With Jorge Prado officially left GasGas and ready to be announced in the next few weeks as as factory Kawasaki rider in America, Jeffrey Herlings has said that he will not miss having such a tough rival on the MXGP scene!
Herlings said with Jorge beside him in the press conference of the last GP: “
“Oh, I’m so happy! I will not miss him for one second because he was a very difficult opponent, just because he was not only fast but he was very smart and he would know when to take risks and battle. I have a lot of respect for him as an athlete and like I said, he deserved this championship, but I will not miss him on the racetrack, that is for sure!”
Dejando de lado la coña sobre que "no lo van a echar de menos", evidentemente porque les va ganado, Herlings se deshace en elogios hacia Jorge. Este es el espíritu del MX.
— Daniel Makx (@TheMakx) October 21, 2024
P.D.: Cómo ha cambiado Jeffrey personalmente en los últimos 5 años… pic.twitter.com/KBjL08jgon
But even with Prado gone, Herlings will have an even younger rider within the KTM Group, young Lucas Coenen, and he could be another headache for the field with the speed he showed in MX2 this year and at the MXoN, but as Prado showed it takes time to put all the pieces in place to be MXGP world champ but 17 year old Coenen could well be a thorn in the side of Herlings, Gajser and the rest next season – the youth keeps coming to challenge!
Meanwhile Pit Beirer commented on Prado leaving after over a decade with KTM:
“Jorge has been with us since his early days in motocross, starting with his incredible victory in the 65cc World Championship in 2011, when he became the youngest World Champion ever. We have watched him grow from a promising young rider into a four-time World Champion – securing his MX2 and MXGP titles under the guidance of Claudio and Davide de Carli – and his journey has been nothing short of remarkable. His relentless determination and natural talent have always been clear. We are immensely proud to have been part of his journey from his early years to his world-class achievements.”
Don’t miss this interview with Jeffrey’s former long-time mechanic, Ruben Tureluren, who helped Kay de Wolf to his first world title in 2024 as he talks about working with Herlings, de Wolf and Ben Townley!