TOM VIALLE - GRIT 232 250SMX

TOM VIALLE | GRIT-232 | 250 SMX

With the Supercross genre still being relatively fresh to the French rider as he was amid the introductory process to his American racing experience, KTM's Tom Vialle was excited to see how he would fare amongst this hybrid format of track design in Charlotte, North Carolina. Vialle had proven time and time again that he was ready for this stage in his career, and again exhibited a brilliant sense of sprinting speed in the opening laps of the first moto...where he had climbed from seventh to third, from circuits one through three! He would jump into the corner after the finish-line with a means of compressing the suspension, charging into the double thereafter with an array of RPM before altering his routes amongst the two-way section that followed. This would lead him to a standing that was behind the rookie, Ryder DiFrancesco; where he remained persistent and continuously chipped away at the gap that the Kawasaki rider had created, when passing the halfway point. On the thirteenth circuit, however, was when Vialle saw an opportunity to impose his will when attempting to overtake the third place standing...and would secure the podium residency with swift action (over the Kawasaki rider) with five laps to go! And once into bronze medal territory, the accolade would be finalized on his behalf as action eventually ceased; with Vialle being credited with third, before moving into the second round of action. His start to moto-two was brilliant, where he positioned his KTM machine in front of the entirety of the opposition and aspired to break away from the field if possible. He would lead the first ten laps of action while being hounded by Kawasaki's Jo Shimoda, who seemed to really gain time when nearing the mechanic's area and the bits of track thereafter...which led to a pass attempt being conducted on the eleventh circuit. Shimoda saw an opening in the corner after the previously mentioned rhythm section, where a brilliant outside line was displayed while Vialle occupied the inside rut...and with no choice but to oblige to the momentum that the number thirty showcased. Now into second when landing the "SX" triple, Vialle would do his best to mimic the motions of the Kawasaki rider...which ultimately were generated as both competitors charged toward the checkered flag. And with results being finalized not long thereafter, it was Vialle's second moto run (of second place) which propelled him to a runner-up standing on the final overall leaderboard.

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