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No kidding, I could see it.
Save for three SX races, Prado is only racing outdoors. He came here to win outdoors and learn SX, not my words - his. And of course, what everyone feared he injured himself in SX, or was it an old injury he aggravated and decided to repair now? So, no he didn't learn SX, and he didn't get sufficient testing for outdoors, again not my words - his. So, his first season here is a wash, he has to start over next year in Anaheim. Does anyone really think he will complete a SX season next year? DV states repeatedly Prado was not properly prepared for SX, if he wasn't this year, will he be next year? After winning four titles in Europe Prado slayed all the dragons over there, he had to come here, he had no challenges left. But we all must ponder the bike change, the culture, the style of racing might be too tough.
This is a bad take IMO. It’s not like this panic is coming just off of his SX results. The guy is a GP champion, outdoors is his specialty. Racing SX should have no affect on his outdoor results.
I also don’t believe our guys stepped it up that much to be seconds faster per lap. Something is up, this isn’t MXGP Prado.
JT as we know has his GP connections. He said he was going to call DeCarli to ask them their opinion because Prado is unrecognizable in his riding. The way he talks, its known the Factory Kawi is well behind all the other teams also
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JT is also usually quite reserved in his opinions, he was very strong on his feelings towards Prados season on the review pod
I am scared for Chases mental state essentially making the same switch as Prado has
Side note, it would have been cool to see the pink fox gear/kawi combo running up front again.
Thats what I said in the other Prado thread. Somce there is two of these lol. Hows Chase feeling right now?
I was being polite. He can't cut it here obviously.
Prado is certainly under performing by a mile. Guillod is spot on where he was in the GPs (on a borrowe bike). Kullas and Paturel are finishing better than they have in GPs. At Thunder Valley, Harrup was where he was in GPs.
This is a Prado/Kawasaki specific matter.
How could SX not affect your MX results? He got hurt in the preseason trying to build up speed, then he got hurt during the season. Fir a guy that has been a winner his whole life to suddenly not even be able to stay on the track (especially when you just put your whole career on the line), that will definitely shake your confidence.
@ 1:40 onwards... Wow.
The Kawi global test and 450 development rider was on Gypsy Tales a week ago. He said that when Kawi developed the new KX450, the engineers developed an engine that was down on torque but hit the horsepower number and that’s all they seemed to care about. The engineers didn’t understand that it wasn’t just about horsepower. He said Kawi knows what needs to be fixed to give more torque and have identified how to do it. The impression I got was that the engine was developed without much direct test rider feedback prior to final spec production. Hopefully this mess has been a wake-up call for future development programs.
Let's just say the GP and AMA guys are a wash when it comes to outdoors. But overall USA riders are better because they can do indoors also.
Perfect candidate for a 25.5 SR. Assuming it can't be fixed with an ECU, cam, porting, valves, piston, etc.
Edit: I recall mention of Nicholetti sending his engine to Twisted after testing before the Canadian Nats. Perhaps a media member could follow up on what progress was made.
How much does the AMA production rule limit their ability to change the engine?
If JP70 isn’t winning because of the Kawasaki is JL18 winning because of the Honda?
In other words; JL18 couldn’t win on the green bike?
I think the point is more that Prado is used to Austrian GP works bikes. MXGP bikes are a different breed than the US ones - more freedom to change things beyond stock - and he is also switching to a Japanese aluminum frame
Fair statement.
He still looks like he’s battling something more than just racing back into shape after an injury. 3 out of the top 5 guys are coming back from supercross injuries.
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This has gone worse then anyone could have imagined. Last year he won the MXGP title over Gajser and Herlings the two best guys of the modern GP era and this year he has had one fifth in a moto. Chase and Ferrandis are out as well. Plus if Kenny would drop in he would be 8th at best and probably outside the top 10 quite a bit.
Even if the bike is that bad Prado a world class motocross racer should cover up most of it. Between SX and now this? The panic button is smashed to pieces. Hopefully he can start to pick up the pieces before the end of the year.
So Kawi rider was down second moto but no one can say was it Prado or other rider and if he is ok or not?
Both Anderson and Prado went down in moto 2. Anderson tweaked his knee and is going to go have it checked out today. Prado was just bruised up and decided there wasn't any reason to continue. Both DNF'd the second moto.
To understand where Prado is, ask yourself... Who on this planet, other than RJ himself, had Hampshire beating Prado consistently at these first 3 races? I think that is about as eye opening as it gets.
Ando must have Kawi’s special motor?
How dare them! Even if they throw a 100 hp motor in that SR and chain up a super dune knobby tire so he can holeshot, how do you make up the 8 seconds a lap. Head scratcher.
Roczen nails a holeshot occasionally on that 2007 RMZ 450.
Point and shoot riding isnt all about the power. Maybe the depth of talent over here is deeper than Gp. Our top 5 are insanely fast.
Maybe these contracts need to have an “out” clause. Performance or lack there of on the Factory’s side and equipment expectation and resource clause on the riders side.
As much as I do not like hearing the KX is down on power, I do believe they may be.
Hopefully it all works out. I want to see Prado battling up front but running top 1-5 in AMA nationals is an entirely new level the last couple years.
Lets have 18, 2,3,7, 96 and 2 sit out the next moto and we’ll see that Kawi solved some issues over the week.
And I do bleed green and am a Prado fan.
ill listen, but unless the new bike changed bore/stroke, how much is really set in stone? are the valves just too big? could they "just" cnc a head with smaller valves/ports and be good to go?
Im getting some deja vu feelings from MC’s 1997 move to Suzuki and the team internally called his RM250 the PE175… (a semi-crappy jap enduro bike for you kids)
Perhaps its kind of the same now, just a KLX 300…
(MC actually won (races) on that bike and so will Prado on his machine.. i hope)
And Prado wants the craziest fire breathing 450 they can give him. Herlings said if he tried to race Prado's motor it would kill him. I dont think Jett even wants a motor like that. So saying Jett could win on the "slow" Kawi doesn't really meam anything. Prado amd Jett ask for different things from their bikes
Everyone blaming the bike is insane. Every top rider has ridden a new bike platform they didn't love and maybe they underperformed slightly, but show me the story of any elite/champ-tier rider that had a new platform and dropped off by 4-5 seconds per lap. Even the worst of bikes like the 2009 YZ, 97 CR, etc had pros win races on them. No bike option out there should be the difference in what we are watching with our own two eyes. This is purely mental in his head and until he is within 1-2 seconds off the leaders should we be entertaining it's the bike as the core problem.
you know whats funny, is nitrous oxide even actually banned?
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