Adapting Over The Atlantic | Vital MX Editorial 5

It is troublesome to reach a common consensus on just how good Tom Vialle has been in his first year in the United States. Understandably, some entered with lofty expectations of the star who managed to claw his way from obscurity to prominence in four swift terms beneath the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing awning. Is the jump into the unknown underestimated though? There is enough data to make an educated decision and yet opinions fluctuate.

Monster Energy Supercross is one heck of an adjustment – everyone knows that – so that can be removed from this conversation. Pro Motocross is not much of a jump from the FIM Motocross World Championship though and the same skillset is relevant in each series. There is still a period of adaption and no one is excused from that process. Intense heat is a factor that many point to, but intensity is relevant on track too. Vialle has mentioned on more than one occasion that it is peculiar to be in the thick of a battle for the duration of each moto.

The nature of MX2 is more calculated in comparison to the all-out war that is 250MX. The fact that 250MX carries such a connotation is because of how competitive each manufacturer is – the title is a priority for so many teams in the paddock. MX2 includes a lot of investment from KTM AG and Yamaha, but the rest of the manufacturers are not necessarily entering with aspirations to win and therefore a clearer hierarchy is formed. There are no less than twelve 250MX stars who have the means to go out and strive for a win, so that creates a rather different playing field.

Perhaps the different dynamic could be blamed for the uncharacteristic errors that Vialle has made across the eight Pro Motocross events that have been run? Truthfully, he was picture perfect in Grands Prix and would rarely falter. To see him tumble down the track at Thunder Valley and Washougal was bizarre. It is also another element that he has had to get used to. Although this is his fifth term of professional action, he is unfamiliar with the race against time to get his battered body back into a competitive window.

"Rookie" is not an appropriate tag, because Vialle knows so much more about racing than Haiden Deegan. Deegan knows a lot more about the way of doing things in the United States, in contrast, so "newbie" is a better way of describing those European stars who are trying to transfer success from one continent to another. Speaking of which, how does '128' compare to the recent Grand Prix winners who came before him? The statistics should paint a clear picture with little interference from the written word…

Note: Marvin Musquin was injured at round two and missed the following five rounds.

Note: Tyla Rattray was injured at round six and missed the following three rounds.