TOM VIALLE - GRIT 255 250SX

GRIT-255 | 250 SX

June 17th, 2024 3:00 pm

Knowing what was at stake for the fourth race of the AMA Pro Motocross series, KTM's Tom Vialle carried a business-like demeanor when rolling through the pit area, while traveling to the starting line for practice on Saturday. The course was going to offer an array of challenges for the athlete aboard the number sixteen machine, but with his MXGP roots, he was ready to combat anything that stood in his way for a successful outcome. He would ride well in practice, and stormed from the gate to acquire a solid standing in moto-one. He circled the first-lap near fifth, and the French rider seemed to demonstrate a remarkable skillset amongst the muddy conditions, weaving through the slop to overtake Ryder DiFrancesco (for fourth) in the moments thereafter. Vialle was seemingly in a trajectory of his own when nearing the halfway point, just off the pace of the top-three competitors. However, after twenty-minutes of competition, Vialle would lose three positions, descending to seventh in the running order. Deterred to eighth not long thereafter (following being passed by Jalek Swoll), Vialle couldn't seem to establish the rhythm that was needed to race alongside the fastest members of the pack (i.e. Deegan, Masterpool, and Jo Shimoda). However, he salvaged every point possible with a sense of tenacity - not allowing his mindset to drift to a mode of disaster, and rather, one that nullified the loss of points that he was undergoing to his adversaries. Vialle kept his composure when nearing the checkered flag, keeping Jordon Smith and Levi Kitchen at bay, to eventually obtain a standing of eighth. Vialle then garnered a (roughly) third place position around a sea of ClubMX Yamaha riders in moto-two, and Tom would make the pass rather quickly on Jett Reynolds (for second), while assembling an array of lines to try and overtake leader, Mark Fineis. After roughly four and a half minutes of competition, it was time for Vialle to "make the move" where he block-passed Fineis before the ant-hill/roller initiation...leaping over the wall of sorts, and into the lead. Though not long thereafter, roughly a few minutes, Vialle would slide out in the sector of jumps just before the largest flyaway...descending to fourth, with Fineis regaining the lead. A steady move forward, would enable him to third..as Fineis crashed and pulled out of the moto - but Haiden Deegan (after eighteen minutes of competition), was now all over his rear wheel. An unfortunate error among the many ruts, just before the section in which he'd previously crashed, would nullify his momentum...causing him to descend to fourth in the running order. And once into fourth, Tom couldn't seem to generate the speed that was necessary, to equate Haiden Deegan, Chance Hymas, and Ty Masterpool, who were all ahead of him. Instead, it was up to Vialle to keep Shimoda at bay through the checkered flag...and Tom would do so, earning fourth his eventual second-moot standing, for a fifth-overall result in Pennsylvania.

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