Following a three-week break in the outdoors, Prado qualified third on board his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION around the technical, rutted track layout, posting a 2:12.842 lap time before converting a strong start into a P3 result in Moto 1.
The four-time world champion was able to challenge for victory throughout Moto 2, ultimately securing a hard-fought second position and P2 overall for the round. He continues to hold fourth in the 450MX championship standings with two rounds remaining.
Jorge Prado: “We had those three weeks to work on the bike and we knew exactly what we needed to do. I was convinced that we were on the right path with my decisions, and it showed today. It was the best race of the year for me – we had really good speed battling with Jett [Lawrence] in that second moto, and we were pulling away from everyone. I’m super-happy, thanks to the whole Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team for believing in me.”
Four-time 450MX champion Eli Tomac recorded the ninth-fastest time on the combined 450MX timesheets at Unadilla, powering his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to an improved seventh-place finish in Moto 1 after running inside the top-five early on.
A slow start to Moto 2 saw Tomac charge through to 11th by the checkered flag, taking 11th overall for the weekend as the 33-year-old continues to build toward form late in the Pro Motocross season.
Eli Tomac: “We made some small improvements from the previous race in Washougal. I got a good start in Moto 1 and was around the top-five for maybe half of that race. I lost a couple positions late, but overall, I was happy with the improvements. And then in Moto 2, I was really buried off the start, and we had to make our way forward from there. So, small improvements this week, and I think we’ll keep getting better.”
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger made a welcome return to the 450MX field at Round 9 after having been absent since RedBud, with ‘The Cowboy’ encountering unfortunate issues across both motos contested.
Despite those setbacks, Plessinger gained important race mileage aboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION and will now shift his focus to Budds Creek next weekend.
Aaron Plessinger: “It was a rough day! Sometimes it goes your way, and sometimes it doesn’t – we had issues in both motos that were out of anybody’s control. Either way, we were on the start line again after some time off, which is a positive, and we’ll look forward to the next two coming up.”
Equipped with the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION in the 250MX division, Julien Beaumer qualified fourth-fastest at Unadilla with a 2:16.361 lap-time to open the day.
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider finished ninth in Moto 1 after an opening lap fall, before a first-turn incident in Moto 2 forced him to charge from the rear of the pack to P13. That resulted in 10th overall, while maintaining third in the standings.
Julien Beaumer: “It was a tough day at Unadilla. In the first moto, I got a good start and then went down on Lap 1, so I fought from the back in that one. Then, yeah, second moto, a lot of riders went straight in the first turn, I got caught in it and was dead-last. I did what I could to give everything I had, but it is what it is – we’ll bounce back next weekend.”
