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On a side note it was pretty funny listening to Phil stutter and stammer on Mondays Pulp show when he was asked if he had ridden Prados bike or not. And any question about the Kawi for that matter.
JT$ picked up on the nervousness and started digging in. Funny stuff.
Poor Phil.
JB mentioned talking to Antsie this week about Prado. Antsie’s opinion was that the KTM group at MXGP has the program so dialed over there that they had the bike specifically tailored to Prado with frame length, swing arm length and all the things they are able to do without the production rule. Now that switching to a Japanese bike with the production rule has been so different he’s having an even more difficult time than what we typically see. Doesn’t account for the throwing the team under the bus and straight up not trying but interesting none the less.
Yes, that’s my point.
For what it's worth, in a Spanish TV interview last year, he specifically stated that he has no mechanical skills at all. He said his job is to ride the bike and that he really doesn't know how to work on one.
This way of thinking and proceeding might have worked with his old team, where he had worked for so long with the same people, or within the same brand where they could share information (going from the in-house KTM factory team in Belgium to the De Carli team in Italy). However, now that he's made such an extreme change—different brand of bike, type of chassis, brand and type of suspensions (he used to ride air forks), team, and culture—I can understand why setting up the bike has to be much more difficult.
I'm not trying to make a direct comparison, but I know much more about setting up my bike since I learned about suspensions, how they work, and some basic valving. That knowledge has helped me which direction to go when making adjustments. I can imagine that at his level, not having that technical understanding creates difficulties when translating information to the team or helping them achieve what he really needs or wants from the bike.
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Is Prado part French?
Six months?
I think he should go back to an Austrian bike, Chase stay on one, and Tomac go to Kawasaki.🤣
Chase will definitely struggle with setup on the Kawi, as he has on both the Honda and KTM. But he will push through and still be at least semi-competitive. Barring season-altering injuries, I don't see him finishing the seasons in '26 outside the top 4 in SX and top 3 in MX.
You mean he won his second gate drop on the KTM 450? Yes, yes he did.
The difference is Chase never had an epic collapse like Prado….. not even close. He was competitive. What’s going on here with Prado is unprecedented. We’ve never seen a world or national champion have a complete collapse like this.
Hypothetical question...Kawasaki flies Febvre over here. One day of testing on Anderson's bike before racing Ironman. Who finishes better, Prado or Febvre?
Febvre by about a minute 15
So what Sexton did was inexcusable? He was out of the championship, so he took a few extra races off. He wasn't even at the races. Same with Webb. Or Anderson.
And please don't say you one of those that actually believe sexton was hurt all the way, or Webb or Anderson couldn't have raced if they needed to (earlier).
Well, doing nothing is sometimes better than doing something 😂
There is plenty of dubbel standards flying around here 😄
Current Kawi Factory rider in MXGP said it's impossible to get the kawi to the level of KTM. That's from a factory team that has no limitations from the rulebook standpoint.
Are you talking about what pulp said? cause that’s not really what was said.
Aees has a long list of excuses for why Prado is doing so bad.
You mean as a fill in? If anyone from PC is getting the ride full time it's Kitchen. Apparently, he's the one Kawi is grooming for that seat.
It was JB on the AC and JB Show. Which by the way is an excellent podcast.
Pit Row
I agree Kitchen should get the ride someday but why not stay down, win 250 sx/mx championship next year, defend in 27 then move up? Sign Marchbanks 450 for those 2 years.
Actually, Febvre.
Levi kitchen gets a lot of credit for a guy who disappears for long stretches.
Back to the topic. Prado is the living embodiment of the saying ‘my shit don’t stink’.
He literally said its game over if Prado expects KTM power from his Kawi. So please translate that to whatever word you want, but the meaning is the same.
KTM like power from Kawi = not possible.
Prado's only way out of the contract is buying it out, unless Kawi lets him walk. If Kawi said you know what this isn't working out, does he walk? I think he does. The relationship is so broken at this point, I'm not sure how you come back from this. They need outside counseling at this point.
Yeah it'll be pretty funny IF Prado races mxdn. The way he's riding right now he'll get smoked by his MX2 teammate on team Spain
I guess even if he finishes 25th for the remaining 6 motos Spain will still pick him. Although a team of Fernandez, Farres and Oliver might be almost better than having Prado just give up (same as he did on Sunday at mxon 24).
Cool post.
But you didn’t address the fact that you said Jorge has suddenly had this realisation that he can’t hang with riders he used to beat?!
Really? He’s just realised that he doesn’t have the skill to beat riders he used to? Really?? Thst doesn’t make sense..
Maybe 1) they have adapted to the condensed schedule of AMA Pro Motocross better than Prado, or 2) they are actually trying because they don’t have a long term contract with a 7 figure guaranteed salary.
#2 flies in the face of Indy’s claim that Prado realized he just can’t beat guys inside the top 15 anymore.
Don't get me wrong I love Phil. One of if not the best personality in MX/SX but he was being political trying not to upset anyone.
Phil himself has been on less than ideal setups in the past and he very rarely rode around in 19th. Phil he made it work and still does.
Prado is the problem. Riding ability-wise he is more than capable of getting a decent result. Maybe he is showing that mentally and setting up a bike is where he falls short? Even in the GPs he rarely if ever could come through the pack? And that's on a bike he was comfortable on. Maybe he is his own worst enemy.
Dan Crower has said he has done hundreds of dyno runs on these bikes. He knows his trade very well. I’ll believe everything he says.
What Prado said 2 years ago to support his move to USA from Europe before he ever raced it here probably shouldnt be set in cement.
RV, Eli, Ando ride very differently to Prado. Thats known and what Kawi have had for reference racers for years.
Im implying that Jorge isnt getting the 3-4th gear torque monster he wants, and probably cant…he is not comfortable fighting too hard on the bike he is not comfortable on. So he is getting tired early then mails it in from halfway rather than crash and get injured. He wants to fight for wins and i can understand his own frustration.
Also he has never been a fighter through the pack. Always controlled from out front.
A lot of new scenarios for Jorge.
Chad was quoted as saying its a rocketship. Evident by the starts, but Jorge isnt Eli.
Jorge rides more like Jett do you agree?
No. Jett has far more fight in him and rises to the occasion even when he isn’t comfortable with his bike. A 2nd or 3rd overall is a “failure” for Jett. When Jorge isn’t comfortable, he drops the anchor and rides looking backwards at the privateers on his tail as he plummets from a top 5 start through the pack. Jorge and either of the Lawrence brothers have very little in common.
To be honest, his biggest problem is probably his lack of preparation prior to the season because of his preseason injuries. Rather than acknowledging that, he instead blames his bike, and by proxy, his team.
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