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season in the States and never finished on the podium during the 2023 Supercross series. Vialle held off Shimoda in race one and then led 10 of the 17 laps in the second moto. The Frenchman, who's now train- ing with Chase Sexton and Ken Roczen, went 3-2 and Shimoda on points for the day but lost out on the tiebreaker. "The track today was a good blend of Supercross and moto- cross, so of course that helped me," said Vialle. "I feel way better than I did at the beginning of the year. I'm getting that flow back in my riding and had a few more months to prepare so I can carry that to the next few races." about while racing. "No one really knew what to expect going into the weekend, but we did realize right away that the start would be impor- tant," Shimoda added. "I didn't get the jump I wanted on the start [of moto one] but wasn't too bad off. It was just hard to pass, so I'm glad I got up to the spot I did. The second moto was fun, and I felt like I was faster but just couldn't find the line to make it work. I tried a lot of different lines, and when I was close, I went outside and got it." Vialle (Red Bull KTM) took second with two podium fin- ishes. The two-time MX2 World Champ is still in his rookie race before making a statement pass on leader Tom Vialle, the former MX World Champion. The number 30 ran away with the victory, using 4-1 finishes to take the day's overall win. Shimoda is now tied for the lead in the SMX points standings with 2023 250MX National Champion Hunter Lawrence, who, like his brother, had an off day. "The track was so fast that you want to make an aggres- sive move," said Shimoda. "But you don't want to take a chance and take both riders out. I tried to be patient. The race is long, so I tried to find where I was better and get closer and make a move. That's what I thought ROUND 1 / SEPTEMBER 9, 2023 ZMAX DRAGWAY / CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA MOTOCROSS I SUPERMOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP P80 Tom Vialle (128) had one of his best rides since coming to America.