Eli Tomac announces retirement after 17 seasons, eight titles
Eli Tomac is retiring from Supercross and motocross after the 2026 SuperMotocross Playoffs, ending a 17-season career with eight championships. The 33-year-old Red Bull KTM rider will contest three final SMX rounds in September, then leave professional dirt bike racing for good.
Key Takeaways
- Eli Tomac will retire after the three 2026 SuperMotocross Playoff rounds that wrap up September 26.
- He leaves with eight titles, 57 career 450SX Main Event wins, and 32 career 450 Motocross overall wins.
- His farewell races are set for Historic Crew Stadium, Dignity Health Sports Park, and Thunder Ridge Nature Arena.
- He opened 2026 with early Supercross wins before a hip injury at Cleveland qualification.
Why is Eli Tomac retiring now?
In a news release reported by NBC Sports, Tomac said he will step away “at the end of September, following the final three SMX rounds.”
“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,” he said. Racing, he added, has been “the only thing I’ve woken up to and known the last 25 years,” and he would not trade it.
MotoOnline reported he had been expected to continue next year in a Supercross-only arrangement, but he confirmed instead that the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship will be his last.
What did Eli Tomac achieve across 17 seasons?
Tomac’s eight championships include the 2012 AMA Supercross 250SX West title, the 2013 AMA Pro Motocross 250MX crown, four 450 Motocross titles (2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022), and two 450 Supercross titles (2020 and 2022).
He ranks second all-time in 450SX Main Event wins with 57, behind Jeremy McGrath, and fourth in 450 Motocross overall wins with 32. He also holds a record eight Daytona Supercross victories and won the 2024 FIM World Supercross SX1 championship.
In 2022, he captained Team USA to Motocross of Nations victory at RedBud, more than a decade after America’s previous win in the event. SPEEDWEEK noted he also earned a 2022 ESPY for Best Male Action Sports Athlete and moved from Yamaha to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing for 2026.
Where can fans watch Eli Tomac’s final races?
Three SuperMotocross Playoff dates remain: September 12 at Historic Crew Stadium, September 19 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles, and the SMX Final on September 26 at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Missouri.
For broadcast and streaming updates around those rounds, follow our Streaming & TV Alerts hub as the schedule and listings firm up.
Tomac won the first two 2026 Supercross rounds at Anaheim and San Diego and finished the year with four 450SX main-event wins on KTM. A hip injury in Cleveland qualification left him third in the Supercross standings, 15 points behind Hunter Lawrence, with four rounds then remaining. He closed Pro Motocross with a fifth overall at Ironman.