Prado really laying all his chips on the table...

I really do believe him about the Kawasaki. I’m certainly not saying it’s a bad bike in any way, shape, or form, but I am a buyer in that he just didn’t like it and couldn’t get it to work well enough for him to ride at 100%. Him walking away from a big dollar contract to ride something else is the frosting on the cake for me. Something held him back and we’ll find out soon enough if it was indeed the bike. I don’t put a lot of stock into what happens in SX, but when we get outdoors is when the story will be told best. 

I think he is a prissy spoiled brat who didnt give the Kawi a chance because they wouldnt change certain things or perhaps the bike wasnt "perfect"..... the dude didnt even give Team Green a full season before he checked out......In my opinion NO ONE has a perfect bike all the time they just adjust and make it work. He came here and got smoked, simple as that.

I guess we will see how it goes. I feel like he was very unprofessional last year and I lost some respect for him. Even if he was "right" with a lot of his claims, he took no accountability and I thought it was just very unprofessional and disrespectful for those that were working hard to give him what he needs. That being said, as OP mentioned, he is really putting himself in position to have no excuses and sort of prove himself. So I do give him credit for that. Obviously I don't cheer for him to do badly or anything. But if he still gets smoked, then I guess he will have to face the music. I would expect him to at least be better this year, considering he phoned it in half of the time, last year. I remember being excited to see him in person (just like when Caroli was in the USA a couple years ago.) But watching Prado at High Point was a huge let down. He was just rolling around after the first couple laps. It seemed magnified more in person, than it ever looked on TV.

Yeah, the bike might have not been what he liked but still.. He quit and other than Southwick we have pretty much only seen him ride around, so pretty impossible to think that he won't do better than this.

Also before SX started he said: "The Kawasaki is already way better than the GasGas".. Now he says "My whole setup just like back then, perfection". It's so weird to me. Obviously he wanted to speak good about his new manufacturer but you guys get what I mean, right?

I won't predict anything, I just hope he gets healthy through SX, builds some consistency again and that he can win some of us as fans back. He definitely has all the talent and skill in the world to join the top guys and battle for wins, anyone who thinks he doesn't belong up there has not watched him ride the years before.

I hope, for the sake of racing, that he is good.

That is all. 

"I'm going to check, Teddy."

Lets see how the new boy goes on the Green Bike. 

I think he really regrets some of the words in that gypsy interview… 

In the latest Steve Matthes Show it’s Steve and Lewis Phillips talking about his (Lewis) move to the US and his first two years.  They talk a bit about Prado, the Kawi debacle and his upcoming year on KTM.  Lewis’s quote on Prado “he is one confident mother fucker”.

BTW excellent podcast and well worth a listen.

Also on the latest Pulp Show JT says that Jett is genuinely concerned about only two people - Chase and Prado (for outdoors).

A few people have said this now but this doesn’t tell the full picture. If it works for Chase it doesn’t mean it should work for Jorge. They ride very differently…. And i’m a Kawi fan boy. I hope Jorge turns it around this year and shows the people who are saying he’s slow

Absolutely - I've had bikes that as soon as I cut the first lap, I knew it wouldn't work -

Others I've sat on them and knew they were the one - and they were. 

And I'm a 66-year-old  Ham and Egger - 

At Prados level, it better be right.

Yeah sure mate. I’m sure you as a carpenter or whatever you do can really understand what it takes to win a pro mx championship. How you can call him that is beyond absurd to me.

“Prissy spoiled brat” takes massive paycut because he wants to win so badly. 

I'm not sure the guy learned any lesson about his 2025 rough experience on US soil. Speaks way too much before 2026 season real start. Just like last year.

this kid doesn't learn. Instead of bragging about how awesome that Katoom feels and how he's going to just kick everyone's ass, he might have gone with "Ya know, last year was tough. For a whole lot of reasons. I am focused now on putting in the work, giving my absolute best, and we'll see what happens!"

SHUT UP GEORGE. Do your talking on the bike (if you have anything to say at all).

I’m stuck in the middle with Prado. On one hand I get the idea “if you won’t give me what I need to be comfortable then F-you guys I’m done.”  On the other hand I get the thought “I’m going to give it my all no matter what.”  Time will tell if he rips on the KTM or if he’s status quo 15th-10th place guy (outdoors).  Indoors think 10th overall by the end of the year should be considered a success. 

So i'm not sure if many people on here in America watched either Top gear (british car programme) or the grand tour (a similar programme which poached the hosts from top gear)
But the main host of both shows (Jeremy Clarkson) punched top gear bbc producer in the face so he got fired to get out of his contract with top gear and the bbc so that he join amazon prime and make the grand tour, 

Relevance of above? I see Prado's behaviour at Kawasaki a metaphoric punch in the face to his team to get out of his contract, he realised he made a mistake to join a team where he could see he couldn't perform to where he needed to during the term of the contract so the only way to salvage his career was to be a dick to his team so they no longer wanted him,

Some people may see it as a spoiled brat, I see it as pretty bad ass that an athelete stood up to a global brand, and got what he wanted.

I 100% agree, but it was making the point that OP called out Prado for giving up, but if Sexton is as bad , and lets be honest, of all the people to jump on that bike, he is more likely to not get on with it than anyone, then it underlines what has been said about the bike and team for a long while, and if he does get on with it, then fair play, its what he needs. 

I want Prado and Sexton to be battling for wins, because it shows that they are both the riders we know they can be, i dont want Sexton to bomb on the Kawi to prove Prado was right, but if you read Eli's initial impressions of the KTM, he said he never had a level of feeling he gets from the steel frame before. 

Prado has been KTM for the whole of his career, Sexton was on Ally frames until he went to KTM , and Eli has never ridden a steel framed bike since he was on 85's.   

What will be interesting , is how Ducati go with their Ally frame, historically they have always used steel. 

      Many problems went into the mix during the season last year IMO.  First, Jorge thinks he was such an outstanding rider that he could win  ( outdoors ) on any motorbike . Next, he perceived the team to not be very hospitable to a WORLD CHAMPION . He believed they should be willing to do whatever he wanted, no questions asked . One other false belief he harbored was that he was faster than anyone on this side of the pond. Therefore, he could live with the Kawasaki’s problems and still win on any given Saturday. As my Dad would say ….he got too big for his britches, and got taken down a couple of pegs. 

i’ve said it more than once … I will give the benefit of the doubt to the 4 time world champ on his bike set up over the team that has forced every single high profile rider away because they either wouldn’t or couldn’t set the bike up for them… as John Tomac said and i quote “ they weren’t willing to go in the direction we wanted to go” 

Here is the part I struggle with this - as an elite athlete in contract season, with an agent by his side, didn't Prado ride the green bike before signing?

I sincerely hope the orange bike flips a switch for him, we know he was incredible in the GPs on his Gasgas.

For the racing side of things, I hope he is back to normal on the KTM.

But on the other side, the way he trashed Kawi and quit I almost hope he's no better than this year. 

I was a fan of his and really was stoked for him to come over here.

I think he just sucks at testing, and without someone like Cairoli to be the pathfinder for him he probably gets lost in setup.  At his level, very small changes make a massive difference in feel and confidence. 

I hope he does well, just like I hope Chase crushes it....

For sure 10th in sx would be solid. He'll be nowhere near the top 5. Mx is a different story

What if prado was right? What if the factory kawi was 72 hp, but the factory usa ktm is 80?? 

Et3 had the biggest smile I've ever seen when asked about the power of the ktm... 

Bottom line is Prado did in fact ride the Kawi before signing a deal and also said it was better than the GasGas!

This whole situation is wild.

Would love to hear the "real" Kawasaki USA version of things