After two consecutive 250SX East Division titles, Tom Vialle has lost his eligibility in the 250SX Class of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, and he will be forced to race the 450SX Class in 2026. The new point-out rule was implemented ahead of the 2024 season, which went from riders pointing out after four seasons of hitting a points threshold (135 250SX points in a nine-race championship or 120 250SX points in an eight-race season) to the new rule, which was based on titles.
The new point out rules:
A rider wins a 250SX title will have a maximum of four years in the class, or if a rider wins a second 250SX title will be eligible to race a total of three years in the class. Vialle just won his second consecutive 250SX East title in his third year of supercross, making him ineligible for the class moving forward as he fits right into the second part of the rule [The full rule is below, straight from the AMA rulebook].
For his part, Vialle hasn’t ducked any of this and has consistently said he is looking forward to racing a 450. He has been training on one for a few weeks leading into the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, although he will be racing a 250 this summer.
So, the big question is now, what does KTM do? Do they let Vialle walk and leave for another team? Do they give him a 450SX contract alongside of Aaron Plessinger? At the moment, Plessinger is the only 450cc rider signed on the roster for ‘26, as Chase Sexton is heavily involved in contract negotiations at the moment. How much does the KTM financial situation come into play here? The race team has consistently said the financial issues back in Europe are not impacting its race teams here and they’re actively trying to make deals with riders for 2026, and yes that includes Vialle. Read the latest update on KTM’s funding deadline.
The French rider has been with KTM since the 2019 MX2 FIM Motocross World Championship season (and he won two MX2 titles with them as well) and said he would love to stay with KTM moving forward. Several different factors are coming into play here, but one thing is certain: we will not see Tom Vialle race the 250SX class in supercross in 2026.
For now, Vialle is ramping up for the Pro Motocross 250 Class title, which kicks off on Saturday in California, then the SuperMotocross World Championship 250SMX title in the three playoff rounds that follow.
Check out the full rulebook note on the pointing out situation (under Section 5, 5.2 250SX East/West Championship Guidelines):
“2. A rider that wins a 250SX Championship will be eligible to participate in the 250SX class for a maximum of four years total.
a. If a rider wins the 250SX Championship in their fourth or more season, that rider will be eligible to compete in the 250SX class the following season only.
b. A rider must earn at least five points for it to count as a season.
3. A rider that wins a second 250SX Championship will be eligible to participate in the 250SX class for a maximum of three years total regardless of what year they won their second title. (i.e., if a rider wins their second Championship in their third year of 250SX competition, they will be ineligible for the 250SX class).”
