JORGE PRADO – PUTTING ON THE PRESSURE

Defending MXGP champion Jorge Prado of the Red Bull GASGAS factory team heads to Switzerland this coming weekend with one aim, and that is to leave the weekend with the red plate and even more momentum heading to the following round in Turkiye.

“My goal is to always go for the win,” Prado said. “I just go for the win every time out, but last year I could afford to be on the podium and no winning the GP. I just made the best out of it and stay safe. I had almost 100-point advantage, so that is a lot of points. That is a lot of points to play with and with my good starts and good riding last year, I could manage that gap very well. This year is different, I lost points in Arco with the mechanical issue and 25 straight away in Maggiora with the start crash, so, that is 35 points I lost very quickly, and it isn’t easy, because Tim is also riding very well and very consistent. We are getting closer, but it takes sometimes and hopefully in the next rounds, I can ride my best level, like I am doing now and not make any mistakes and get the red plate.”

In fact, Prado has started doing something of a Tim Gajser mentality, with 2-2-2-1-2-2-2-1-1-3-2-2 results since returning from Indonesia. What is most impressive about Prado, he isn’t making huge mistakes like his rivals and has looked very, very calm.

While it is Gajser who currently holds the red plate, but Prado knows that the pressure is all on the HRC man, and the Spaniard wants to be sure that if he does take the red plate, he wants both Gajser and Jeffrey Herlings to be around to watch it. In his championship winning season of 2023, Prado won with both Gajser and Herlings out injured, and he would love nothing more than beat these two legends on the track and not with them on the sideline.

“The championship now is tight with us three and it is a high level. Last year Jeffrey got hurt in Germany, so he was out after half season and Romain had a crash and Tim was not there, so, right now, we are all fit and all three battling for the title. It is very close with us, so you cannot afford to make any mistakes. My goal right now is to start first and stay in that position, which is my tactic.”

So, while a win in Switzerland would be nice, the three-time World Champion also knows that being consistent, as he has been the last six weeks will bring him the red plate. Anything outside of the top three just isn’t good enough and you can be sure, that Prado will do everything in his powers to take Grand Prix victory number 46 and put even more pressure on both Gajser and Herlings.

Image Credit : GasGas