MXGP moved to Italy once more as the Grand Prix of Trentino constituted the fifth round of the 2022 season and ended the first quarter of the current championship. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle took his KTM 250 SX-F to a perfect 1-1 score sheet on the day and owned the red plate for the first time this term.
- Tom Vialle assumes the MX2 World Championship lead with the fourth podium finish from five races
- A perfect 50-point haul thanks to great starts and wins in both motos in Italy
- Vialle wins the GP by 13 points and now heads the MX2 table by 7 points
- KTM rise to the top of the Manufacturer’s standings with the new KTM 250 SX-F
For the second weekend in a row, MXGP was busy with Grand Prix action and – for the second time in 2022 – the FIM World Championship raced across Italian soil. The hard-packed but bumpy Pietramurata course staged the popular Trentino round on the foot of the Italian Dolomites and just north of Lake Garda.
Action
Pietramurata has been a dependable site for MXGP in recent years and staged multiple rounds in both 2020 and 2021. For the 2022 edition of the Grand Prix, the circuit organisers took steps to provide a different challenge and reversed the direction of the scenic track. The narrow trajectory and rutty, slick soil remained and highlighted the effectiveness of race start for the riders with their eyes on podium prizes.
Red Bull KTM watched Tom Vialle obtain a solid 4th position in the Qualification Heat on Saturday, where the weather was overcast and chilly. Sunday was sunnier and milder, but Vialle had warmed up.
In the first moto, he streaked ahead of the field to win by three seconds. The fifth holeshot of 2022 helps him maintain a comfortable rhythm ahead of Kay de Wolf to taste victory in the second outing. Vialle has a seven-point advantage over Jago Geerts as the new MX2 world championship leader.
DIGA Procross KTM’s Liam Everts returned from his finger injury and placed 14th overall in the same category. MXGP will shut off the throttles for Easter weekend but will head east for round six of twenty and to Kegums for the Grand Prix of Latvia on April 24th.
Quote
Tom Vialle, 1st and 1st for 1st overall in MX2: “A great day for me. I felt good today, especially in the second moto. Kay was behind me for a long time, but I focused and pushed when I needed to. The bike was working amazing today, and for that, I want to thank the team. We did a great job and now have the red plate; it’s always nice to have it on the front of the bike!”
Results MX2 Trentino 2022
- 1. Tom Vialle (FRA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 1-1
- 2. Kay de Wolf (NED), Husqvarna, 6-2
- 3. Mikkel Haarup (DEN) Kawasaki, 2-6
- 3. Thibault Benistant (FRA), Yamaha, 5-3
- 5. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA), GASGAS, 7-4
Standings MX2 2022 after 5 of 20 rounds
- 1. Tom Vialle, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 208 points
- 2. Jago Geerts, 194
- 3. Mikkel Haarup, 169
- 4. Simon Laengenfelder, 154
- 5. Kay de Wolf, 150
via KTM Press
