A packed and spectacular 40th Paris Supercross – Europe’s biggest, oldest and most prestigious SX annual event- was a fitting stage for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle to display his burgeoning ‘indoor’ skills as he took his works KTM 250 SX-F to 2nd in the SX2 class in the French capital.
Tom Vialle stars at the famous French meeting and for the second time on home soil after his victorious efforts for Team France at the Motocross of Nations one month previously
The former double MX2 Motocross World Champion closes his first calendar year in AMA Supercross and Motocross competition with an international appearance and a comprehensive display to record top two results in four of the six outings
Vialle now readies for 2024 in the USA and for his second attempt at the 250SX class with round one taking place at the Angel Stadium, Anaheim on January 6th
The Defense Arena to the western center of Paris again staged the Paris Supercross and for a bumper entry list and attendance for the 40th running of the flagship winter fixture. Among the stars negotiating a technical and slick track was Red Bull KTM’s Tom Vialle who was able to apply all his experience and learning from a rookie SX term in 2023.
Vialle, fresh from glory at the Motocross of Nations (also in France, at Ernee), took the opportunity in Paris to perform in front of his fans but also continue his training and prep for forthcoming 2024 supercross. On Saturday night he took 8-2-1 finishes to finish 3rd overall for the evening and after tweaking his suspension set-up. On Sunday afternoon Vialle produced more consistency to confirm the runner-up spot overall.
Tom Vialle: “The first day was OK. I had a small crash in the first heat but the second and third was way-better. I was a bit happier on Sunday. We had some great racing with Jo Shimoda. A pretty cool experience to be here! It was really nice to hear all the fans. A nice atmosphere. We know where we need to work, both on the bike and me personally. We have seen a few things to try so we’ll fly back to California next week for that. I cannot wait to be back here in Paris next year.”
Results 2023 Paris SX
1. Jo Shimoda (JPN) Honda
2. Tom Vialle (FRA) Red Bull KTM
3. Anthony Bourdon (FRA), Kawasaki
4. Jace Owen (USA) Yamaha
5. Cullin Park (USA) Honda
KTM Factory Racing
