Jorge Prado recently became the first ever Spanish rider to become MXGP World Champion. While other riders are happy to break win records, Prado is more concerned with challenging himself. Which leaves us to wonder, could supercross be his next big challenge? Our Kellen Brauer met up with him this week at the KTM test track to ask him exactly that, and much more.
Racer X: Well, Jorge Prado, welcome to the USA first of all. Take me through how it's been for you out here so far and how you're enjoying California.
Jorge Prado: Yeah, I'm having a lot of fun to be honest. I really like it. I'm enjoying it a lot. Obviously, I'm taking it easy and taking it day by day, every day getting better. So, no, I'm just over here trying to figure out supercross and if I like it or not. I was wondering if I would love to race here or not. So, for that I need to come over and give it a try. So that's why we are here just to try it out.
Before we get into the supercross side of it, let's talk about your 2023 season really quick. Congratulations, of course on the World title, first of all, but now that it's been a month or so, you've had time to reflect on it, take me through how it actually feels to hear Jorge Prado, MXGP World Champion.
It's amazing. It's a dream come true. I've been working my whole career to get a MXGP title and finally this year, I got it done and it's a relief off of my shoulders. Like I said, I achieved my goal and it's incredible. It's so hard to get it done. Injuries, this part it's brutal. So, I'm super happy about, about how my ‘23 season went.
For you, you're from Spain and you became the first MXGP World Champion from Spain. Tell me the, the feelings that you have of national pride, to be at the forefront of this almost feels like a Spanish revolution a little bit with Guillem Farres and Ruben Fernandez and Oriol Oliver and all those guys.
I mean, it's nice. I think my World [MXGP] title will also make the rest of the Spanish kids that are coming up have more motivation to reach their goals and they can see that a Spanish guy can also be World Champion. So hopefully I can be an inspiration for more kids. And yeah, just trying to get Spain more often in motocross.
Yes. So, World Motocross Champion, but we're here at the supercross track today. So, like you said, you came out here, you wanted to try it out. You wanted to see how you felt on it. Take me through the two weeks that you've been here so far, what it's been like and what the experience has been like.
Well, last week was my first week riding supercross. So obviously the first day was hard because of the jet lag, jet lag was especially hard. But no, it’s nice. I started slowly, the first day I didn't even go through the whoops and then I started going backwards and then just through them. So, just taking it easy, like I said before. It's very nice here, the KTM Group have an incredible facility with a workshop and two test tracks close to the workshop, like just five minutes away. So, it's very nice. It's very nice for working, very nice for training, and it's a nice group of people.
Like you said, you wanted to come out here and get an understanding of how you felt after a couple of weeks on it. So, you're not at the end of it yet. You still have a couple more days of riding. But, has it been exactly as you expected. Has it been better?
Well, to be honest, I expect it to be worse. [Laughs] I've been enjoying it more than what I actually thought. I thought it was going to be fun, but I'm actually having more fun probably because I have no pressure. I'm riding just to have fun and trying it out. So, every time I go on the track, I just try to ride smooth, try to learn. I try to learn from all these guys that are incredibly fast. So, yeah, it's been going very well. The second week I start feeling better and better like good progress and yeah, I'm quite comfortable. I need to say good.
As many people know, you did come here in 2016, did a little bit of testing with the Troy Lee Designs [then-KTM] team back then. That was before you even debuted in MX2. What level of interest did you have back then of coming to the U.S.? And were you ever close to actually doing that?
I came over November 2015 and I stayed till the first round [of supercross]. It was Anaheim in January. So, a little bit after that. So that was already 2016. And my goal was to come and race in USA. So that's why in that time I even stay here for like two months and a half or something like that. So, it's already quite a good time and I was riding every day and training with the Troy Lee guys and I learned a lot. But then I went back to Europe, I had to do GP’s and stuff and I got my first World [MXGP] title, I got my second World [MXGP] title in MX2. And I just kind of had a motivation to keep going, moving to the 450 class and try to get a title too. So, I really focused my career in the last years just to get this title. So that was my main goal and that's why I never even thought in the last years to come over. But now that I achieve all my goals back in Europe, it would be maybe nice and also interesting to go and race in the U.S. Obviously, it needs some time. But that's why I'm here also trying out and speaking with everyone and getting some feedback. So, it's not too bad.
So, is it that the itch was never really scratched? Like you always wanted to come to the U.S. at some point and it just never worked out over the years or now that you feel that you've achieved what you have in GP’s, you're almost looking for a new challenge as well.
I mean, it's like you said, it's more about a new challenge because it's the same, but it's different. I mean, it's still the same bike but it's the rhythms, the jumps, the whoops, everything. It's just so different to riding motocross, especially in Europe where the jumps are very small also in the GPS. So here you gotta be perfect with your timing and the turns and it's just different. You gotta have also a little bit different riding style. So, you need riding, and you need training, and we'll see. We are having a lot of fun.
Well, I know you mentioned to Lewis Phillips of VitalMX back at Motocross of Nations that you're locked in for next year. You're gonna be racing MXGP again to defend your World title. And then the options after that are 2025 maybe come over here. Is that still the plan moving forward? Is it something that now that you've been here? You are like, “Okay, I think [this is something] I really can entertain.”
The main plan was going back to Europe and get ready for the new season. So firstly, get some rest and then get ready for the ‘24 season. That was the main plan, but you never know. I mean, it's hard to say, but that's the main plan.
Yeah, when you look at the competition that's in the U.S. as well, what interests you about racing riders that are here versus what you've seen over in the GP scene.
I think it's more about racing a different kind of, not sport, but riding supercross. My goal, I've been always looking up to riding and racing supercross and entering into a stadium and racing under the lights and that's an experience I really want to experience. So, it would be nice to just try it out. And, when I was a small kid, actually, my main goal was to race in U.S. So, I achieve many things in Europe. Let's maybe get the same over here.
As we pivot back to MXGP here for the end of this, you're going into next year as a defending World Champion. You've done it before in MX2. So, it's not new necessarily, but it's new in this class. Do you expect it to feel much different, having a target on your back?
No, I think not. To be honest, I think it's even better, you know, because I already did my job this year and I know I still have a big room for improvement, so I just need to keep working hard. I'm a very hard-working athlete, so, just trying to get better and better. So, no, we have a very good solid base this year. So, let’s see if we can step it up and get even better for the next season.
And then lastly, if your MXGP career ended in Europe today, for example, and you look back at your MX2 World titles, your MXGP World title. Do you feel that you can look at that and be completely satisfied or do you still feel like next year there is some business that you want to wrap up and defend this World title?
If I look back, I'm satisfied. I'm not a guy that wants to win more GP’s than anyone else that wants to win more titles than anyone else. I'm happy when I can win the year I'm racing. I don't need to be racing 250 for seven years, like many other riders that would like to just keep winning in the same class. I step up to the 450 very quick, when I was 18, I was already racing [Motocross of] Nations with the 450. And I was very small guy, like, not really a 450 kind of body. So, no, I always like new challenges and I don't like to keep it and stay in one class just to win things. So, like I said, I like new challenges, and this could be a nice challenge too.