Jorge Prado on Houston SX: "Riding-wise, I think this was a very good event. …I am disappointed with the end result”
Saturday was a big day for Jorge Prado. It was his first non-California SX race and his first in an indoor venue. And starting just his second Triple Crown race ever, everyone was eying him as a threat entering the weekend, given his regularly good starts and raw speed that could find success in the shorter, three-race format.
Prado got off to a great start in both the first and second races, finishing fifth in race one then leading laps in race two. He led half of the second race and was in the lead for the overall win before taking third at the checkered flag. After Ken Roczen and Cooper Webb moved forward in that second race, Prado sat fourth overall after two of the three races, still with a shot at the overall podium.
However, his third race was not as good—start or result wise—as he came through the holeshot stripe 16th. He moved forward five positions, as he eventually came through 11th. His 5-3-11 finishes gave him seventh overall on the night.
In the KTM post-race release, he said his riding was good, but he was disappointed with his third race and overall result. The #26 sits eighth in the championship standings after finishes of 3-13-7-7 to start the season.
Prado said the following in the post-race recap from KTM:
"Riding-wise, I think this was a very good event. I think I rode well all day – I got a solid start in the first race, same as the second race, and then in the third one I just messed it up big time in the first corner. I was really, really behind in that one, and it was very hard to pass a lot of riders in such a short time, so I am disappointed with the end result because I think that I could've done way better. It is what it is, we'll take the learnings from tonight into next weekend in Arizona."
As for Plessinger, he finished 12-11-13 for 13th overall just one week after a huge slam from a heat race crash ended his main event early in California. He said he hit his ankle “pretty good” in qualifying, and it dropped him back in the third race.
Plessinger said in the KTM release:
"Qualifying was going pretty well in Houston, before I cased a jump and hit my ankle pretty good. I got a decent start in the first Triple Crown race, but then made a few mistakes and dropped back – I was just really involved in those mid-field battles, which are tough. And then Race 2 was much the same – just didn't execute as well as I should. And then, for the third one, I got a decent start again and was riding alright, but then my ankle started hurting, which sent me back. Overall, not a great night, but we'll shift our focus to the next one in Glendale for a rebound."
Houston - 450SX
January 31, 2026| Rider | Hometown | Motos | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cooper Webb | Newport, NC  | 4 - 2 - 3 | Yamaha YZ450F |
| 2 |  Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia  | 7 - 1 - 2 | Honda CRF450R Works Edition |
| 3 |  Ken Roczen | Mattstedt, Germany  | 1 - 5 - 4 | Suzuki RM-Z450 |
| 4 |  Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO | 3 - 13 - 1 | KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition |
| 5 |  Chase Sexton | La Moille, IL | 2 - 9 - 6 | Kawasaki KX450SR |
| 6 |  Jason Anderson | Edgewood, NM | 6 - 7 - 5 | Suzuki RM-Z450 |
| 7 |  Jorge Prado | Lugo, Spain  | 5 - 3 - 11 | KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition |
| 8 |  Malcolm Stewart | Haines City, FL | 8 - 6 - 10 | Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition |
| 9 |  Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | 9 - 4 - 12 | Yamaha YZ450F |
| 10 |  Dylan Ferrandis | Avignon, France  | 11 - 10 - 7 | Ducati Desmo 450MX |
| 11 |  R.J. Hampshire | Hudson, FL | 10 - 14 - 9 | Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition |
| 12 |  Christian Craig | Temecula, CA | 19 - 8 - 8 | Honda CRF450R |
| 13 |  Aaron Plessinger | Hamilton, OH | 12 - 11 - 13 | KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition |
| 14 |  Joey Savatgy | Thomasville, GA | 17 - 12 - 15 | Honda CRF450R |
| 15 |  Garrett Marchbanks | Coalville, UT | 14 - 15 - 16 | Kawasaki KX450SR |
