Jorge Prado – GASGAS’ First MXGP World Champion!
The Grand Prix of Italy, the eighteenth round of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship, marked a historic day for Jorge Prado and the Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing team. Prado was crowned the MXGP world champion with three motos to spare – a dominant campaign put him in a spot to swap '61' with a number one plate before the Grand Prix finale.
Prado controlled the championship standings from March 11, 2023, when he won the first qualification race of the new term in Patagonia-Argentina. Qualification proved to be a strength of his – he has clinched ten pole positions out of a possible eighteen, more than triple anyone else. Saturdays have been extremely positive, and that momentum has often served the MC 450F pilot well on race day.
The power within that MC 450F has complimented Prado's superb start technique, as he has taken twelve holeshots thus far. That tally is higher than his closest competitor and therefore he is in a brilliant position to add the annual 'holeshot award' to his 2023 haul. Most impressive is the fact that he is sat on fourteen moto victories – five more than anyone else – and has won a moto at thirteen of the eighteen stops.
It was at the Grand Prix of Germany, the ninth round, that he stamped his authority via a clean sweep that caused his championship lead to climb from fifteen to sixty-seven. Prado has been methodical across the campaign and focused on the end goal, that being the world title, throughout. Such an impressive attitude has resulted in impeccable consistency – he has appeared on the Grand Prix podium at all but two rounds.
Not only is this the first MXGP championship for Prado, but it is also the first for GASGAS and the country of Spain. '61' is etched into the record books for years to come and such a momentous achievement will never be forgotten. The following video will, of course, ensure that memories never fade.