Eli Tomac is now a two-time winner in 2012. Image: Simon Cudby.

GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac became the first two-time winner of the season at the Oakland AMA Supercross round, winning the SX Lites main event by a commanding margin of 12 seconds.

“You had to race against the track tonight,” Tomac said. “It was so technical, soft and rutted in spots. It could bite you at any time.”

With a third place start in the main event, moving his way up the field, Tomac prepared to battle with title contender Dean Wilson on lap two, but a crash by Wilson forced him out of contention.

“He got cross-rutted and went flying into the hay bales,” added Tomac. “You don’t want to see guys crash, but you take whatever you can get in the points and keep going.

“After I saw some guys make mistakes, I thought, ‘wow, maybe I should tone her down a little bit’. By that time, I had a big enough gap where I could put her in cruise control and ride the race the way I know how.

“It’s good to have this kind of lead in such a short series,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the next race.”

Tomac leaves Oakland with a 15-point lead over the SX Lites field.