Vurbwes Chilidog
Photos: Octopi Media
Let’s be honest: Nobody had Jorge Prado, 450 Supercross podium, Anaheim 1 selected on NXT Bets, Pulp Fantasy, Rocky Mountain Fastasy, or even in your own fantasies.
Nobody. And I don’t think Jorge Prado did either.
And yet… there he was. Third place. Standing on the box. Pretty mind boggling after the doubt coming from the industry for the better part of the last 10+ months
“I don’t even know how I got here,” Prado said.
Buddy — same. But beyond stoked you got there, because now it means we’ve got another contender in this championship. And the fan in me couldn’t be happier.
Prado rolled into Anaheim with one goal: finish the race. That’s it. Just survive, learn, collect data, and go home.
“My goal was basically to finish the weekend,” he said. “Just do the best I can.”
Instead, he won a heat race and then casually spent 20 minutes not crashing, which, at Anaheim 1 with the nerves and all, could be considered a superpower.
He stayed up and was consistent, and his lap times tell that exact story.
The Art of “Clicking Laps”
Prado lived almost the entire race in the 1:07–1:08 range, a tight band that screams “I know exactly what I’m doing, even if I pretend I don’t.”
“I was just holding my pace,” Prado said. “Clicking the laps, not doing anything crazy.”
That’s quite some discipline from the multi-time MXGP Champion.
Mid-Race Reality Check: Oh… I’m Still Here
Around the middle of the race, something funny happened:
Prado didn’t fade.
While the track got nastier and the whoops turned into a crime scene, he stayed upright and consistent. His sector times stayed remarkably even, especially in the rhythm sections and whoops where mistakes were costing many others chunks of time. Then came the moment of realization.
“I saw the pit board,” Prado said. “Three laps. I was like, ‘Three laps? Nothing.’” That’s when the switch flipped.
In the final laps, Prado actually picked it up, not dramatically — but enough.
“I felt great physically,” he said. “I could push till the end.”
That matters. Because when the race tightened, he didn’t flinch. He leaned in just enough to hold third without lighting the bike on fire.
Fitness and discipline didn’t win him the race — but it saved the podium.
KTM, Comfort, and Not Screwing It Up
The bike switch? Yeah, that helped.
“I’ve been a KTM rider forever,” Prado said. “From day one, the setup was already good for me.”
Translation:
No panic testing. No midweek existential crisis. Just laps. Tons of them.
“When you feel safe, you can always progress,” he said.
Safe doesn’t mean slow. Safe means you know exactly how far you can go without carrying too much risk.
That confidence showed everywhere — especially in how rarely his lap times spiked compared to other riders around him.
The Real Shock
Here’s the wild part:
This was Prado’s seventh Supercross race. SEVENTH!
And let’s remind you, no time in the 250 class either. Just straight to 450s in 2024. I think this feel rather unbeliebable.
“I really like racing,” Prado said. “Once the gate drops, I’m always ready.”
Turns out, that’s kind of important.
He came in hoping to finish. He left with a trophy and suddenly, everyone’s recalculating.
Welcome BACK to the 450 class, Jorge Prado. You’re not supposed to be in this position quite yet — but you might as well get comfortable.
