A second-straight 250SX East victory for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Tom Vialle saw him take over the series points lead following Birmingham's ninth round of the 2024 AMA Supercross Championship, as Chase Sexton raced to a top-five finish in the 450SX Class.
Just one week after his breakout win in Daytona, 23-year-old Vialle rode his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the third-fastest lap-time in qualifying, before storming to P1 in both his Heat and the Main Event. It was a controlled performance from the two-time MX2 World Champion to win by 2.731 seconds, now holding the red plate by a single point following four rounds of the eastern regional series.
Tom Vialle: "I felt great all day and had a good Heat race to win one of those for the first time. In the Main Event, I didn't have the best start, but I got into P1 and did some good laps early, trying to stay consistent the whole moto. The last four or five laps were great, I loved the track, and it turns out it was pretty good after the weather we had this week. Another win is amazing for me and I'm really happy to have the red plate – I haven't won two races in a row since back in the GPs, so it is a nice feeling. Now we will focus on the next race in Indy."
450SX saw defending champion Sexton qualify second quickest and then sprint away to a commanding Heat race victory onboard the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. A late charge in the Main Event eventually resulted in a fourth-place result, keeping his title hopes alive, now 20 points outside of the lead in third position.
Chase Sexton: "Today was better, even if the result obviously didn't really show it. I feel like my speed and also spark was back today – not where I want it to be, but it's getting better. Heat race win, it took me nine races to get one of those this season, which was good for us tonight, and then in the Main Event, I made a few mistakes and really just lost the race from there. We'll go back to work this week and try to come out swinging for the Triple Crown in Indy."
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Aaron Plessinger's day also started out in promising fashion, ninth in qualifying and then claiming fifth in the second 450SX Heat race of the night program. He ran as high as sixth in the Main Event on his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, before going on to take the checkered flag in P8.
Aaron Plessinger: "Alabama was going good, the qualifiers were decent, and then in the Heat race we pushed through for fifth. We made a little bit of a change and went out for the Main Event, but I just rode inconsistent. I was making little mistakes and just wasn't fully in the moment, so ended up eighth. Overall, it was a solid day, we're coming out unscathed and onto the next one! We'll do some homework this week and figure out how to get back up on the podium."
Next Race: March 16 – Indianapolis, Indiana
Results 450SX Class – Birmingham
1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda
2. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha
3. Ken Roczen (GER), Suzuki
4. Chase Sexton (USA), KTM
OTHER KTM
8. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM
Standings 450SX Class 2024 after 9 of 17 rounds
1. Jett Lawrence, 185 points
2. Cooper Webb, 172
3. Chase Sexton, 165
OTHER KTM
7. Aaron Plessinger, 146
Results 250SX East Class – Birmingham
1. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM
2. Cameron McAdoo (USA), Kawasaki
3. Seth Hammaker (USA), Kawasaki
Standings 250SX East Class 2024 after 4 of 9 rounds
1. Tom Vialle, 74 points
2. Cameron McAdoo, 73
3. Pierce Brown, 69