After arriving in America with huge expectations surrounding his switch from MXGP to AMA Supercross, Jorge Prado showed throughout the 2026 season exactly why he is regarded as one of the best riders in the world. The Spaniard might be new to Supercross, but he has adapted quickly to one of the toughest disciplines in motorsport.
Riding for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Prado opened the season in spectacular fashion by landing on the podium at Anaheim 1 and fittingly ended the championship in Salt Lake City with another podium result after one of his strongest rides of the year.
Reflecting on his first full Supercross season, Prado admitted the transition from MXGP was tougher than he initially expected, but he was proud of the progress made throughout the championship.
“I mean, it has been a pretty cool Supercross season for me. I’m very happy to make it until the end. And, obviously, starting in A1 with a podium, my expectations were high all year long, but I knew it was a learning curve. We had some good moments, a little bit worse moments. But at the end of the day, we got here to the last round, and we put ourselves back on the box with great riding. So I’m very proud of myself, the work I put in every day, and also team, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team has been putting a lot of work with me at the test track trying to, as I’m getting faster, get the bike more comfortable for me as well. We actually did some changes also even this week, and they paid off today. So, no, it’s about learning. I learned so much this year. To be honest, I thought the change coming from MXGP to Supercross was going to be a little bit easier, but Supercross is a whole different world. So, no, super proud to put myself on the box”.
Prado also spoke candidly about the aggressive racing he has experienced during the season and especially Cooper Webb.
“I mean, I’m always the guy that’s taking out. I never take him out, so he’s going pretty aggressive with me. But like I said, even the other weekend, he has 20 minutes plus one, 30 minutes plus a lap to pass me, and he decides always to go aggressive. So, if he was much faster, he would have passed me before like all the other riders did. I just focus on myself, and hopefully next year I’m a bit better, so I don’t need to be fighting with him and being up front”.
One of the key moments of the Salt Lake City main event came when Prado found himself right behind the championship contenders. Despite having impressive pace, he admitted he was cautious not to influence the title fight.
“Well, I was actually in a hard position, because I didn’t want to interfere in their championship. But also, come on, I’ve never rode this comfortable, and I didn’t want to make an aggressive pass. I didn’t want to, like I said, interfere in their race. They were fighting for the championship, and it’s so many rounds, and I don’t want to be the rider that messed them up. I caught them, and I didn’t really know what to do. I was putting a bit of pressure on Hunter, and then he made a mistake, and then Chase got really close to us again, he made a pass, and I tried to follow. I lost a little bit with the lappers, and then Justin got around me too. It was difficult, because like I said, when I caught Hunter and Kenny, I was in a very good flow, and I kind of messed it up a little bit and broke my rhythm, but it’s part of racing. I need to learn to be a bit better in those occasions, but I’m happy about my riding”.
Prado also took time to praise fellow European star Ken Roczen after Roczen secured his long-awaited Supercross title. Having looked up to Roczen during his own rise through the GP ranks, Prado clearly appreciated the significance of the achievement.
“Kenny has always been one of my idols. I’m from Spain, growing up racing the GP’s. Actually, when I got into the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team in 2011, it’s the year he won MX2 World Championship, so I was always really looking up to him. And then obviously his story, with his huge injury and then bouncing back and getting a super good championship. It’s amazing. He really deserves to get a championship, so I was super happy for him. I’m really happy that a European guy also made it work here in the States, and hopefully I’m the next one (laughs)”.
The final laps in Salt Lake City provided plenty of drama as Prado fought desperately to secure his podium finish under heavy pressure from Cooper Webb.
“I don’t know. It’s crazy because my mechanic put like five laps to go, and all of a sudden I saw the white flag, and then Cooper was right behind me. Once you have Cooper behind, you really want to go tight into the corners because he’s always sneaking the inside, but then you miss out the next section, and then it’s all like that. So we got into the last few corners, and, I was looking to the right, looking to the left, and he was always there. So it was quite intense. I really want to get on the box, and luckily, I got a good drive through the whoops, and then on the last corner, I went super tight, and he tried to push me, like go straight into me, but he couldn’t make it happen. But it was crazy the last laps. Lately, it’s been a bit crazy on the last part of the race”.
Although there were ups and downs throughout the campaign, Prado believes the experience gained this year will be invaluable heading into 2027. The Spaniard now has a much clearer understanding of the demands of Supercross and appears determined to return stronger next season.
“Well, I knew it was going to be a challenge, but like I said before, I thought it was actually going to be less of a change. Supercross is very, very different to outdoors, or at least because I was racing for outdoors for so long. It was actually kind of hard to get into Supercross, especially when you’re racing the best in the world in Supercross. So I needed this whole year actually to get a little bit more comfortable on the tracks, especially when I’m in between other riders, and even to understand the lines they’re taking. Sometimes I still can’t understand, but I’m doing my best to learn every single race, and I think it’s paying off. I will be more prepped next year”.
For a rider new to Supercross, Prado’s season was highly impressive. From an opening-round podium at Anaheim to another rostrum finish in Salt Lake City, the Spaniard proved he belongs among the elite. With a full year of Supercross experience now behind him, there is little doubt that Prado will return stronger next year – but first – AMA Pro Motocross awaits.
