In the Salt Lake City season finale, Tom Vialle overcame an almost disastrous heat performance to win the 250 East Monster Energy Supercross championship by four points over Haiden Deegan.
It wasn’t the first and likely is not the last title Vialle will claim. After winning MX2 championships in two of four seasons of competition in Europe, he set his sights on the United States and a new racing discipline. Stadium racing is not well represented in his native France or Europe.
It took a season to get comfortable on the bike. Last year, Vialle finished eighth in the 250 Eastern division. He improved to sixth in Pro Motocross, but his second attempt in the tight confines of stadium racing reminded his fans of his MX2 success.
But at the start of the season, the outcome seemed uncertain at best. Vialle was one of several top contenders consumed by a Turn 1 crash when Cameron McAdoo laid his bike down at the front of the pack.
“After the [Detroit] crash, I thought this is done,” Vialle reminisced about the 250 East opener. “And then [points leader] Austin Forkner crashed in the second race and we all came up pretty close in the points in the championship. And after Daytona in the third race, I was already like four, five points behind the first guy; I was really surprised. The turnaround was pretty good for everyone. I think Haiden was in the same position as me.”
Entering Salt Lake City, the Detroit crash was the only low point of Vialle’s season. After finishing 18th in that round, Vialle finished third in Arlington and won the next two races in Daytona and Birmingham. He would not win again, but swept the podium in the next four rounds and had a 15-point advantage when the gate dropped on the season finale.
“To be honest, I didn’t really expect [to contend for the championship my second season],” Vialle said. “My goal was to be consistent, but after I won in Daytona and two in a row at Birmingham, I said, ‘I got it.’ I’m pretty close and fight for the title. I made it to the end.”
As it turned out, he would need nearly all of those points. Vialle was almost a victim of a brief rain shower ahead of the evening program.
“I had a good day in practice and afternoon,” Vialle said. “I had a bad start in the heat race, and the track was really muddy. We were first on the track, and the track was really slippery, really muddy, so I was struggling a lot, and I was like eighth or ninth, so I was pretty bad.
“I couldn’t really pass anyone in the heat race. The track was really sketchy, so 18th for the gate pick was pretty bad. I was far outside, but I said, ‘I need that start.’ I actually had a great start and was up to fifth or sixth. I saw on Lap 2 that Haiden was first, so I was like, ‘I can’t make any mistakes.’ ”
The track was one of many challenges in Salt Lake City. Vialle had to ride a rollercoaster of emotion and fend off mental jabs from Deegan.
Deegan began his assault on Press Day, riding Vialle hard in what is often a casual practice on half of the track. Deegan threatened to be as aggressive on race day.
“I knew Haiden tried to mess with me on Press Day, and I kind of understand,” Vialle said. “In his position, I would maybe do the same, to be honest. He’s still young, and he’s riding good. Especially today, he rode good all day.”
As poor as his start was in the heat, Vialle made up for it in the feature. He turned his 18th gate pick into a ninth-place position on track at the end of Lap 1 and then moved cautiously through the field until he was as high as seventh. Vialle finished eighth and gave up all but four points from his advantage,
Three Monster Energy Supercross titles were determined in Salt Lake City, with riders representing three countries. In the 250 East / West Showdown, American RJ Hampshire topped Levi Kitchen for the West title to join France’s Vialle.
In his rookie campaign on a 450, Australian Jett Lawrence continued his domination of that class after winning the Pro Motocross title last year and the inaugural SuperMotocross World Championship.
Notably, each rider scored their first championship in their respective division.
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