Jorge Prado was not happy with his day at Southwick despite improvement and at least showing America a little glimpse into his real level as a crash out of third in race one and second in race two ended his chances of a podium but Prado still took fifth overall, his best of the season so far.
However, Prado has high expectations and is used to winning as a four-time world champ and believes he could have won Southwick if he was comfortable, telling Steve Matthes in a brutally honest interview on Racer X (get the must read full interview here): “We are far off. I mean, I’m a sand rider and I finished P5 today. It’s a track where I should be winning, and I know I would win with different stuff. So yeah, we just need to keep working. Yeah, they we did some testing the first week after High Point. I don’t know. I don’t know what to say. Hopefully we improve somehow….
“I’m a four-time World Champion. Last year, I won 11 out of 18 or something. Are you really telling me I’m not fast enough to win today here? I mean, if you guys really knew [what was going on], you would be impressed. So we just need to keep working. And for me, it’s a pity because I think that I could be winning, but right now I don’t have the tools to do it.
Prado even has Chad Reed in his corner now, and he knows all about riding for factory Kawasaki and struggling to gel with the bike as happened to him in 2010 as well as the adaption from Europe to America.
Prado knows what he is capable of, as does everyone that has watched him for a decade in MXGP. This kid is an ultra special talent, but he is waiting for Kawasaki to give him a bike he is comfortable with to show his true level. Right now he is working hard but waiting too long for Kawasaki to deliver the bike he needs.
Next season Kawasaki will have to adapt to Chase Sexton’s demands as well (if the rumours are to be believed) so let’s hope they can gel with Jorge Prado before the end of 2025 or it will be even harder for them in 2026 trying deal with two high level riders trying to sort their bike to their liking!
