RedBud 2025 was a brutal round for Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing, especially for Eli Tomac. After running third in the first 450 moto, Tomac’s bike gave out, costing him valuable points and leaving him with a poor gate pick for moto two. He struggled to a seventh-place finish, ending the day 13th overall and dropping from second to fourth in the standings.
“It was a tough weekend for us,” Tomac said. “We’ll regroup and finish better in Millville.”
Cooper Webb also endured a rough day. After tweaking his knee in qualifying, Webb crashed early in moto one and clawed his way back to 10th—until his bike ran out of gas just before the finish. In moto two, he rode through the pain for an eighth-place result, but now plans to have his knee checked out.
“It was an up-and-down day,” said Webb. “Physically and mentally rough, but my riding felt good.”
Despite all the setbacks, Justin Cooper delivered a bright spot for the team. He charged from fourth in moto one to leading moto two for several laps before finishing second, earning third overall on the day and jumping to third in the points.
“Being an American and leading at RedBud on July 4th weekend – it’s a great vibe,” Cooper said. “The fans were incredible.”
The team worked overtime between motos, swapping out engines on both Tomac and Cooper’s bikes due to the unusually deep and heavy track conditions that pushed engines—and riders—to the limit. Many riders commented on how difficult it was to maintain flow through the deep ruts, with momentum often killed mid-corner.
Tomac is known for riding the clutch hard, and in RedBud’s demanding conditions, that could have contributed to his bike failure. High heat and humidity didn’t help either.
Still, Team Manager Rich Simmons found a silver lining.
“Justin getting on the podium was definitely a huge positive,” he said. “The team did a great job adjusting between motos.”
Looking ahead, Tomac and Webb both need strong weekends at Millville. Meanwhile, in the 250 class, Haiden Deegan battled through injury to salvage a second-place finish in moto two after a painful first moto and a hard practice crash. He still holds a healthy points lead.
“It is what it is,” Deegan said. “We’ll come out swinging next weekend.”
With two podiums and resilience through mechanical failures and injuries, Yamaha showed the strength of its roster. But make no mistake—Tomac and Deegan will be eyeing the top step this Saturday.