Main image courtesy of MXGP
After a 21-point swing at the 19th and penultimate round of the FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP), it all comes down to the 20th and final round this weekend. Jorge Prado, 2023 MXGP Champion, is set up for a perfect homecoming in Spain, as he looks to wrap up his second-consecutive MXGP title in what will be his final ride aboard GasGas, and his final MXGP race (he is expected to race full-time in the U.S. next year with Kawasaki). Prado heads into the MXGP of Castilla la Mancha near Madrid with a seven-point gap over Honda HRC’s Tim Gajser, who looks to spoil Prado’s homecoming party.
The two have battled back and forth all season, and it looked as though Gajser had one hand on the trophy until the MXGP of Turkiye earlier this month. Several crashes and an eventually 17th place finish in the first moto saw the #243 machine’s 14-point lead gone as Prado took over as the unofficial points leader by finishing third. In the second moto, Prado got out to the race lead with Gajser in second, although he was never close enough for a pass attempt on his competitor. As the checkered flag waved, Prado took both the race win, overall win, and MXGP points lead. Now, the duo head into what will be quite the fun finish either way. They will have one qualifying race (ten points) and two motos (50 points) to determine the 2024 champion.
- MXGP
- MX2 QualifyingLiveSeptember 28 - 10:25 AM
- MXGP QualifyingLiveSeptember 28 - 11:10 AM
- MX2 Race 1LiveSeptember 29 - 6:00 AM
- MXGP Race 1LiveSeptember 29 - 7:00 AM
- MX2 Race 2LiveSeptember 29 - 9:00 AM
- MXGP Race 2LiveSeptember 29 - 10:00 AM
- MXGP AwardsLiveSeptember 29 - 1:00 PM
- MXGP Race 2September 29 - 2:00 PM
- MX2 Race 2September 29 - 3:00 PM
In pre-race press releases, GasGas’ Prado and Honda’s Gajser and his team manager Marcus Pereira de Freitas said the following.
“I don’t think anyone expected us to come out of this GP with the red plate.[...]I still can’t believe it! Let’s get the title in Spain!”
“I know what I have to go out and do in Spain this weekend, and I will do everything I can to try and make it happen. I know it won’t be easy but its races like this that are the reason we do this sport. If I can go out and win these three races, I know I stand a very good chance of winning the title so that is my one and only aim. The team has worked really hard this year, in what has been the most gruelling season ever, and now we just have one round left, so I really want to end it on a high, for them and for myself.”
Marcus Pereira de Freitas, HRC General Manager – MXGP:
“This is round 20 of the year, and it has been a tough one for everyone involved with Team HRC. A lot of races, a lot of bad weather and a lot of travelling, but we have worked hard and done everything we can to help our riders perform at the highest level. And now we just have three races to go and we really will be trying to make sure that all the guys finish up as well as they can. They each have different motivations but obviously for Tim, he is aiming for the title and that is extremely important for everyone. He needs to win the races and we will go all out for him to make that happen. We’ve never been to this track before and we hope now to make some really good memories from there!”
| Position | Rider | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jorge Prado |  | 996 |
| 2 |  Tim Gajser |  | 986 |
| 3 |  Jeffrey Herlings |  | 944 |
| 4 |  Jeremy Seewer |  | 687 |
| 5 |  Romain Febvre |  | 651 |
