Jorge Prado’s road to the World Cup

This weekend, the World Motocross Championship reaches a milestone in its calendar: the descent of the whole big motorcycle circus on the ground in Indonesia. With the exception of Turkey and the first grand prize of the track, she of Argentinian Patagonia, Europe channels the fight for the best pilot on the whole planet. For this reason, the equator that assumes this short jump to Asia (it is only two races) can definitely gain momentum in the second part of the championship. If Jorge Prado got a double on the Sumbawa track (this Saturday qualifications at 11:10 a.m.; on Sunday, sleeves at 8.15 and 11.10, RTVE Play) and Lombok (first weekend in July), you will do well to improve the general classification.

This is how the Galician driver, leading in MXGP, feels and more so after the injury sustained, as a result of a heavy fall, by his main rival, Jeffrey Herlings, whose time out has not yet materialized. It is speculated that he may have damaged his spine in the accident at the German Grand Prix. He will miss both races in Indonesia for now.

With the Dutchman out of action and the rest of his rivals a step below both, Prado could afford not to take part in two World Cup events without losing his chances of winning the title, but the goal of the prime mover Gas Gas It will be to increase the gap in order to avoid a close finish of the championship and to prevent the consequences of unforeseen events in the form of crashes, injuries or breakdowns.

On the other hand, reliability is one of the main qualities of Galician riders, so managing the advantage he currently has will be one of the keys to achieving one of the most anticipated milestones in Galician sport: the Motocross World Championship. He did it already during the first part of the season, with Herlings returning to his best form and becoming the driver with the most wins in history. Prado and Herlings share the majority of partial victories, both in qualifying and in the races themselves. Before the arrival of the Galician, and with Gajser’s permission, the distance between the Dutchman and his pursuers was an average of one hundred points. Namely, Prado made his way into the premier class by skipping the middle class in order to fight directly with the big favorite for the title.

In addition, the Prado on this occasion (and contrary to what happened last year) follows the motorcycle, after the complete evolution it has undergone in recent months: among other aspects, the position of the engine has been modified to obtain balance, the propeller itself, the seat supports and the legs, configuration of electronic control units and mapping, an air fork was introduced to make the bike less closed at the front in turns, suspension and cornering behavior. . Herlings’ absence will also serve to continue working on the machine without the pressure of error.

“This first half of the season was super good. I am very happy, not only for the simple fact that I am the first, but there was a clear evolution from the first races and that is very important, because when you are involved in the season, it is very difficult to improve. But now I even think that in this second part of the year we can take a step forward,” explains Jorge Prado to La Voz on the way to the first enclave of the Indonesian double date.

“I’m at a good level right now and I’ll try to use it to win as much as possible,” the Lugo driver confirmed without hesitation.

Indonesia could be key to an equally transcendental season in Jorge Prado’s career, which has seen him take the right steps at the right time from the grassroots. The crown in the elite would be the highlight.

“Herlings and I will have to fight again”

Jorge Prado does not consider Jeffrey Herlings’ candidacy for the world champion title resolved. “We were very consistent, which was key for the World Cup and was even more important because of the configuration of the qualifying rounds on Saturdays,” analyzed the Galician.

“It was a very intense battle with Herlings and, although he is now down and will miss a few races, the second half of the season is coming with a lot of sandy tracks, which is good for both of us. We will have to fight face to face again,” advances the man from Lugo.