Press Day Interviews: RedBud
July 05, 2025
We caught up with Vialle, Cairoli, and DiFrancesco at press day today.
Tom Vialle
Last week was probably the best part of your season. How do you feel coming into the rest of the season? Do you feel like you’ve unlocked something, or was it just a huge advantage with sand at that round?
Yeah, last week was obviously good. The last two races, I’ve been on the podium, so I want a little bit more. But we were struggling with the bike setup, especially in those first three or four rounds. We went completely the wrong way. For Southwick, we changed direction completely with the suspension setup—went back to last year's settings—and it was a lot better. Hopefully we can keep going that way for the rest of the season. The bike felt much better last weekend, and I’ve had a good week, so we’ll see. RedBud is a fun track—I really enjoy it every time I go there. Hopefully we can have a good day tomorrow.
Speed-wise, it feels like Deegan is on a different level than everyone else. Do you agree with that as a rider, or do you still feel like there’s a gap you can close?
Yeah, not going to lie—he’s not making any mistakes, he’s riding really fast, and he’s starting up front. He’s tough to beat. He has the full package: probably the best bike, one of the fastest riders, no mistakes, and good starts. It’s tough to beat a guy like that. But I’m trying every week—going back, training, trying to improve every weekend. That’s my goal. I’ve been second to him the last two races, so I’m going to keep trying. Hopefully we can get closer and beat him soon.
There’s been a lot of talk this week about what you're doing next year. Do you have a preference—stay in America or go back to Europe?
Yeah, I mean, there’s been a lot going on. Like everyone knows, it’s only rumors. One morning I just woke up, opened my phone around 8:30 a.m., and it was blowing up—three or four notifications from every website. I didn’t even understand what was going on. I thought I had missed something. But yeah, I’ve really been enjoying racing in the U.S. the past three years—it’s been a lot of fun. Right now, nothing is decided. We’re still working through contracts and everything. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, I’ll know more.
I imagine there's an element of missing home too, right?
Yeah, of course—I miss being home. I’ve been living here, but home is where I grew up. So yeah, that’s part of the decision. But I do feel really good here, I like it a lot, and hopefully I can stay.
Is there an option to race 250s motocross again next season, or are you moving up?
I’m out of 250s—even if I didn’t win a title this year, I was going to move to 450 anyway. I’ve said that a lot. I actually wanted to move to 450 this summer, but KTM didn’t really want me to. They wanted me to stay and fight for the 250 title, since they didn’t really have anyone else to go for it—whether it was KTM, Husky, or GasGas. So I couldn’t move, but the plan was always to go 450 next year.
Tony Cairoli
First off, how does it feel to be the first rider debuting with Ducati in America?
Nice, I mean—it’s crazy. I never thought I would be able to race at this level, and especially to bring the Ducati—the Italian bike—here. An Italian rider at this race, probably the best race in the U.S. for motocross? Super cool.
Did you purposely pick this round, or did it just work out timing-wise?
No, timing-wise it worked better. It also looked better in terms of the bike sales—we needed that to be done in America, so this was quite the right time.
How do you feel about the bike—do you think it’s fully ready, or will tomorrow be a big learning day?
Yeah, basically it’s a stock bike. We’re not riding a factory bike because we don’t actually have a factory engine yet, even in Europe. We’re still developing it. The bike is just a year and a half old, and we’re still working on the base settings. For suspension, I’m working with Factory Connection on this trip. We’ve made some adjustments, but everything is still mostly stock. I’m really happy with the outcome so far after testing.
What are your expectations result-wise?
Honestly, I don’t have any major expectations. I just love having the opportunity to race here. Of course, I have a winner’s mindset—so my head says top five. But my body says, “Hey, you haven’t raced at this level for four years,” aside from a few test races here and there. So we’ll see. A top ten would be amazing.
You're racing next week as well?
Yes.
Any chance we’ll see you at more races this summer, or is that it?
I don’t know—it depends on how these races go. It’s also up to the team. I’d love to race at Motocross of Nations if there’s a chance with Team Italy. That would be amazing—racing for Italy on an Italian bike, as an Italian rider. It would be really unique.
Last question—how does riding the Ducati compare to the KTM you've ridden for basically your whole career? What are the main differences? What do you like, and what still needs work?
It’s a completely different bike from anything else because of the desmodromic system. The engine character is very unique, so you need to get used to it. But there’s a lot of potential. It has a very high RPM range—you can really rev it to the moon, and in a lot of situations, that helps a lot.
Ryder DiFrancesco
Firstly, how has the recovery been from your Supercross crash? Are you feeling 100%? Or are you still working your way back up?
Before the season started, I thought I was 100% coming back into outdoors, but I think I got a reality check. The last couple of weeks have definitely been a struggle—not where I want to be. But I had a goal to be back where I should be by RedBud, and hopefully that happens this weekend. I turned pro here four years ago, so the vibe's always been great. It’s something I’ll always remember. Right now, I’d say I’m about 95 to 100%, and I think it’ll take one race to get me fully back to where I need to be.
It seemed pretty nasty. How does that compare to other crashes and injuries you’ve had?
Broken bones are one thing, but this was different. This was my first internal injury, and that was scary. I honestly didn’t even think I’d be racing the rest of the year. So to be back this early—yeah, I’m stoked. It surprised me. Like I said, I thought I’d be 100% by the start of the season, and I think I’m just now getting there.
In those first couple of rounds—assuming you hadn’t been riding much—did you feel like you were back at that point, or were you still building? Is everything different now, like with the bike and being outdoors?
Yeah, it’s a lot different being back outdoors. The bike feels different. I’d say I have flashes of what I had in Supercross now and then—I just need to put it all together. I had that confidence from Supercross going into outdoors, but like I said, I got a harsh reality check. I think things like that happen for a reason, and we’ll be back.
What’s your current training setup like? Where have you been based?
At the start of the season, I was in California—I’m a Cali boy, always have been. But since High Point, I’ve been in Florida. It’s something different, still getting used to it. But I think it’ll make me a better rider for sure, even if being away from home is tough.
