Red Bull GasGas Factory rider Jorge Prado showed that he is the man in Europe last weekend, winning his fourth World motocross championship and defeating the two best riders of the last decade, Jeffrey Herlings and Tim Gajser.

Taking out 11 of the 20 GPs, leading a majority of the races, winning more motos than anyone else and clearly, a stand-out season for the Spaniard. 49 GP wins and four titles make him one of our legends and lets all wish him well in the future, wherever he ends up.

It was a stunning year for the rider from Spain and he sat down with the World press and below is what he told us. Thanks to Sara Greilinger at KTM/GasGas/Husqvarna for organizing this for the World media. JP/GasGas image

MXLarge: Can you explain your championship season, winning your second MXGP championship in a row?

Prado: Last year was the first year I became MXGP champion, and it was my dream for a long time to clinch the title in the maximum capacity and to do it twice in a row is not easy. It was a totally different season; this year the pressure was higher. Running with the number one, everyone is expecting you to win, but I was also expecting this. Knowing I had become a better rider also put more pressure on me and I couldn’t fail, knowing I had good potential in the tank. It was also different, because all the riders were on track, so thankfully no injuries from the main rivals, so that made it a very nice year. Probably the hardest year of the recent years, because of the level of the riders. To get the title in the last race of the season was incredible.

MXlarge: It was a different season, but how difficult was it to maintain the season with those mud races, like Portugal and France?

Prado: I think only Portugal was difficult, because in France I was P4 and I think P4 in the mud isn’t too bad, just one step off the podium. Portugal, yes, it was a little bit tougher, but I think with my little mistakes, I know I can ride mud and obviously it isn’t the best dirt for me and my crashes in the mud didn’t help my results for the weekend. It was a pity, because I think I could have managed some big points there, but I just threw it away with a start crash, two crashes in moto one and problems with the goggles as well, where I had to stop in the pits. It was just not my day, but it is what it is, and I think we can still ride the mud. You just have to put everything together and, in the mud, anything can happen and there are a lot of possibilities to have a bad day. The conditions are always very tough, just Portugal was not my best weekend.

MXLarge: We saw in 2021 a championship with just five points between the riders and now you won with 10 points, which means the competition is really close. So many aspects in a season, with your speed, being healthy, mental strength. What do you think was the main point for winning the championship?

Prado: This year we have been very consistent, the three riders, me, Gajser and Jeffrey, we were all very consistent, all year long. That we were all consistent, that meant that the key was to win races, and I won the most races and the most GPs, so I think at the end of the day, that made the difference.

MXLarge: You had to leave Spain at a young age, to another culture, another country. What are your thoughts of those moments?

Prado: When my whole family moved to Belgium in 2012, we knew what we wanted to achieve. We had the opportunity what Red Bull and KTM gave us. We took it with both hands, and we couldn’t say no to riding in one of the best teams and trying to learn as much as possible from the best riders. It wasn’t easy for us, for the whole family to move over, but we knew the path we were taking was the right one. It worked out well, but there were a lot of hard moments for the family, but it paid off. We are now very proud.

MXlarge: We understand you will compete in America next year, what are the challenges you will find there?

Prado: We are now celebrating our MXGP title, we worked very hard all year long and we will think about the future in the next weeks. Right now, it is better to enjoy this moment, because it isn’t happening every day, so we can better talk about the title and all the nice work everyone did this year.

MXLarge: When you look back on the season and we heard about the difficult points and the mud races, but what stands out for you?

Prado: Well, I think I had many good moments, starting with Argentina with the win, then we went to Spain, and I went 1-1-1 for the weekend and that was something we were super proud about and it was like, okay, if we can do it one time, why not twice. We then went to Riola and did it one more time in the sand. We beat everyone there, then we went Arco, and I had a technical problem, but we still won the GP. There were many moments we felt we were the one to get the title. Just how good we were in some of the races, where I had say bad starts, like in Sweden when I was like 15th at the start and got the moto win. Something that was incredibly tough. We were just the better rider on so many occasions and I proved that to myself, and so many highlights. To see the progress from last year to this year, to become a better rider.

MXLarge: It was a long season, starting with the Supercross, then you came to Europe, and you rode top level for many months, more than anyone else. Did you need to change something to do this?

Prado: As you said, I didn’t have a big stop from last year and it is nearly two years now that I didn’t have any rest. We knew it would be a tough season, because we wanted the adventure of the supercross experience early in the year and we knew it would cost me some of the freshness at the end of the season. We managed with the training program to be stable all year long and even improve at the end of the year. Mentally, it was just a matter of pushing to the end and I was just thinking of sprinting and I left everything on track, but it wasn’t easy first racing those four supercross races and so many rounds in MXGP. We managed to do it, and it was very cool.

MXLarge: Last year you won two GPs and this year you won 11, can you tell me why you think that was?

Prado: Last year, was a different situation, because last year I just had to manage the points and, on many occasions, I was coming out of the GP with the most points, I was just not winning the Grand Prix’s. So, if you took the qualifier and the two motos, I was the rider with the most points, but maybe on the Sunday I didn’t stand on top of the podium. This year I went more in, and I improved on fitness and speed, and it made it possible to win more than last year. Even with better riders on track, I was able to win more. The statistics you could see I made progress, and it was a very good year.

MXlarge: How did you enjoy having three GPs in Spain, because I think early in your career, the races on your home soil were not easiest, but this year you won five motos out of six and all three GPs. How did you manage this pressure?

Prado: Yes, so we all know the home GP is very stressful and a lot of pressure, not only from yourself, but also from the public, who expect you to win. It isn’t easy to handle that, but I put it into positive energy, and I like to race under pressure and somehow, I won all my home GPs. The crowd came wanting me to win and its special to win at home. First Madrid, then my home city and finally this last one. It was perfect.

MXLarge: We saw you transition to GasGas in 2022, and you have given them two MXGP championships as a Spanish rider and can you tell us about the De Carli team, if you can?

Prado: Yes, so I stepped into De Carli in 2017, after the Nations and I work with De Carli until now. We know each other for so many years and it isn’t just team and rider relationship and in fact, I told David (De Carli) on the weekend, he isn’t just the team manager, but one of my best friends. It is something special to win with him and two titles with GasGas, David has been the team manager, so he also gives us good luck. We work very hard, and I feel after so many years, we know what works for me, with testing and how I approach the weekends, and my training is good. We have a system that works and the last years, we put it into perfection. It is also super fun, and you can hang out with people you like on the weekends. I could win for titles with De Carli, but not just for them, but together and that is nice.