Tom Vialle extends KTM contract for four years
Defending champion Tom Vialle has extended his contract with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team. He will compete in MX2022 in 2 and then switch to MXGP in 2023.
Red Bull KTM's press release: 20-year-old Vialle captured the MX2020 title in 2 and has already won four Grands Prix in the current campaign. The Frenchman is rapidly climbing the rankings after suffering a broken right hand earlier in the season and has risen from 11th to 4th with seven games remaining.
After joining the Red Bull KTM team as a rookie in 2019, Vialle has made incredible progress, blending his blossoming technique, fitness, racing ability and intelligence with excellent results. He has now committed his future to the factory effort to extend his association with KTM to more than half a decade.
As well as aiming for another MX2 crown in 2022 – where he will also help develop the latest generation of the KTM 250 SX-F – Vialle is also set to debut the KTM 2023 SX in 450 F in the MXGP, where he will be given time and space to learn the ins and outs of the division in an agreement that runs until the end of 2025.
Tom Vialle: "I am so happy that I can continue with KTM. I would like to especially thank Robert and Pit for understanding me and my desire to ride in MX2 for another year because I had some bad luck this season. I want another title. I feel so good with the team – Dirk, Joel, Valentina, Harry, the whole crew – and I wanted to continue with them. It was an easy decision. KTM is my first team! They were the first people to believe in me, so I'm very grateful to them."
Robert Jonas, VP of Motorsports Offroad: "When Tom joined the Red Bull KTM team he was given the opportunity to show what he could do and he worked hard, listened, learned and performed. I think he is a shining example for any young person who wants to follow the same path. He has justified the faith that the likes of Joel Smets and Dirk Gruebel had in him and we are happy to see how he has developed and become such a force with the KTM 250 SX-F. We are also proud to continue the story together and it is fantastic to be setting up this longer-term project with Tom, both for his final MX2 season and for MXGP. If we can continue as we have done so far, we hope to have another special rider, team and machine combination in store."
Photos: KTM
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