For his debut in the MXGP World Championship, Tom Vialle made a strong impression in Argentina. The new Honda HRC rider, returning after a three-year stint in the United States, finished third overall at the Bariloche GP after winning Saturday’s qualifying race and posting 2-4 results in Sunday’s motos.
“It feels good to be on the podium. I really didn’t know what to expect coming into this first GP. There are a lot of good riders, and it’s been a long time since I last raced a Grand Prix,” he said on Sunday evening after the season opener.
The weekend had started well for the Honda rider with the third-fastest time in qualifying practice, and that wasn’t all: “We started the weekend on a good note. I felt good on the bike, especially on Saturday and particularly in the qualifying race,” he explained.
The focus placed on starts ahead of the opening round also paid off: “I’m also very happy with my starts. I’ve really worked on that over the past few weeks because they’re very important in this class given the level of competition.”
In the first moto, Tom Vialle surprised many by catching Jeffrey Herlings to take the lead before being passed again towards the end of the race: “I rode well in the first moto and finished not far behind Jeffrey. I led almost the whole race — a good moto where I really felt comfortable.” However, his second moto became more complicated after a mistake while he was once again in the lead: “I think I lost a lot of energy at the start of the second moto, which was red-flagged. We restarted and I was leading before I stalled the bike. I made a few mistakes that I hope to fix at the next races. It was tight this weekend.”
Tom Vialle also pointed out how demanding and long Grand Prix weekends are after spending three years racing one-day formats in the United States: “Grand Prix weekends are long, honestly. We ride a lot, maybe even a bit too much in my opinion. Especially on Saturday: there’s free practice, long qualifying practice, and then a qualifying race. It’s a long day, but it’s the same for everyone.”
Finally, the French rider gave a positive assessment of the Bariloche round and is confident about the rest of the season: “I think I’ve improved my intensity at the start of races over the past three years. I felt good at the beginning of the motos. I got good starts, but I went too wide each time and got passed. But my intensity in the opening laps was good, and I hope that continues throughout the year. Also, this type of track isn’t really what I prefer on paper, but I did my best.”
After an impressive weekend on his debut in the premier class, Tom Vialle has already established himself as a rider to watch closely this season.
