Slaw
Is anyone as excited as Red Bull KTM to see Pro Motocross come to an end? It has been a trying year for the Austrian-brand. From financial instability to Chase Sexton’s long summer and now Tom Vialle deciding not to race the second moto at Budds Creek.
At the final round of the Pro Motocross Championship at Budds Creek on Saturday, Vialle finished the first 250 moto in 11th and then we didn’t see him line up for the second moto. There was no clear reason with the two-time 250SX champion didn’t race, but today we have more information.
In the KTM post-race press release, team manager Ian Harrison stated that Vialle “decided he would sit out race two after lacking confidence in his setup.”
“After the race, Julien requested a couple of bike changes, while Tom decided he would sit out race two after lacking confidence in his setup, so he called it a day,” Harrison said.
With reports of Vialle, a two-time MX2 World Champion, heading back to MXGP in 2026 in a deal with Honda HRC, it is unknown at this time if he will race the upcoming SuperMotocross Playoffs.
The team also lost Julien Beaumer in the second 250 moto, when he ran into the back of another rider right by the mechanics area and slammed to the ground. Beaumer was slow to get up and the race was red flagged. According to Harrison, Beaumer suffered a concussion in the incident.
You can read Harrison’s entire quote below:
“The morning qualifying started pretty well for us at Budds Creek. It was nice to see Julien maintain the pace he had at Unadilla, while Tom seemed to find a groove as the laptimes of the top 10 were super-close. Tom pulled two fantastic starts to Moto 1 after the first race was red-flagged, and was running out front before he made a mistake and fell down. From there, as the moto went on, he seemed to lose pace, while Julien was the opposite as he gained speed towards the end. After the race, Julien requested a couple of bike changes, while Tom decided he would sit out race two after lacking confidence in his setup, so he called it a day. In the second race, Julien ended up having a big wreck right in front of the mechanics’ area, and unfortunately was concussed. All-in-all, it wasn’t a great day for us, although at least everyone is in one piece and I am grateful for that.”
Main image: KTM
