Round 15 of the 2023 AMA Supercross Championship in Nashville proved to be a difficult day that unfolded for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, with Tom Vialle racing to seventh in the 250SX East Main Event, and two-time 450SX title-winner Cooper Webb crashing out of Heat 1.
After qualifying in P8, Vialle powered his KTM 250 SX-F to a sixth-place result in the opening Heat race of the event, which transferred the French rookie directly into the Main Event. The Tennessee circuit further deteriorated with each gate-drop, making for an added challenge come Main Event time, where Vialle went on to secure seventh place. He currently sits eighth in the standings.
Tom Vialle: “I crashed in practice, so the beginning of the day wasn’t as expected, but recovered well in the Heat race with a fourth, before I was docked two positions because I didn't see the red cross flag. That gave me a tough gate pick for the main, and I came around the first corner in eighth or ninth. I was close to sixth, although ended the race in seventh. The track was very sketchy and I lost a bit of time in the dragon's back section, but overall, an average result here and one more chance to race Supercross for the season in two weeks' time.”
Title challenger Webb stormed out of the gates and led the opening 450SX Heat race of the day, before going down soon afterward on lap one. The 27-year-old was then transferred from the stadium to the hospital for further evaluation, unfortunately, ruled out for the remainder of the round, and he is now positioned third in points. An additional update once he has seen his doctor will follow.
The KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION of Aaron Plessinger was a non-starter in Nashville, recovering from his incident last weekend in East Rutherford, and he is intending to return to action next Saturday in Denver, Colorado.
Next Race: May 6 – Denver, Colorado
Results 450SX Class – Nashville
1. Chase Sexton (USA), Honda, 23 laps
2. Eli Tomac (USA), Yamaha, +14.513
3. Ken Roczen (GER), Suzuki, +29.756
OTHER KTM
5. Justin Hill (USA), KTM
10. Josh Hill (USA), KTM
12. Kevin Moranz (USA), KTM
18. Max Miller (USA), KTM
Standings 450SX Class 2023 after 15 of 17 rounds
1. Eli Tomac, 338
2. Chase Sexton, 320
3. Cooper Webb, 304
OTHER KTM
7. Aaron Plessinger, 213
8. Justin Hill, 172
14. Josh Hill, 116
18. Kevin Moranz, 81
Results 250SX East Class – Nashville
1. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 17 laps
2. Jo Shimoda (JPN), Kawasaki, +3.857
3. Jordon Smith (USA), Yamaha, +5.305
OTHER KTM
7. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM
Results 250SX East Class 2023 after 9 of 10 rounds
1. Hunter Lawrence, 224
2. Haiden Deegan, 168
3. Max Anstie, 166
OTHER KTM
8. Tom Vialle, 111