Frenchman back on track after P2 finish at fourth round.
A second-place finish for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle represented a strong return to form at the High Point National on Saturday, in a weekend that trended ‘a lot better’ for the 250MX title challenger in comparison to recent weeks.
Vialle raced to a 4-2 moto scorecard at the fourth round of the Pro Motocross Championship, which earned the Frenchman second overall and provided a marked improvement from both the Hangtown and Thunder Valley rounds.
Although finishing with a double-digit margin to class winner Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) in each encounter, Vialle admitted that the plan wasn’t to enter High Point with the victory in mind, but to get the momentum rolling again with a podium result.
“Today was a lot better,” commented Vialle post-race. “Hangtown was tough. I had a crash and hurt my elbow pretty badly, so it was lucky that I could finish the second moto. Then last weekend, I struggled all day – it was bad and just a big struggle. I rode almost every day last week to get the bike better, and today was a lot better.
“My plan was not to win [today]. Haiden is riding really fast, and I’m trying to build my speed and my riding, so today the goal was to be on the podium, and then going into Southwick, I feel comfortable there, so hopefully we can get another good result.”
With two podiums from four rounds to date, Vialle – who finished runner-up in the series behind Deegan last year – is currently positioned fifth in the championship standings, impacted by his 17th-place score at Hangtown’s second round.
Often compared to a European-style circuit, the sweeping hills and rutted off-cambers of High Point has earned a reputation among riders as the track that most resembles those seen on the MXGP schedule. But dual MX2 world champion Vialle sees no comparison between Mount Morris and those on the world championship fixture.
“I’ve heard that every time I come here,” he reacted. “I have no idea which track in Europe is the same as here… Like, I don’t know why everyone is saying that because we don’t have any track like this type.
“I mean, it’s really wild. Tracks in Europe are a lot more tight, there’s pretty much one line, and there are just ruts and lines everywhere. I don’t remember one track which is kind of the same as here, so it’s pretty funny that a lot of people say that.”