Although he has yet to secure a victory this year, Red Bull KTM factory rider Tom Vialle has been a model of consistency in the early rounds of the 2025 season. He is the only rider to finish inside the top five in all four opening rounds, with podiums at Daytona and Indianapolis. This steady performance has earned him the red plate as the new championship leader in the East Coast after the first East/West showdown of the year.
“It was a good night for me in Indy,” Vialle explained in the post-race press conference. “It’s true that I started the season a little off at Tampa and Detroit, although I felt a bit better in Detroit than in Tampa. Daytona was a key race for me – I wasn’t far from winning, and it was the same this weekend. I did my best to close the gap to Seth in the final, but he was riding well, and the track was really tricky. It was easy to make mistakes. I’m quite happy with this second place. We’re in the mix for the championship, and that’s exactly where we want to be.”
While Vialle conceded three points to Seth Hammaker in Indianapolis, he still gained ground on his main championship rivals, including Max Anstie and RJ Hampshire. On a tough and technical track in Indy, with the best riders from both coasts on the gate, minimizing mistakes and not losing too many points was crucial.
“There were some big rhythm sections, especially the one before the whoops. The track was getting rough, and it became difficult to hit that section cleanly every lap, especially towards the end of the main event. I could see that Seth had a good lead, and I wasn’t able to close the gap. I had to be smart, and finishing second was a good result. Of course, I want to win, but there will be more opportunities”.
With a 5th-place finish in Tampa, 4th in Detroit, and back-to-back 2nd-place finishes in Daytona and Indianapolis, Vialle is now looking ahead to the rest of the season with growing confidence. His goal is clear: secure race wins and successfully defend his title.
“It’s true that I started the season a little off,” Vialle admitted. “But the goal was to be in the fight from Daytona onwards, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. We knew that from that point on, we needed to be up front and battling for the win at every race. That’s really the objective. I wasn’t at my best physically in the first two rounds, but since Daytona, I feel much better. This weekend was another solid step forward. We’ll try to keep building on this momentum until the end.”
The U.S. Supercross championship takes its first break after Indianapolis, with the next 250 East round set for Birmingham on March 22, featuring the first Triple Crown event of the season – a format where starts are even more critical. It’s an area where Vialle has improved in recent weeks.
“I really want to win. I think I wasn’t far off in Daytona, and it was the same this weekend. My starts have been better lately, but there are so many fast riders, especially in the showdown races. Getting a good start makes a big difference. The important thing is that my starts are improving, and I’m in a position to fight for wins. Hopefully, I can get one soon. I’ll keep working during the break, and I’ll be ready for Birmingham.”
With his experience racing at the world level, Vialle knows that defending a title is never easy. The challenge is even greater in the U.S., where the 250 Supercross championship consists of just 10 rounds – meaning every mistake comes at a high price.
“In Europe, we had 20 Grand Prix races per season, but here, the championship is only 10 rounds – half the length. In the first few rounds, I was mainly trying to see how the bike felt and how I felt on the track. Now, we have to fight for wins at every race to contend for the title until the very end. In Europe, you can afford a few second and third-place finishes because the season is longer. It’s similar in the outdoors here; there are only 11 rounds in the U.S., which is quite short compared to the World Championship. I’m going to keep fighting, stay focused on myself, and not worry about the others. So far, that approach has been working well.”
Now back in possession of the red plate, the French rider has everything in place to chase his second 250 Supercross title. However, with Max Anstie just one point behind, Seth Hammaker 11 points back, and RJ Hampshire 12 points adrift, the battle is far from over.
