After successfully defending his East Coast Supercross title, Tom Vialle has had a mixed start to the Pro Motocross season. On the podium at Fox Raceway (3rd), the Frenchman struggled at Hangtown (17th) and narrowly missed the podium at Thunder Valley (5th). However, there were signs of improvement at round four, as the Red Bull KTM rider bounced back with a strong second-place finish at High Point. Fifth in the championship after four rounds despite having a DNF, Vialle is gradually finding his rhythm in the outdoor series, which now heads into its first break of the season.
“It went much better this weekend,” said Tom Vialle at High Point. “Hangtown was a tough round for me. I crashed in the first moto and hurt my elbow pretty badly. I was lucky to even finish the race and be able to line up for the second moto; I managed to salvage some points.” A week later at Thunder Valley, Vialle faced more challenges—especially due to the altitude: “I struggled all day with the bike at Thunder Valley, the power was really affected. It’s strange because I felt great there last year, but this time I had a tough time all day in Colorado.”
Determined to turn things around, the French rider put in the work after round three of the series.
“I trained a lot during the week leading up to High Point. I rode almost every day to improve the bike. I wanted to shift the momentum and also work on myself. I’m feeling better and better, and my starts were good this weekend. I hope that helps for the next rounds.”
This runner-up finish is a reward for the efforts of the two-time MX2 World Champion, who has never lost sight of his goals in the outdoors, despite some underwhelming results in the early rounds.
“My last two races weren’t great if you just look at the results. So at High Point, I really wanted to get back on track and be on the podium.” With a third of the season done, Tom remains realistic in the face of Haiden Deegan’s current dominance—Deegan already holds a 69-point lead over the French rider: “My goal wasn’t to come here and win,” Tom admitted. “Haiden is really strong right now. I’m just trying to find my speed again and get back to my style of riding. This weekend, the goal was the podium—and I made it onto the podium.”
Is High Point a track that suits the French rider? That doesn’t seem to be the case in recent seasons, with Vialle only finishing fifth there in both 2023 and 2024—though even he finds it hard to explain.
“It’s true, people often say I seem comfortable at High Point. But honestly, I don’t see any track in Europe that’s like it. It’s super fast, wide, with ruts and lines everywhere. In Europe, things are tighter and more one-lined. I can’t think of a European track that’s comparable. It’s funny, because I really struggled here the last two years. So to be on the podium this time is really great.”
After the break, attention turns to Southwick—a track where Vialle claimed his very first AMA victory in 2023. He also finished second there last year. It’s a venue that gives him reason to be optimistic heading into round five.
“Southwick is a track where I feel comfortable,” Tom admitted. “It was a close race there last year, and I hope I can fight for the win after the break. I like that track; I feel good on it. It’s a little tricky, but it should suit me.”
Before returning to the sand of Southwick, the riders get a weekend off—but there’s no letting up for Vialle.
“During the break, I’m going to keep training,” he concluded. “Yes, we get a weekend to rest and a bit of time for ourselves, but my goal is to keep progressing over these next two weeks.”
