – at 4 years old, to be exact, The Denver Post reported. His father, World Cup mountain biker and U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame member John Tomac, built the track on the family’s Flying T Ranch where Tomac trained from a young age.
In an Instagram video to his 1.1 million followers and in a KTM press release, Tomac announced his retirement.
“I will be stepping away from Supercross and Motocross racing at the end of September, following the final three SMX rounds,” Tomac said. “This has been the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my professional career, but I know in my heart that the time is now and that the time is right. I’ve won races and championships beyond my imagination ... Racing has been the only thing I’ve woken up to and known the last 25 years, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Tomac’s team, Red Bull KTM, shared their support for his decision.
“Eli is an amazing rider, and for the team and myself, to see how he operates and to get a better understanding of his sportsmanship and work ethic was a gift after all those years that we competed against him. But, like all good things, they do eventually come to an end ...” Ian Harrison, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team manager, said.
He said Tomac is a “hard worker, disciplined and dedicated” and the KTM Factory Racing team wishes him and his family all the best.
Tomac competed in 17 professional seasons from 2010 to 2026. He ranks second on the all-time 450SX wins list with 57 main event victories and fourth on the all-time AMA Pro Motocross 450MX wins list with 32 victories.
He is a two-time AMA Supercross 450SX champion, winning titles in 2020 and 2022, and a four-time 450MX champion, capturing victories in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.
Tomac represented Team USA at the FIM Motocross of Nations six times, with the team winning in 2022. In the 250 class earlier in his career, he won the 2013 250 MX championship and the 2012 250 SX West Divisional championship.
He also claimed the 2024 FIM World Supercross Championship in the SX1 class and received the 2022 ESPY Award for Best Athlete in the Men’s Action Sports category.
All the wins and accolades didn’t come easily, however. Tomac sustained multiple injuries across his storied career, as with most Supercross and Motocross racers.
Among his injuries, Tomac ruptured his Achilles tendon with only one round to go after leading the 2023 Supercross season by 18 points. He ended up placing second overall behind Chase Sexton.
In 2024, he had to sit out the Supercross final in Salt Lake City due to a Bennett fracture and torn ligaments in his thumb, and in 2025, he broke his leg at Round 5 of Supercross in Florida. He also sustained a hip injury during the 2026 Supercross season’s Round 14 and was out for six rounds after a neck injury in Round 1 of the 2026 Motocross season.
The SMX playoffs start Sept. 12 at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The season will end after three rounds on Sept. 26, marking the start of Tomac’s retirement.
bduran@the-journal.com
