450 Words: Jorge Prado

Tell me, you told me in Argentina that you had never had the red plate in MXGP. Now you are not letting go of the red plate, so your confidence must be sky high. How does that feel? 
I am the guy now with the moto wins and of course, that gives you confidence, because there is a reason for that, you know. Last year was a tough year and it was a year I didn’t show my full potential, but this year, we put things into place, and we are still working on things, but I am super happy. 

We have always been waiting for you to fully arrive and because of injuries that has taken a little longer, but you have clearly arrived in 2023. You always said to me, don’t be so impatient, I have two world championships and now 37 Grand Prix wins and of course that is very impressive. Do you feel like you have really arrived this year? 
Yes, I mean, I won the two titles, one year nearly all the races and I moved into the 450 class with a femur injury, and this isn’t just a small injury, it is a big injury. I had to start on the 450 with that injury and I lost some races because of that, also race rhythm because of that. Later on, I broke my collarbone and that first year I was still fighting for a title and I won like five races or something. I always knew I can do it. I am also not that big of a guy and I need to still grow a little bit, because the 450 is a heavy machine and it is important to be 100 percent physical to ride a full moto in MXGP. Our second motos are brutal, the tracks are just destroyed, so you have to hold onto the bike a lot, physically be strong.  

There are now four of you that look likely to battle for this year’s title, yourself, Maxime, Jeffrey, and Romain. All former World champions and all very talented. How exciting is that? 
Yep, the level is high. I am happy I am racing and competing with these guys, also with Jeffrey, who has won multiple titles in the 450 class and known as the best sand rider or the fastest man on the planet and I am first in the points, you know. [A little laugh] I am also coming from injuries and stuff, so I had moments I also lost confidence and also last year in a bad situation, but here I am, I bounce back, doing what I can do, and I know I still have more to show. We are building, we still have our feet on the ground, and I think that is important, because we know the tough times. You know, I said in the press conference, one day you are winning and the next they are putting the hammer in your back, and you are laying on the ground. We just try and be our best and train as much as possible and try and do everything as best I can.