MXA INTERVIEW: JORGE PRADO FULFILLS A CHILDHOOD DREAM

BY JIM KIMBALL

JORGE, SPAIN WAS NOT KNOWN FOR MOTOCROSS PRIOR TO YOU; HOW DID YOU GET STARTED? In Spain, we have a lot of passion for motorsports. Motocross is for sure not one of the top sports in Spain. Now, after my two 250 World Championships and my 2023 World title in the 450 MXGP class, motocross is attracting more people, and this is nice for the sport. 

We can see its growth in the Spanish Motocross Championship. Also, more kids are starting to get out of Spain, moving into the EMX European Championships and FIM World Championships. The Spanish Federation is putting more work into motocross, and they now have a group that helps young kids coming up. With my World Championships and the media coverage that came with that, motocross in Spain is growing. It is nice to see that the sport is getting bigger and better.

MOTOCROSS IN SPAIN HAS BENEFITED FROM YOUR SUCCESS? Yes. Also, when I started in the GPs, we did not have a Grand Prix of Spain. As I was getting better and fighting for titles, Spain got a GP again after many years. It drew many spectators, and it was great. A few years ago we got more fans at the GP than any of the other motorsport races in Spain. This shows that motocross is growing in Spain and that the people really like off-road sports.

“YES, I STARTED RIDING TRIALS, AND, TO BE HONEST, I WAS BETTER IN TRIALS THAN I WAS IN MOTOCROSS BACK THEN. BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT THE MOTOCROSS WORLD THAT I LIKED.”

I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ACTUALLY BEGAN RIDING TRIALS BEFORE MOTOCROSS. Yes, I started riding trials, and, to be honest, I was better in trials than I was in motocross back then. But there was something about the motocross world that I liked. The speed and the jumps were so different from trials. That got my attention, and that is why I started riding more and more motocross. So yes, I started with a trials bike, and I think it was a key factor in my career. I got many positives from riding trials, and, when I was younger, I was doing very well. It gives you a good feeling with the bike. You must be good with the clutch, brakes, balance, and technique. It was good for me.

WATCHING YOU RACE, YOU HAVE A VERY GOOD STYLE AND FORM ON THE MOTORCYCLE. Thank you. That is nice to hear. I enjoy riding my bike. Every time I get on the bike, I am ready to have fun. I try to do everything as smoothly as possible, but that is my typical riding style as well. I’m always trying to not use the power as the point of going fast; instead, I try to be smooth and do everything correctly to get to that speed. It is just my way of riding. 

BUT, ULTIMATELY, YOU HAD TO LEAVE SPAIN AND MOVE TO BELGIUM, RIGHT? Yes. When I was 10 years old, I won the European and Junior World Championships in the 65 class. I got a call from Red Bull KTM, and I signed with them to have the opportunity to race for the factory team. So, at age 11, my family decided that we were going to grab it with both hands and make everything out of this opportunity from KTM, so we decided to go to Belgium. 

Belgium is the base for most of the teams, and riding rough sand tracks really helped me to develop my riding style. I got all this experience on different types of tracks. It was a very important move for my career. If I had stayed in Spain from that early age, I would not have developed as I did.  

WHEN DID YOU FIRST THINK, “I COULD BE A PROFESSIONAL MOTOCROSS RACER?” To be honest, I never thought about being a professional motocross rider when I was young. I only thought, “I want to win this year and the next year.” I did not think very far ahead. I was just living in the present, not thinking about the future. I loved motocross, and I knew that this was what I wanted to do, but I did not put pressure on that.

I think that is something cool, because sometimes you forget to live what you have in front of your eyes when you start thinking too much ahead. That was my case. I just enjoyed riding. I still had to go to school, and the free time I had, I spent it on my bike—and that was it. 

BUT, YOU DID COME TO AMERICA AND SPEND SOME TIME RIDING HERE? Yes. Since I was a very little kid, my dream has always been to race Supercross in the United States. When I won the European EMX 125 title, KTM said, “We want to support your dream, and you can go train in California for two months to see if you like it or not.” I had never ever flown anywhere. It was my first time training and riding Supercross. I came over in December of 2015, and I got the chance to watch the Anaheim 1 and San Diego Supercrosses. It was a very cool experience. Back then, my dream was more to come to the USA than to race MXGP. As the years went by, I changed a little bit. I wanted to win the 250 World Championship  and then the MXGP Championship.

YOU RACED THE USGP AT GLEN HELEN ONE YEAR. IT WAS A HOT DAY, AND YOU GOT OVERHEATED. That was in 2016. I was only 15 years old, and when a 15-year-old is racing at Glen Helen with all the rest of the 250 guys, it is quite difficult. That year I had already won a moto and podiumed in the 250 GP class. Back at that time, I was so young. I did not want to stop studying and was not yet living for the sport. I know many riders who quit school early, but that is not something I support. I am happy that I did what I did, and I did it as long as I could. I would not change anything. I am good with not finishing the race at Glen Helen, because I was still in school and not training.

WHEN DID YOU TAKE MOTOCROSS SERIOUSLY AS A PRO? I turned professional at 17. I lived for the sport 24/7. I also won my first title that year in 2018. Before that, I was going to school every day, and I was not skipping days from school for riding or training.

When I was in school, my father said, “You can’t ride every day. We just ride on the weekends, because during the week, you must go to school. After that, it is too late to go riding. Swimming is a good sport for motocross.” He put me on a swim team, and I began doing competitions and was winning them. I was swimming every day. When we moved to Belgium, I started riding three times a week, say Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. I was still doing a little swimming, but I also started cycling. Cycling was something that I really liked, and I still do it today. Swimming was not something that I really enjoyed. The competition was good, but when you go swimming in the pool for training every day, the only thing you look at is the bottom of the pool.

IT’S UNIQUE IN THAT YOU WERE STILL GOING TO SCHOOL! If I look back, I don’t know anyone who trained less than I did and raced GPs while still going to school. I am the kind of guy that if I am going to school, I want to be the best at it. Back then, I wanted to be the best in school. I probably gave more for school than motocross, even though I was still racing the GPs. In 2017, I won three GPs, and, at that point, I had to decide, so 2018 was my first year being a full professional. Everything clicked, and I won 12 races and got the FIM 250 World Championship. In 2019 I defended my 250 World Championship and won 16 out of 18 races.

“I HAVE HAD DIFFERENT TRAINERS THROUGH THE YEARS, AND NOW I HAVE ONE THAT I BELIEVE HAS DEVELOPED THE RIGHT PROGRAM FOR ME. I AM HAPPY WITH SOMEONE I BELIEVE IN. THAT IS IMPORTANT.”

HAVE YOU EVER WORKED WITH TRAINERS? I have had different trainers through the years, and now I have one that I believe has developed the right program for me. I am happy with someone I believe in. That is important. When you get on a program that you know works, you are relaxed, and it is easy. You wake up and you know what you need to do. You don’t even think about if it is going to be good or not. I am happy with that.  

YOU WON TWO 250 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AND THEN MOVED TO THE MXGP CLASS. HOW DID THE ESTABLISHED MXGP GUYS TREAT YOU? I have always been racing against older riders. When I was on a 65, I was 9 or 10 years old, and the other kids were 12. When I moved to the 85 class, I was 12 and they were 14. When I moved to the 250 class, the difference was even larger. I started in the GPs at 15 years old. I was battling for titles against guys who were 22 or 23 years old. Of course, the age difference was even bigger when I went to the 450 class. I am used to it, and I don’t even think about age. I race who I need to race, and that is it.

At times, in the 450 class I did feel a little tension from the older guys. I understand that they don’t like it when a younger rider wins. For sure they don’t like it.

WHEN DID YOU MOVE FROM THE FACTORY KTM TEAM TO THE DECARLI KTM TEAM? I did my first full season in the 250 GPs in 2017 with the Austria-based Red Bull KTM team. Then, in 2018, I moved to the Italian-based DeCarli Red Bull KTM team. 

KTM IS UNIQUE IN THAT THEY HAVE TWO FACTORY KTM TEAMS. HOW WAS IT STRUCTURED? It all started because you had the KTM side from Austria and the KTM side from DeCarli (based in Italy). Initially, the Austrian side was more focused on the 250 class, while the DeCarli Italian side was focused on the 450 class. But, when Jeffrey Herlings moved to the 450 class, he wanted to stay on the Austrian-based team.

IS THE EQUIPMENT THE SAME? Yes, the material and everything is the same, just different people. There is technically no difference. I got to Italy when Tony was on the team, and basically the DeCarli KTM team was built for Tony! It was hard at times, because when a young guy like me starts getting closer to beating Tony, it causes some tension. Tony was the main star of the team, and he was Italian. The whole team was Italian, and Tony is like God there. When I started beating him, it was hard for some to accept. It did cause friction. It was not easy.

HOW IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JEFFREY HERLINGS? Jeffrey has always been my reference point. He is a very clean rider on the track, so when you battle Jeffrey, it is very unusual if he takes you out or even touches you. He will race you clean, and this is something that is very cool from him. But, the good thing is that we are in different tents with different trucks, so we don’t see each other. On training days we train on different tracks, so we are not together enough to have friction or tension between us.

YOU ARE UNDERRATED. YOU GET GOOD STARTS AND SOMETIMES YOU MAKE WINNING LOOK EASY. That’s interesting, as I think so, too. I also think it is because some of the other riders have such big personalities that they get a bit more attention. I am not here to be a superstar. I am just myself, and if that leads me to gaining popularity, that is okay, but it is not my goal. My goal is to have fun, and, if I can, to win. Everybody knows how good or how bad I am.

LET’S TALK SUPERCROSS. YOU’VE WON EVERYTHING THERE IS TO WIN IN MXGP AND ARE STILL YOUNG ENOUGH TO TRY SUPERCROSS. That is true, and that is why I came to the USA to get my feet wet. After winning 250 and 450 World Championships, this was the right moment to come over and try Supercross. And, that is exactly what I did. I am very grateful that the KTM group supported this four-race Supercross test. It was a great opportunity to see if I like it or not and to decide my future. If I don’t like Supercross, it is easy; I will just stay in Europe, and that is it.

THE EUROPEAN FANS WANT YOU TO STAY IN MXGP, BUT YOUR AMERICAN FANS WANT YOU TO RACE AMA SUPERCROSS AND MOTOCROSS. YOU CANNOT PLEASE EVERYONE. Yes, but I can please myself. I enjoyed this Supercross experience a great deal.

“YES, IT WAS SUPER COOL. WINNING FOR THE FIRST TIME HERE IN THE U.S. WAS GREAT. WINNING IS WINNING, BUT I WAS ESPECIALLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT WIN.”

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MXGP AND AMA SUPERCROSS? The one-day format, racing at night and the first-lap intensity. Those are the big differences. But, obviously, racing Supercross is by far the biggest difference. Motocross and Supercross are very different, and you need to get used to it.  

YOUR FATHER IS VERY IMPORTANT TO YOUR SUCCESS, RIGHT? Yes, my father has always been with me, coming to all my races since I was a little kid. Most of the time it was just my father and me. We have a very good relationship, and he comes to every single training session every day at the track. He is the guy who knows the most about me. For me, it is very important to have him by my side, and I feel like I am safer if something happens. We cannot forget that this is a very dangerous sport, so I prefer to have my father with me, just in case. 

COULD YOU TELL THAT THE AMERICAN FANS REALLY EMBRACED YOU? I am very impressed with that as well. I feel like everybody is giving me a very nice welcome, not only from the industry but the fans in general. At the second round in San Francisco, in the rain, they approached me as I was walking. It is very nice for me to see that, because I am coming to a different country, far from home. It is nice to have people supporting and believing in you. It is just cool, and I am happy about it. 

IN SAN FRANCISCO, YOU WON A HEAT RACE. WAS THAT A BIG TURNING POINT FOR YOU? Yes, it was super cool. Winning for the first time here in the U.S. was great. Winning is winning, but I was especially happy about that win. It made me feel more comfortable right away.  

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR WITHIN A TEAM THAT YOU NEED FOR 2025? I need to be very sure that I want to make this move, and that is it. It is just all within me. I must be clear in my mind that I want to be here. If I’m 100 percent about my decision, then it will be fine.