TOM VIALLE - GRIT 243 250SX

GRIT-243 | 250 SX

A streak of domination was beginning to be established by France's Tom Vialle...after a remarkable performance last week in Daytona, he appeared to transition to the circuit of Birmingham with immense fluidity as practice commenced. The track was a bit more tame, per se, than usual "SX" courses. But Vialle flourished within the corners, and planted his KTM chassis through grooves throughout practice that reflected an athlete that was beyond comfortable with the set-up of his chassis. That theory was reiterated in heat two of the evening, where a brilliant start (which led to the first-place position being secured) acted as a catalyst for an exceptional heat race thereafter. Minute by minute, Vialle's lead over the rest of the field amplified - as he leapt through the rollers and rhythm section thereafter with incredible timing. The berms had been manicured with dozer blade and other heavy duty equipment, but the transitions of the rhythm lanes were still rather troublesome with ruts in between each obstacle. Yet, regardless of what Vialle seemed to encounter, he flourished. Leading from start to finish, Vialle set the tone for an incredible main event, via an astounding gate choice. He and Jeremy Martin would contend for the lead initially in the finalé, but Vialle's will to push to the pinnacle of the field was an attribute that to be acknowledged (and accepted) by everyone else in the division. His positioning of the KTM 250F looked effortless, leaping from step-on/step-off combination with subtle compressions of the left-handed lever, which catapulted him over the landing(s) with ease. After a few circuit had passed, it was clear that Vialle was in his own zone of speed - distancing his machine from that of the Kawasaki tandem, Seth Hammaker and Cameron McAdoo. By the halfway point, a comfortable margin had been sustained and remained more than adequate with the checkered flag in mind. Flowing through the inside(s) of most corners at this point in the moto, he would swiftly lean the chassis while it arced through the red, Alabama clay...staying on the throttle at the optimal RPM while visualizing his machine atop the podium. Ultimately, it was Vialle who took his second win in a row - forcing the field to notice his progression throughout the Supercross genre. With many pivotal rounds on the horizon, the rider from France is now in control of the 2024 East Coast SX Championship!

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