Slaw
The worst kept secret in the paddock is official: Tom Vialle is returning to Europe and the FIM World Championship on a 450 deal with Honda HRC, the team announced today.
Following two MX2 World titles, Vialle moved to the U.S. with Red Bull KTM in 2023 and claimed back-to-back 250SX East Region titles in Monster Energy AMA Supercross in 2024 and 2025. Initially, Vialle was expected to move up to the 450 Class with Red Bull KTM in Supercross after he pointed out of the 250 Class due to his second title, but with Tim Gajser leaving Honda HRC for Yamaha, it opened the door for a return to Europe.
Vialle returns to MXGP on a multi-year deal with Honda and will make his debut at the Paris Supercross this weekend.
“This is obviously a big change for me, but I felt it was the right change at this point in my career,” said Vialle in a team release. “I have a lot of experience riding in the world championships, so I’ve always kept an eye on the series and how things are going over there and when I found out that Honda HRC were interested in signing me, I knew that I wasn’t going to get a better opportunity. I’ve seen what they’ve been able to achieve on the track, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about them as a team off the track, so this just seemed like the perfect time to come back to the world championship series and try to continue my previous world championship success into the MXGP class. I know it won’t be easy, and there’ll be a big learning curve to get used to the Honda CRF450R, but I’m confident in my abilities and I can’t wait to get started!”
“I think Tom joining Honda HRC is a big statement and quite a coup for the team,” said Honda HRC team manager Marcus Pereira de Freitas. “He’s a double world champion in motocross and a two-time SX champion as well, so to be able to get someone as talented as he is, to join the team at this stage of his career just shows that we are doing all the right things. Of course, this will be the first time he’ll be racing on a 450cc machine, but throughout his career he’s dealt with changes and new environments, so we are all confident that he’ll be able to adapt to the Honda CRF450R. He has the Paris SX race first up, which is something new to our team, so we’ll all be learning together there, but after that it’ll be purely motocross and trying to get him ready for the 2026 MXGP World Championship.”
Helping him adjust to the MXGP class will be returning Ruben Fernandez, who has re-signed with Honda HRC, as he attempts to better his fourth place in 2025 World Championship and add to his win and podium tally with the team. The Spaniard showed a lot of speed and consistency last year, and alongside Vialle will provide a high-level threat on their Honda CRF450Rs.
