Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Tom Vialle has made it three straight 250MX podium results to open the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship after claiming a hard-fought third position overall at Thunder Valley's third round of the season in Colorado.
Vialle rode his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to P5 in qualifying and then made steps forward to contend for the race victory in Moto 1, leading in the final stages and falling while challenging for a late pass for the lead. Still, he managed to remount efficiently and cross the line in P2.
Later this afternoon in Moto 2, despite an average start that cost him important time early on and an untimely crash while working his way back through the pack, Tom eventually took the checkered flag in P4. That was enough to secure third place for the round and he now sits tied on points with second in the standings, 23 points outside of the lead.
Tom Vialle: "Overall, the speed was good, just too many mistakes. I crashed in the second moto, then I was catching again and I tipped over in a corner, so I was really mad. But that's racing and the track was really good, a lot of fun today, so it was pretty nice and I'm excited for next weekend."
Colorado saw teenager Julien Beaumer match his overall finish from one week ago in scoring ninth position again. The Pro Motocross rookie qualified 12th and then improved to ninth in the opening encounter, before 10th in the final outing was another positive performance. He has now moved to eighth in the championship, motivated to keep inching closer to the front as experience grows.
Julien Beaumer: "Really good riding for me today, but bad starts and early crashes slowed my results down. I'm happy with the progress we made this weekend, so now we'll get ready for High Point!"
In wearing the red plates on his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION for the first time outdoors and coming off a victory at Hangtown, Chase Sexton displayed his front-running pace once again, but track position and a heavy crash while looking to take charge of Moto 2 resulted in 6-5 scores for fifth overall. He currently sits second in the standings, six points from the series lead following Round 3.
Chase Sexton: "It was nice to have the red plate today, and I felt like we had speed on our side, but it just didn't come together in the motos. Considering the results, we're still right there in the championship, so look forward to rebounding at High Point next weekend."
450MX teammate Aaron Plessinger was also competitive throughout the Thunder Valley weekend, gradually gaining comfort in the middle stages of the first moto on his way to fifth place, and then being affected by his start in the second race. 'The Cowboy' recovered from 15th at the end of lap one to finish in P8, which put him sixth overall for the round and he holds fifth in the point standings.
Aaron Plessinger: "Thunder Valley was kind of a struggle in practice, and then I felt better in the first moto. I got a really good start, but fell back and wasn't really gelling that much until I started clicking off some good laps around halfway and through to the end, so ended up fifth. In the second moto, I royally messed up the start, so that cost me and I paid for it. I came from around 20th place, which in conditions like that being hard and slick, it's tough to come through the pack. I've just gotta put myself in better positions early on and we'll move on to High Point."
Next Race: June 15 – High Point, Pennsylvania
Results 450MX Class – Thunder Valley National
1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda
2. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda
3. Justin Cooper (USA), Yamaha
4. Justin Barcia (USA), GASGAS
5. Chase Sexton (USA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
6. Aaron Plessinger (USA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
8. Malcolm Stewart (USA), Husqvarna
10. Christian Craig (USA), Husqvarna
Standings 450MX Class 2024 after 3 of 11 rounds
1. Hunter Lawrence, 129 points
2. Chase Sexton, 123
3. Jett Lawrence, 113
5. Aaron Plessinger, 100
7. Justin Barcia, 95
9. Malcolm Stewart, 87
11. Christian Craig, 58
Results 250MX Class – Thunder Valley National
1. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha
2. Chance Hymas (USA), Honda
3. Tom Vialle (FRA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
8. Pierce Brown (USA), GASGAS
9. Julien Beaumer (USA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
15. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), GASGAS
16. Casey Cochran (USA), Husqvarna
Standings 250MX Class 2024 after 3 of 11 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 144 points
2. Chance Hymas, 121
3. Tom Vialle, 121
7. Pierce Brown, 84
8. Julien Beaumer, 73
12. Ryder DiFrancesco, 47
16. Casey Cochran, 40
