TOM VIALLE - GRIT 253 250SX

GRIT-253 | 250 SX

June 5th, 2024 3:30 pm

The Supercross champion from the country of France knew what was at stake for this second round of racing, in the outdoor series that is. Each point on this particular tour was valuable, and if Tom Vialle could attempt to chip away at the lead that Haiden Deegan had created, his goal(s) would be complete for this portion of competition in early June. He navigated his way through practice rather well, and advanced into the first moto thereafter with confidence, where he did his best to leap from the grate and contend for single-digit registry. The first quarter of the moto was a process of Vialle selecting his way through a myriad of deep lines, amongst the latter stages of the top-ten. After working his way through the highest quarter of the pack, Vialle would keep names like Pierce Brown, Jo Shimoda, and Ty Masterpool at bay when diving into the final ten minutes of action..but Deegan was continuously inching away from him, after they were (slightly) near one another in the early stages. However, what seemed to be his most difficult task, was to overtake veteran Jordon Smith when inching closer to the checkered flag. Vialle was stealth-like, and just when it seemed as though too little time was left on the clock to truly make a move, the Frenchman struck - inheriting the fourth-place position with less than two laps to go! At that point, the gap between he and the top-three riders ahead (i.e. Deegan, Hymas, and Kitchen) was too much to overcome...leaving Vialle in fourth as the dust settled on this first-moto landscape, and keeping him well in contention for the following race of the afternoon program. Once there, the number sixteen would rocket from the grate and immediately begin to "grab gears." Flying through the swaying hillside, he was spotted while competing within the eighth-place position - residing behind Jo Shimoda, Jalek Swoll, and Julien Beaumer (who was running fifth). The track was heavily watered, and tear-off's would have to be pulled...but even with the treacherous conditions, Vialle seemed to make his way around the Honda rider (i.e. Shimoda) rather quickly. Passes on Swoll and Beaumer were made quickly thereafter, almost simultaneous of one another - enabling Vialle to occupy fifth, behind Chance Hymas. The move on Hymas was then made with nineteen minutes left on the clock, as the KTM athlete charged with superior momentum along one of the steepest downhills on the circuit...inheriting fourth, with the Idaho rider now fifth. Another pass (within the same lap) was made on Ty Masterpool, where the third-place position was now his (i.e. Vialle's). He couldn't seem to be denied, making a swift pass on Levi Kitchen, before shortly thereafter, overtaking the lead on behalf of Haiden Deegan's crash! His charge to the front of the pack was incredible, and he was the optimal recipient of the first-place position with the Californian faltering to second. Residing here through the checkered flag, the unbelievable charge that was put forth by Tom, equating to the moto victory, was enough to propel him to second overall in the final standings as well!

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