Baggett Broke Tomac

In a season full of intense racing in the 250 class of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, there was one moment that defined the Championship. That moment came late in moto one of the season finale. Heading into the finale in Lake Elsinore, the red plate holder, Blake Baggett, had been upstaged over the prior few weeks by Eli Tomac, but when it was all on the line, Baggett rose to the occasion and broke Tomac's will to fight with an incredible first moto in the brutal SoCal heat.

After both Eli and Blake caught the early race leader, Justin Barcia, the race was on. First, Blake was able to get around the #20 and disappear while Eli struggled to get around his teamate. When Eli finally got the pass done, Blake was six seconds up the track and cruising. Eli put on an incredible push of his own—throwing down the fastest laps of the day—to catch Blake, but once up to his rear wheel, Tomac had nothing left in the tank. He stayed on Blake's rear tire for a lap, but after going off the track, you could see the #17 was physically spent. He threw his goggles off, and anyone watching knew the Championship hit the ground with his Oakleys.

Check out the video below to see when the Championship ended for GEICO/Honda's Eli Tomac and the celebrating started to rev-up in the Monster/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki camp. There was still another moto to run, but with Blake's moto one win, he would only have to score a 12th in moto two to lock it down. If ever there was a defining moment in a championship, this was it. Blake went on to score a 1-2 on the day for the overall win and his first-ever 250 AMA Motocross National Championship.