Tom Vialle endured a frustrating outing at Budds Creek. After nursing home 11th in the opening moto, the French rider made the call to sit out the second race altogether.

With rumors quickly emerging online, the two time MX2 World Champion has since clarified the situation. The decision came down to a persistent shock problem on his bike. Rather than risk a serious incident, Vialle chose to prioritize his safety and watch moto two from the sidelines.

Tom Vialle Instagram:

“Hey guys, I’ve seen some stupid sh*t online since Budds Creek and I just want to clear it up. I haven’t quit or anything like that. Like everyone knows, and I’m not the only rider in this situation…

We’ve been dealing with broken/fading shocks all summer. The team and I can see in the data that the shock isn’t working properly and something happened early in the moto.

It’s been really tough for me the last couple races with the shock, but I still wanted to keep racing and giving it my all like I always have my whole career. But after the shock broke once again in Moto 1 at Budds Creek, I decided not to race the second moto for my own safety. I’m sure everyone gets that.

KTM and the team are working on it, and I’m confident we’ll be good to go for SMX. See you guys there.

It’s an issue that is not ideal for KTM – hopefully they can find the answer ASAP!”

It is heavily rumoured that we will see the Frenchman aboard a Honda machine next season… back in Europe.

Feature Image: Align Media