Tom Vialle on Pittsburgh SX Win: “I Had to Make It Happen Tonight”

Hammaker was outside the top 15 early in the main event, Hampshire was inside the top five, and Vialle was second behind Thrasher. Hammaker settled down and charged forward lap after lap, which changed the standings. As the TV graphics explained during the race, Vialle did not lose any positions for six straight laps, but he lost championship points due to Hammaker moving up into the top ten. It appeared Hammaker would still enter the season finale with the points lead. Out front, though, Vialle hounded Thrasher until he finally made a pass stick late in the race.

Vialle took the win—his first of the season—and gained three more points than he would have if he had finished second. Hampshire came through fourth after a crash, and Hammaker scored fifth. The points went from Hammaker’s plus three on Hampshire and plus seven on Vialle to Vialle up being up one on Hammaker and up three on Hampshire.

“That one was very important,” Vialle said afterwards. “I feel like I had to win to get the chance next race in Salt Lake City. I got pretty lucky with the [practice] crash. The race was pretty bad, but I had a great start and my first couple of laps was great in the main event. And I was like, 'Hey, I feel good on the track, also with the bike.' The bike was working pretty good in the main event. So, I was like, 'Yeah, I know I have to do it.' So, I felt great, and we could make it happen tonight.”

Hampshire was bummed to cough up a few points with a late crash that dropped him from third to fourth.

"I had a good Main Event going, put myself in a good position, and then made a small mistake with a few laps to go that really cost me," said the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider. "We're leaving here three points down heading into the finale with a shot at winning this thing, so we'll put our head down for two weeks and be ready to win in Salt Lake."

Vialle had a tough run with a 22nd-place finish in the Foxborough SX mud after having a lap where he got stuck multiple times and logged easily the slowest lap of the main event at about four and a half minutes. That same night, Hammaker finished ninth and Hampshire 15th. Vialle could not capitalize on his competitors both going down in the first turn.

“Yeah, the last three races have been pretty tough,” Vialle said. “I lost a lot of points in Foxborough. It was really a bummer because it was two laps to go, I could have maybe have 22 points lead and I went to one [point]. So, it was actually really a bummer. And the one in Philly it was pretty tough. I had also a big crash in, I think, it was the heat race.”

The French rider has typically been a great starter. Back to his MX2 days in the FIM Motocross World Championship, he was always out front getting holeshot after holeshot. That has not been the case this year. But in Pittsburgh, he knew it was crucial to get out front when the gate dropped in Pittsburgh. Once there, he knew what to do.

“Just had to keep on training during the week, and I stayed strong, and I really tried to believe in myself, and I know I can do it," he said. "I felt great tonight so I could bounce back. I think the start was important. I feel like Seth and RJ start always in front of me the last two or three races and tonight I could start in front of them and that helped a lot."

Vialle will head into the Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Showdown in Salt Lake City, Utah, in a winner-takes-all scenario on May 10. His clutch win in Pittsburgh set up the whole scenario.

“I didn't win any main event this year yet, I mean, so far, so that one feels really good,” Vialle said.