Entering the sixth round of the MXGP World Championship, in a week time, Tom Vialle will go with some confidence, having won at the Lacapelle Marival in the MX2 class in 2021 and he has already won the French GP on two occasions in his short career. It seems racing in front of his fellow Frenchman is a big motivation for the HRC factory man.

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Vialle already a two-time world motocross champion, has somewhat surprised a lot of people with his strong performances so far in 2026. Having raced the MX2 class his whole career, the move to the bigger more powerful 450 was something many questions, but any questions have been answered.

Vialle, who already had a Grand Prix victory on the bigger bike, with his win in Switzerland, with a 1-6 result, and another Race win in the opening race of the season, when he captured the qualification race in Argentina, it is clear, Vialle is the real deal.

The last GP in Trentino was something of a disappointment, but he still remains third in the championship points with 206 points. His Trentino run of 2-3-6 might not have been what he was looking for, but it did show, even under tough conditions, he could score major points. He started the Trentino weekend with a second-place finish on Saturday.

“Saturday was a good day on a track that I really enjoy riding,” Vialle said. “Third in timed practice gave me a good gate-pick and I almost got the holeshot but got forced a bit wide. This allowed a rider through on the inside, and I ended up chasing him the entire race, finishing behind him by less than a second. It’s always been a tricky track to make moves on, so the aim is to get the holeshot and try and lead from the beginning and make my life a lot easier.”

Sunday saw Vialle with good speed, but a crash made sure another Grand Prix win wasn’t possible. In typical fighting spirit, he did make the podium, finishing third behind Jeffrey Herlings and Tim Gajser.

“I had a bad crash right after the wave mid-race and lost a lot of time and lost some positions and that made things tough. I had to really work hard for this podium in that second race, and I didn’t know that I had managed it when I crossed the line. Overall, I had a lot of fun overall on the weekend, it was a slow track but technical and that’s something I enjoy. Now we have a bit of a break from the GPs, and I hope to keep this season going well for when we return.”

Now, heading to his home Grand Prix at the Lacapelle Marival, it is clear a GP victory would be on his mind and give his beloved countrymen something to cheer about. Vialle has won in France in 2022, his last full GP season, and also taken victory at his home GP in 2021 and this victory came at the same circuit they will race in a week time (Lacapelle Marival).