Upgrade to enjoy this feature!
Vital MX fantasy is free to play, but Premium users receive great benefits. Premium benefits include:
- View and download rider stats
- Pick trends
- Create a private league
- And more!
Only $10 for all 2026 SX, MX, and SMX series.
You couldn't be more wrong. Kawasaki has the leverage, it is a matter of how far they want to dig in their heels. This is a damned if you do , damned if you don't situation. Each party needs to be very careful for future implications.
couldnt his contract be sold to another team ? or brand ?
im just guessing that could be a last minute option at least get some return for their investment in JP
That's basically what the buyout is, rumors are the Prado wanted KTM/Red Bull to pay the fee and they said no
The only thing you said that's truly verifiable data is this part : "He's a 2x & back to back MXGP champ. Gets signed for a large contract. Doesn't like the bike"
The rest is conjecture and irrelevant.
My point is, even if Prado flat out just pulled over on the first lap, Monster and Kawi are better off from an image and overall value to the brand standpoint not to get bogged down in a "reckoning". That's it. Doesn't matter who did what, that's in the past.
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
If it was me and I could afford it, I’d make him pay for what he did to my company if I was them. I’m pretty confident that Chase (like Febvre) will have no problem putting that bike on the box. He’s not in Europe anymore. Quitters don’t win here in the US.
i never understood why he didn't just fake an injury instead of rolling around in 43rd place. He could have "pulled a hammy" and bailed on a few rounds and would have at least some level of plausible deniability. one of the strangest chapters...
Anderson already put the bike on the box, I think he got two second places last year and a bunch of 3rds in 24 and 25. So while I'm not disagreeing with you, it has already been proven that the current platform is capable of podiums. Anderson too for that matter. They might wasn't to swallow some pride and reconsider hiring Jason back IMO.
maybe he had an injury clause in the contract?
That new podcast with Dean Wilson, Tommy Searle, and Billy Bolt is pretty interesting. That's one of the topics they discuss.
He’s already signed on yellow
I knew that was rumored, is it official now?
I don't really watch or keep up with mxgp, but was this guy really a champion? I seen this guy at high point this year and at best he might have looked like a mid pack B rider. Just hard to believe he was a world champ ever.
This. The downside risk of Kawi going hard at Prado is that riders in the future will be much more wary of signing with them for fear of a spiteful reprisal if things don’t work out.
He didn’t actually quit though did he.
He rode the bike every race.
He certainly underperformed.
Sharpen up your understanding of the English language and post sensibly. Please. Thankyou.
If they litigate, they can drag it out for years. Add in a non-disclosure agreement, and mitigate the image issue. Stay out of court!
If intentionally trying to not qualify and riding around in 18th with one hand of his handlebars isn't the definition of quitting to you then I don't know. Just because his bike was still moving forward lol
Unofficially "official" until November. It is my understanding that contracts end in October which then frees up the NDA and announcements to follow. This could have changed due to SMX recently, but overall thats how it generally goes. Tomac, Sexton, Anderson will all be within a weeks time on announcements.
To be honest, riding a lap around a national track with one hand actually sound pretty impressive to me.
Pit Row
Would he be riding a Ktm atm? Or would he be just at a standstill waiting to sort this out?
I feel he is the type of guy who knows he has a lot to prove and wants to show everyone the bike was the issue not him. I can’t imagine he would be to happy just hanging around waiting to get back into riding knowing all of his competitors have raced SMX and are either riding MXON, training for off season races or riding their new bikes for 2026.
And finishing in 6th overall in the championship on top of that!
This is only an argument about using correct wording.
I suppose you could say “he quit riding to the best of his ability”
Which is different to just saying “he quit “
Anyway.. “stole”… I guess you think he committed a crime by theft aswell do you?
Stealing is a crime- why don’t Kawi have him arrested??🤷♀️
Lmfao!
Do know anything about pro motocross? Since you like to use the dictionary, you may want to look up the words, ride and race.
He didn't get paid big money from Kawi and Monstar to "ride the bike". He got paid to race the bike, and actually try to compete for wins. Not just ride around and get beat by privateers, one of which was on a stock KX 450.
Were you watching when he tried to not ride at all at Budds Creek? In American motocross lingo, he quit!.
You can continue to be a Prado apologist and to use the word "underperform" all you want. Everyone saw the crap he pulled and the things he said, and most think he quit on the team.
Check your last sentence. You shuold have used "doesn't" not "don't".
Btw, "stole" is a figure of speech. Learn how we talk here before trying to be the grammar police.
C'mon, that's bs.
How many guys were out injured, or didn't ride the outdoors that would have finished ahead of him? CW, AP KR, and JA.
He would've been lucky to finish 10th!
Sarcasm.
Not saying this is ethical or morally right, but IF Prado wanted to play the game the way it's being played now, he should drop all other team negotiations and stay with the Kawasaki. Put in a real effort to race the bike (so as not to induce a performance clause), but make the team so miserable that they want nothing more than to pay out the contracted amount to make him leave. Then take a deal with another team, if any US based teams would actually offer one at that point. That's the real gamble.
Prado actually has all the juice unless he wants to lose a bunch of money to leave on his own accord.
Oops. Sorry I missed that. Doh!!
He's so talented and got such fast reflexes he doesn't need tear offs. He just deflects the roost away from his goggles with his hands
You can try and paint the picture any way you want to....quit, underperform, sandbag, sabotage, etc....doesn't change anything about the lack of effort and finger pointing that he is guilty of this season....but then to purposefully try not to qualify.....what a way to tarnish his MXGP championships....
You guys really think Prado has real leverage over the global billion dollar organisations that are Kawasaki and Monster? It's just small hiccup in their overall operations.
Prado is gambling with his long term career reputation and currency. His best bet is to take some accountability, settle on a middle ground $ amount, payment plan etc and hope is ass he does well on the KTM. He pretty much has to be on the podium regularly because he's already shown when he put in the effort on the kawi he could get 5th.
Post a reply to: Prado drama continuing?