A pivotal victory in the 250SX East Main Event at Pittsburgh has resulted in Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle regaining the red plate with just a single round remaining in the division, on a night where Chase Sexton kept the pressure on in 450SX with a solid second-place finish to complete Round 15 of the 2025 AMA Supercross Championship.
The defending 250SX East Class Champion Vialle opened his Pittsburgh weekend by recording the fourth-fastest qualifying time despite crashing heavily in the afternoon, before rebounding and racing to a fourth-place finish in his Heat Race onboard the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION.
An intense Main Event saw Vialle launch to a top-three start, before posting a calculated performance that saw the Frenchman strike for the lead during the latter stages of the race. From there, the number 1 would hold the lead and deliver a timely race win, now carrying a single-point series advantage into Salt Lake City.
Tom Vialle: “This race win was very important, I feel like I had to win [tonight] to have a chance at the championship in Salt Lake. I had a rough start to the day with a pretty big crash in practice, but overall, I got pretty lucky there. I felt great in the Main Event, the bike felt really good too, and after the start I knew that I had to make it happen tonight and thats what we did.”
Equipped with his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, 450SX title challenger Sexton powered his way to the fastest qualifying time, dialing in what was a challenging Acrisure Stadium circuit that tested the world’s best Supercross riders.
In his Heat Race, Sexton launched to a top-three start and made his way into P2 with teammate Aaron Plessinger heading the field at the front. On a slick surface, Sexton would post a measured performance to earn third place as the checkered flag flew.
An epic fight in the Main Event would see the number 4 stalk the leader for the duration of the race after a strong start, riding to the limit of what the track conditions would allow. Following an intense duel over the course of the encounter, Sexton delivered a P2 result and currently sits 12 points from the 450SX lead with two rounds to go.
Chase Sexton: “It was a tough track tonight, I knew the start was going to be key, and Cooper [Webb] got off to a good one. From there I really needed to be mindful of how hard I pushed as it was easy to lose the rear-end in these conditions. I felt like I rode well, just couldn’t get close enough to make a pass, but I didn’t want to override the track – finding that limit was tough. It’s disappointing to lose this race tonight, but it was a dogfight and I gave it everything I had.”
Teammate Plessinger enjoyed success in his 450SX Heat Race, surging to a second-place result after scoring the holeshot and leading early onboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION.
Later, in battling within the top-five throughout the Main Event, ‘The Cowboy’ would continue his impressive run of late-season form, crossing the finish line in fourth place to conclude his weekend in Pittsburgh. Plessinger is sixth in the standings following Round 15 of 17.
Aaron Plessinger: “Pittsburgh was a fun city and a very cool venue! It was a weird day for me. I felt really good in practice and then got off to an awesome start in the Heat Race. P2 in that one, which was pretty good, but it was a strange Main Event after getting off to an awesome start. On the first lap, I cased the big triple, and I think that threw me off a bit, took me a bit to get going. Around the halfway mark I came alive and managed to come back to fourth, so it’s a cool feeling to not give up on myself and rebound mid-race – we’ll take the speed into Denver and try to end this Supercross season with two more podiums!”
Next Race: May 3 – Denver, Colorado
Results 450SX Class – Pittsburgh
- Cooper Webb (Yamaha)
- Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
- Justin Cooper (Yamaha)
- Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
- Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna)
- Justin Hill (KTM)
Standings 450SX Class 2025 after 15 of 17 rounds
- Cooper Webb, 325 points
- Chase Sexton, 313
- Ken Roczen, 271
- Malcolm Stewart, 237
- Aaron Plessinger, 222
- Justin Barcia, 185
- Justin Hill, 170
Results 250SX East Class – Pittsburgh
- Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
- Nate Thrasher (Yamaha)
- Maximus Vohland (Yamaha)
- RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna)
Standings 250SX East Class 2025 after 9 of 10 rounds
- Tom Vialle, 160
- Seth Hammaker, 159
- RJ Hampshire, 157
