KTM’s Tom Vialle took the overall victory and the red plate in the MX2 world championship at a wet Valkenswaard when disaster hit first race winner and championship leader Jago Geerts.

The opening leg saw Vialle lead but Geerts catch him and steal the win with just a couple of laps remaining. But the Yamaha man went down hard at the start of moto two and pulled through from dead last to seventh as Vialle cleared off to the moto win, the overall and the championship lead.

Geerts, riding without goggles, put on a storming ride through the pack to finish seventh and take third on the podium.

The first moto saw Maxime Renaux third from Rene Hofer and Briton Ben Watson in sixth, from Jed Beaton, Conrad Mewse and Bas Vaessen.

Race two saw Vialle take the holeshot and lead right to the finish by almost a minute, unaware of the drama behind as Vaessen went out of second place with a DNF, Hofger pitting to mend a broken bike, Mewse going down and Geerts pushing through the pack. Aussie Jed Beaton took second from Maxime Renaux and Ben Watson in fourth. Renaux took second overall from Geerts, Beaton, Watson and Mewse.

“I was riding really good! The track is really tough but I got a good start and it’s a great result for the championship,” said Frenchman Vialle, who has only won one GP before, in 2019. Vialle now has 87 points, five more than Geerts.

Geerts said: “I went down and hurt my ribs. I set off a minute behind last place so it was a good ride. I can’t wit for the next round so I can have my revenge!”