After finishing second in Moto 1 of the MXGP of Italy at Maggiora Park, 2023 series champion Jorge Prado crashed hard in Moto 2 and could not finish the race. He finished 10th overall with a 2-24.
Prado described the incident after the race.
“We finished the GP of Maggiora, though not in the best way,” Prado said via Gatedrop.com. “It was a tough weekend for sure. On Saturday, it was pretty much all mud riding. During the qualifying race, I finished sixth, which was okay – I didn’t want to take any risks in those conditions.
“Then on Sunday, the conditions were a little better and drier, but that meant the track was pretty much a single line. For the first moto, I got out of the gate quite well, but then in the third corner, [Tim] Gajser cross-rutted and came into me. He passed me there, and then we were battling pretty much for the whole moto. I caught up to him a little more at the end, and we were pretty close at the finish line. It was a good P2.
“During the second moto, I also had a very good start, but I went a bit wide into the second corner as I got off balance. Then the guy in front of me crashed, and though I tried to avoid him, I crashed as well. From there, it was difficult to say; there were many riders involved. I got a bit hurt, and the bike was damaged. I pulled off after a lap because I felt a little hurt, but everything seems fine. I just need to take it easy for a couple of days, and I should be okay to fight for the win in Indonesia.”
Prado is second in MXGP championship points and made up ground on leader Gajser in the first moto. After his retirement from Moto 2, he trails by 34 points and leads Jeffrey Herlings by 37.
Prado made his SuperMotocross debut this winter with a 13th-place finish in the Supercross opener at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. He scored his first top-10 in the following round in San Francisco, a race defined by heavy mud conditions.
Prado won the MX2 championship in 2018 and 2019 and speculation has centered on whether Prado will follow fellow MXGP graduate Tom Vialle into American dirt bike competition.
More SuperMotocross News
450 Results from High Point
Jett Lawrence wins both High Point motos
Malcolm Stewart climbs in Motocross
Carson Mumford joins Firepower Honda
High Point betting odds: Lawrence, Deegan favored
5 Things to Watch for in High Point
Jett Lawrence responds with Thunder Valley win
Michael Mosiman out for remainder of MX
Nate Thrasher out with collarbone injury
AMA explains Deegan, Vialle discrepancy
