SAN DIEGO SUPERCROSS RACE A WELCOME STOP FOR F RONT-RUNNING GEIGO HONDA TEAM

San Diego Supercross race a welcome stop for front-running GEICO Honda team

SAN DIEGO (Feb. 6) – GEICO Honda's Eli Tomac will be gunning for his fourth straight Monster Energy AMA Supercross Lites West victory this Saturday in the same place --Qualcomm Stadium -- where he won his first Supercross race a year ago.

"I can't wait to get to San Diego," Tomac said. "There will definitely be a good vibe going. I got my first Supercross win there last year and this year we're coming in off the turkey (three wins in a row).

"Plus, the Chargers are my favorite NFL team and we'll be riding in their stadium. How cool is that?"

During his three-race win streak, Tomac has built a 22-point lead over second-place Dean Wilson. Tomac said he believes the football stadium track layout will suit his style and that he's hoping for another solid night before the two-month break in the Lites West schedule.

"It'll be cool to have the longer lanes and the longer whoops (section) that you typically get in a football stadium," Tomac said. "We actually had a pretty long section of whoops in Anaheim (on Feb. 4) so that kind of got us ready for what we'll most likely see in San Diego.

"We're sticking to the same program we've been on all season. There's no reason to change anything. I think having our condo out here in California has been huge because it's like a second home. You have a comfortable place to relax and live while we're out on the West Coast. I'm sure not missing all the travel. It wears you down."

Another GEICO Honda teammate who has found benefit to sticking around California is Supercross rider Kevin Windham, who has moved up to fifth place in the Supercross standings after consecutive sixth-place finishes.

"I'm staying out here again this week for a few more days of testing at the Corona track," Windham said. "It's a benefit, for sure, because the weather has been bad back home so it would be tough to ride there. I miss the family, but this is an important stretch for us.

"I love Qualcomm because it always sells out and the fans there are really into Supercross. That feeling reaches us down on the floor, believe me.

"The track will be a good bit different than what we've seen in these baseball stadiums. It should be more wide-open and faster and I think that suits my style of riding a little better. Plus, they always have good dirt in San Diego. I hope I can finally get this GEICO Honda on the podium. We're right there. We just need to get it done."

The team's other Lites rider, Gavin Faith, is entering his last race filling in for injured rider Wil Hahn. Faith said his riding has not met his own lofty expectations, but a solid showing in San Diego will take some of that sting away.

"I've definitely wanted more and expected more from myself so hopefully I can have my best showing this weekend," Faith said. "I'm making a lot of rookie mistakes. I've had a little bad luck. I feel like I've got the speed I just haven't been able to show it yet."

Practice for Saturday's Monster Energy AMA Supercross stop at Qualcomm Stadium begins at 12:30 p.m. PST with opening ceremonies starting at 7 p.m. SPEED TV will air the racing live starting at 10:30 p.m. EST.