The big—and long rumored—news of Tom Vialle's move from Red Bull KTM in the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) in the United States of America back to the FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) in Europe is now finally official this morning. The two-time 250SX East Division Monster Energy AMA Supercross Champion would have been forced to race the 450SX Class for 2026, and KTM reportedly offered him a one-year deal for next year. With some changes on the Honda HRC MXGP team, they were able to offer Vialle, who is a two-time MX2 Champion, a multi-year deal. Vialle came to the U.S., accomplished his goal of winning a supercross title (twice) and is now heading back home. How will his first season in the MXGP class go?

Two things to note: Vialle will be making his Honda debut this weekend at the Paris Supercross on Saturday and Sunday. You can watch it live on MXGP-TV.com for $23 USD.

And Ruben Fernandez is mentioned in the press release as returning to the team for ’26 as well, although we do expect to see Jeffrey Herlings on the team next year as well. The Herlings announcement will come soon. Tim Gajser, who has spent his entire pro career to date with Honda, is moving on and expected to sign with Yamaha.

The following press release is from Honda MXGP:

Tom Vialle joins Honda HRC for MXGP challenge in statement signing

Two-time MX2 World Champion and double-SX 250cc champion, Tom Vialle has signed for Honda HRC in a multi-year deal, that will see the Frenchman step up into the MXGP class for the foreseeable future. Knowing this was a critical time in his career, Vialle – who recently gained his second World SuperMotocross podium – chose to switch brands and continents as he returns to the world motocross series and tries to continue his successful career on-board the Honda CRF450R.

Indeed, the prowess of this powerhouse machine, was one of the main reasons Vialle is returning ‘home’ after his stint in America, because the chance to ride a factory CRF450R doesn’t come around very often, and he didn’t want to let that opportunity slip through his fingers. The move up to the bigger bikes is such an important step to take, he knew that the right equipment and the right environment was paramount to helping continue his run of winning trophies.

Known as one of the most professional teams in the paddock, and one that has a long history of winning races and championships, Honda HRC are hoping that Vialle can hit the ground running, and use this off-season to fully prepare for the rigours of the 2026 MXGP World Championship, with 20 rounds located around the globe. Having won two MX2 titles, he will be familiar with a lot of the logistics that this series presents, but with a couple more rounds, points for qualification races, and a more diverse calendar than when he last rode in 2022, there will still be a some adapting needed if he wants to challenge at front of this competitive field straight away.

Helping him adjust to the MXGP class will be returning Ruben Fernandez, who has re-signed with Honda HRC, as he attempts to better his fourth place in 2025 World Championship and add to his win and podium tally with the team. The Spaniard showed a lot of speed and consistency last year, and alongside Vialle will provide a high-level threat on their Honda CRF450Rs.

First though for Vialle, we will see him at the Paris SX, giving him a gate-drop in front of his home crowd, allowing him to ease himself into the team dynamic, whilst his countrymen cheer him on and welcome back one of their own. Then the preparations begin for a 2026 MXGP campaign that concludes with the Motocross of Nations being held in Ernee, France – a track where Vialle won the MXON previously in 2023.