Jorge Prado After SMX Playoff 2 Win: "A red plate is a red plate, right, you gotta prove why you have it"
Jorge Prado entering the Monster Energy SuperMotocross World Championship Playoffs second in the standings, but now heading into the finale, he is leading the 450SMX standings.
Prado finished 3-34 for third overall in the mud in Ohio and took over the 450SMX points lead. Then, at the double points round in the dry in California, Prado won the overall with 2-2 scores and he continues to lead the standings entering the third and final round of the SMX Playoffs.
After the race, Prado did a great interview trackside with retired pro racers Justin Brayton and Adam Cianciarulo on the SMX Post-Race Show.
A few good quotes from Prado during the interview:
Prado on his win and confidence racing with points lead:
"I mean a red plate is a red plate, right, like you gotta prove why you have it."
On confidence from bike setup:
"You know that confidence when you are like, 'Okay, my bike's ready, it's just my time to show,' I like that. I like that when everything's good and I'm like, 'Okay, now it's on me,' I like that."
On if winning in America is different than winning in Europe:
"This is a whole different world. It's still the world championship, but it's a whole different world. Racing in this stadium, it's just so different."
On being with Red Bull KTM and his circle around him:
"Well, I think no one knows me better than than the Red Bull KTM factory Racing Team, right? I've been racing for them since I was 11 years old. So, they saw me grow up and we won a ton of titles back in Europe, you know, and back in MXGP. I won two times MX2 and two times MXGP. You don't win that that easy. So, they believe and they know they know I'm capable of doing that here too. And I'm just, yeah, weekend after weekend showing them that they're not wrong."
On the $1 million payout for the SMX title if he would win it:
"Well, you know it's a nice bonus. It's a nice bonus, what can I say?"
So, can Prado get the job done this weekend in Missouri and be named the 2026 450SMX Monster Energy SMX World Champion?
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Qualifying Points | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jorge Prado | Lugo, Spain  | 590 | 158 |
| 2 |  Haiden Deegan | Temecula, CA  | 404 | 151 |
| 3 |  Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia  | 820 | 136 |
| 4 |  Ken Roczen | Mattstedt, Germany  | 349 | 128 |
| 5 |  Cooper Webb | Newport, NC | 579 | 123 |
