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TOP-FIVE FINISHES FOR TOM VIALLE AND CHASE SEXTON IN TAMPA SUPERCROSS

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's reigning 250SX East Champion Tom Vialle has opened his defense with a measured P5 finish in Tampa's first round of the Eastern Regional series, as 450SX teammate Chase Sexton extended his advantage in the 2025 AMA Supercross Championship standings with a fifth-place result at Raymond James Stadium.

Tampa marked the opening round for the 250 SX East division, with two-time MX2 World Champion Vialle sporting the number 1 plate aboard his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION and ready to mount another title challenge this season.

After qualifying 10th at the conclusion of this afternoon's sessions, Vialle rallied in the night’s opening Heat Race, racing up front with the leader before posting a strong ride that earned the Frenchman a third-place finish.

Vialle paced himself during the 250SX East Main Event, with the track proving to be a significant challenge to the riders with its slick, hard-packed base. With that in mind, a measured performance at the season-opening round saw him register an eventual P5 result.

Tom Vialle: "I had a big crash through the whoops in qualifying, so I was lucky to get away with that one. I didn't feel great in practice or qualifying, although felt a bit better for the night show and P5 for our first Main Event of the year. It's not bad, and although it's not where we want to be, we'll build from here and get better for next weekend."

Equipped with the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, Sexton powered his way to the top of the 450SX qualifying timesheets, achieving comfort early in the day on what proved to be a difficult circuit layout.

The momentum would continue for the number 4, who braved a chaotic first turn during his Heat Race to emerge in the mid-pack. From there, a patient ride eventuated in a late pass for the lead, with Sexton breezing to the race win from there.

The Main Event was going to plan for the championship red plate-holder, as he held the lead early, building upon his margin as the race continued. An untimely late-race fall saw Sexton surrender P1, and have to nurse his way home in order to consolidate and maximize points, which he would achieve with a gritty fifth place on the night.

Chase Sexton: "Not the way I wanted to end my night after a good day in Tampa. I was solid all day and qualified fastest, but on a bad lap in the Main Event I went down in the whoops while leading and damaged my front brake and throttle, so basically just had to salvage what I could, limping it home to finish out the race – not an ideal way to finish out the weekend. We’ll get to work again this week and come out swinging at Detroit."

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Aaron Plessinger raced to an impressive second-place finish during the night’s opening 450SX Heat Race, with recent progress paying dividends for 'The Cowboy' in Florida.

With starts now at a premium in the highly-competitive 450SX field, Plessinger suffered from track position in the Main Event, and was battling for position inside the top 10 throughout. Continuing to fight, he would finish the night with a P8 result, which marks his best finish of the year so far.

Aaron Plessinger: "The afternoon was tough, but we found a setting heading into the Heat Race and felt like I ripped in that one! I made a few good passes in the first couple of laps, then ended up second. Come the Main, my start was decent before I got shuffled back early, and just rode around in eighth from there. That was the best I had today, so we'll go back and do some homework before Detroit."

Next Race: February 15 – Detroit, Michigan

Results 450SX Class – Tampa
1. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna)
2. Cooper Webb (Yamaha)
3. Jason Anderson (Kawasaki)
5. Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
6. Justin Barcia (GASGAS)
8. Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
9. Justin Hill (KTM)
14. Anthony Rodriguez (KTM)
19. Kevin Moranz (KTM)

Standings 450SX Class 2025 after 5 of 17 rounds
1. Chase Sexton, 101 points
2. Cooper Webb, 96
3. Jason Anderson, 84
6. Malcolm Stewart, 77
9. Justin Barcia, 68
11. Justin Hill, 57
13. Aaron Plessinger, 40

Results 250SX East Class – Tampa
1. Max Anstie (Yamaha)
2. Daxton Bennick (Yamaha)
3. Cameron McAdoo (Kawasaki)
5. Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)

Standings 250SX East Class 2025 after 1 of 10 rounds
1. Max Anstie, 25 points
2. Cameron McAdoo, 20
3. Seth Hammaker, 18
5. Tom Vialle, 16

KTM NEWS

MIXED FORTUNES FOR RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING IN NASHVILLE SUPERCROSS

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Red Bull KTM Factory Racing endured a mixed day out at Round 13 of the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship in Nashville, where Eli Tomac qualified quickest and won his Heat race before a difficult 450SX Main Event saw him finish outside of the top 10 and directly ahead of teammate Jorge Prado. Two-time 450SX Champion Tomac entered this weekend jointly holding the series leader's red plate, with the Colorado native qualifying fastest in both 450SX sessions onboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION with an eventual benchmark of a 51.407s lap-time. That momentum continued in the afternoon's racing program within Nissan Stadium for Tomac, who started the second 450SX Heat Race in third position, before making a move on Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Prado during the later stages to claim the victory. A slow start to the Main Event proved costly for the number 3, who steadily climbed through the field to enter the top 10 in dry, technical track conditions, only to be impacted by a late-race crash on his way to finishing 12th. He now sits third in the 450SX standings with four rounds remaining, 15 points from the points lead. Eli Tomac: “What a day – the whole day was good, other than the Main Event result! I was comfortable with my setup all day, so I’m just frustrated not only with the bad gate selection – I should have avoided the inside on the start – but also the crash. That bad start really put me in a tough spot from the get-go and I had my work cut out for me trying to make passes on such a slick, tight track. I lost a bunch of points today, but all I can do at this point is ride my best at the remaining rounds and let the chips fall where they may." Also equipped with the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, Spanish standout Prado recorded the fifth-fastest combined qualifying time – highlighted by P3 in the opening session – before powering to the holeshot and a third-place finish in 450SX Heat 2. The 25-year-old ran up front during the early stages of the Main Event, crossing the line in third on Lap 1, and was contending for a podium position through the first half of the race. An incident around the midway point unfortunately dropped him outside the top 10, as Prado would go on to claim 13th position. Jorge Prado: “It was a frustrating Main Event in Nashville. I felt good all day, and I’m just upset with myself that I wasn’t able to execute the plan I had in my head for the race. I knew I had to push hard – push it to the limit every lap – if I wanted to be on the podium. I feel I had what it took to be on the podium tonight, so I’m disappointed. My bike was good all day and good enough to be up there, so it’s frustrating to know that one mistake cost me what could have been a great night. But the positive is I’m here to learn this year, and learning every week is what I’m doing. I will regroup, keep putting in the work this week, and be even better next weekend." Next Race: April 18 – Cleveland, Ohio Results 450SX Class – Nashville 1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 2. Cooper Webb (Yamaha) 3. Ken Roczen (Suzuki) 5. Justin Hill (KTM) 12. Eli Tomac (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 13. Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 17. Kevin Moranz (KTM) 18. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna) Standings 450SX Class 2026 after 13 of 17 rounds 1. Hunter Lawrence, 270 points 2. Ken Roczen, 260 3. Eli Tomac, 255 8. Malcolm Stewart, 145 9. Jorge Prado, 140 15. Aaron Plessinger, 99 21. RJ Hampshire, 38