Jorge Prado overcame a challenging start to win the MXGP of Trentino, claiming his fourth consecutive win this season.
Words | Press release
In the shadow of the majestic Dolomite mountains, the fourth round of the MXGP season unfolded amidst the electric atmosphere of the iconic Il Ciclamino track in Trentino, Italy. Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado led the way for the entire team in awesome style – securing his 42nd Grand Prix victory in MXGP.
During Saturday MXGP qualifying, Prado experienced an unusual technical hiccup when he lost the seat unit of his bike, and was forced to pit for mid-race repairs. This resulted in a 17th place start position for Sunday’s opening moto. Despite the middle-pack start gate position however, Prado showed nerves of steel; and rocketed through into the lead at turn one; claiming the FOX Holeshot Award. By the second lap, he had already built a 1.4-second lead over his closest rival, Romain Febvre. Prado set the fastest lap of the race at 1:49.435 on lap five.
A bar-to-bar game of cat and mouse ensued with Febvre, who eventually passed Prado, dropping him to second and later third after defending aggressively against Tim Gajser. Prado finished the first race in third place, an impressive feat considering Saturday’s early setback. Prado ripped into the second moto with a clear focus. He delivered a flawlessly managed performance, leading from start to finish and capturing another FOX Holeshot (his sixth of the season so far). This commanding victory marked his fourth consecutive Grand Prix win and his 42nd Grand Prix victory overall. What’s more, with 83 podiums to his name and maintaining a record of never finishing outside the top three this year, things are definitely looking on track for the defending champion!
Jorge Prado: “Starting from P17 in the first moto wasn’t easy, but I have been saying that I’m a good starter – and I think I proved that today! In the first moto I didn’t really have a good flow; I tried but the conditions were sketchy and I felt like the guys were riding a little bit better than I was. In the second moto, we made some very small bike adjustments. I think we just touched the right clicks on the bike and made it work. We had a great start again, and I had a fun battle with Febvre in the first laps – but then he fell. Honestly I’m just really happy to come away with the win from this weekend – things could easily have gone in the wrong direction, but we turned it around. Four in a row – let’s keep going!”
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