The Conversation: Jorge Prado

Do you think the championship battle is now just between yourself and Tim [Gajser] or is Jeffrey [Herlings] still there?
I think the battle… Jeffrey isn’t that far away and with Tim, we are basically on the same points, and we have many rounds left. If the race ended with five to go, it would just be Tim and myself, but it's a long championship and many things can happen. Jeffrey is on the podium, and he can be a podium contender.

That pressure from Tim and Jeffrey in the second moto, we thought finally we will see these three battle, but you kept the lead and didn’t really look like you were under pressure. Did you just control the lead like you have often this year?
I don’t know, I was just riding, and I guess we were already in a good pace. I didn’t feel I had to go more and if I had gone more, maybe I would have started making mistakes, so it was good enough, the speed, to hold it until the end. I saw a couple of lines, which was communicated to me [that Tim was making] and we did team work to make it better. A good race. I was on it and comfortable the whole race.

It wasn’t like they were catching, and you felt you had to go faster, or they just lost speed on you?
I don’t know, you need to ask them. I just rode and if they came closer, I made a little gap, something like that. At the end, with the lappers, I am normally bad with the lappers, but this time I managed to be smart enough, and pass them in the right places and at the right time. You need to be a little lucky with them and at times I did lose time being behind them, but I managed them very good, and I was happy about that. At the beginning of the race, they [Gajser and Herlings], were catching me, but I got communication from the team, and I changed the line, and they didn’t catch anymore. Good race, I felt good.

That second race, with both of them right there at the start, which must be good for you, because obviously people say you get a good start and they are too far back, but this time they were with you. Is that exciting to have the three of you together or are you just concentrating on yourself?
No, I just concentrate on myself. I know if I ride how I know, they shouldn’t beat me, I mean, not on a track like this and I guess I had something more for them. I was just focused on myself, and this track doesn’t allow you to think about too much stuff while you are riding, because there are so many ruts you have to focus on. Just riding with myself and being smooth and get better every lap and the final laps I felt really comfortable and was not tired. I felt really comfortable then, better than the whole race, I think.

We are all waiting for better weather, it’s like Europe is stuck in winter and the rainy days. You must be looking forward to the dry tracks again?
Yes, finally! I was already praying all week for no rain. Yesterday, it was okay, when I was leading the qualification race, and then it started dropping and I felt uncomfortable, and I came up short on that step-up. When the rain came, I felt really uncomfortable, but today, the rain stayed away, although it was always cloudy, and we were never sure what we would get.

It seems like you and Jett [Lawrence] have two of the best techniques in the sport, probably the two best and you both struggle somewhat in the mud or rain. Why is that, because maybe your balance is so important, and the mud and rain make that more difficult to depend on?
Well, I struggle in the mud, and I still won a [supercross] heat race and I finished second yesterday, but yes, I still didn’t win in the mud this season, but it is hard to compare him [Lawrence] with me. But yes, maybe it is where there is more possibility [opportunity] for the other riders? I still think I can win in the mud, but we can’t push as much and other riders can risk more and push more. It's more about that, I guess.