Jorge Prado - Closing The Gap
Defending World MXGP champion, Jorge Prado might not have won the GP in Lommel last weekend, but his 1-2-2 performance brought him a lot closer to the red plate owner, Tim Gajser. Now just 24 points away from the Slovenian with six rounds remaining.
The Spanish charger also led all 12 laps of the Saturday qualifier and 12 of 16 in moto one, then seven of 16 in moto two. Had it not been for the sensational performance of Herlings in the deep, dark sand, Prado would have been a very happy man and despite those late race charges by the Dutchman, Prado walked away from Lommel knowing he has more than enough speed to deal with Gajser.
While his big smile on the podium in Belgium did give and indication of his confidence to battle Herlings and Gajser in the final six rounds, you just know he wasn’t happy with a second place and will be heading to Sweden in two weeks’ time to take a victory and close down that points gap to the HRC man even more.
You just know that Prado hasn’t lost too much confidence from losing the last two GPs to Gajser and Herlings, because he continues to gain points on the series leader and Gajser’s performance in Lommel will give both Herlings and Prado confidence going into Sweden. Prado spoke to the media after the two motos on Sunday and below is what he told us.
His Weekend
“I think I made a very good two days of riding here in Lommel. Yesterday we did the quali win and today two times second. Leading I think most of the laps, but I just didn’t get it to the finish line. I feel like my riding was good. Like Jeffrey said, the first 15 or 20 minutes I had a good speed, but then I kind of broke my flow, because of a lot of lappers and stuff. I am very bad at passing and “The Bullet” was coming.
One Herlings Speed
"First moto, even if he had a tip over, he still caught me and he won that one. Second moto, if I look in the first lap, he was already second and I was like, come on, he is always last into the first corner, how is it possible he is already second. I managed to stay in front and then he made a pass and I tried to stay with him, I actually stayed with him for three laps and then with more lappers, he is so good at passing and I am very bad. So, I completely lost my rhythm again.
A Tough Lommel
"We all know it is a very tough GP, you have to stay all the time with your rhythm, and you need to keep going all the time. I am just happy with my performance, happy with my physical condition and happy with the bike. We are in a good way, we made good points for the championship, so we go forward.”
Gaining Points on Gajser
“I think these sand races will help (to gain points on Gajser), because I am also a good sand rider. I mean, Jeffrey is the sand man, but I am also a good sand rider. So, I think we can be fast in the next one, like in two races in Arnhem. I am also looking forward to hard pack races, where I was really performing good this year. I think we are looking good for the championship; I have good speed and I feel confident.”
His Thoughts on the Podium
“I was like maybe if I did that, I could have won, but no. Maybe next time you know. Maybe next time I wake up with a little extra something and I can manage to win. I was just thinking about the race, but P2 is not that bad. I don’t think too many guys are able to stay with the guy next to me (Herlings) for so long, or even in front of him, so I think it was quite good. We are going on a high pace, and I am happy with that.”