The Spanish Jorge Prado (GasGas) reaffirmed the world title of the premier motocross category (MXGP) in the final round of the championship, the Castilla La Mancha Grand Prixheld at the Cózar circuit (Ciudad Real).
Prado, who came into the final event with a seven-point advantage over the Slovenian Tim Gajserthe gap increased in Saturday’s qualifying race and in the first race, where he clearly won. In the second, where he also dominated, he had a scare that included going off the track and limited himself to self-control to finish fourth and certify the universal crown.
This is the second MXGP title and the fourth in the entire career of the 23-year-old Spanish rider, who also managed to win in MX2 in 2018 and 2019.
Prado is determined to resolve an intense and exciting season where the title is at stake with Gajser (Honda) and Dutchman Jeffrey Herlings (KTM), two expert riders who have five universal crowns on their record between the two category.
The player from Lugo knows how to finish the competition in the final stage of the championship. In Cózar he cautioned his victory on Saturday in the classification race, which allowed him to increase his advantage over Gajser to nine points and on Sunday in the first race he left the title more on the track.
Prado was the fastest to restart and did not allow his rivals any joy. With massive support in the stands of the La Mancha circuit, the Galician gradually opened up a gap to win without problems, even regulating the last laps, ahead of Gajser and the Swiss Jeremy Seewer (Kawasaki), while Herlings was sixth and defeated he was left with almost no choice.
The victory put the title on a plate for the Spaniard, whose serious mistake, fall or mechanical problem in the second race would have prevented him from glory. However, he was once again fastest at the start and opened a gap on Herlings again, while Gajser had a cautious start and had to react quickly to settle into fourth place behind Frenchman Romain Febvre (Kawasaki).
However, it wasn’t going to be a walk for Prado, who had a scare along with going off the track. Somehow he avoided the fall and was able to continue from fourth place, which was good enough for him to become the champion.
The Galician pilot, too 65cc junior world champion in 2011 and 65cc European in 2011 and 125cc in 2015, he knew and limited himself to control, maintaining the position until the end of a race in which Herlings won before Febvre and Gajser and left him the victory in the Castilla La Mancha Grand Prix (as he did in the Arroyomolinos and Lugo GPs) and has the world title with 996 points, compared to the Slovenian’s 986 and the Dutchman’s 944.
“This is the happiest day of my life. The same one gave me another title, but this one, in front of my fans, is very different. I never stopped hearing the fans cheering and that heat gives you extra speed and confidence. I will never forget them all and I will never forget the whole team, family and people who have been behind me for many years, supporting me in every race,” Prado said excitedly.
When asked about the Motocross of Nations that will be held next week in Matterley Basin (United Kingdom) and about his future in the United States, Prado said: “Now let me celebrate it, which is what the time is for. ” and he went to his box truck where the team prepared a wonderful party, while law enforcement tried to calm down a happy and excited fan.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
