Just a few months after becoming world motocross champion (MXGP) in September of last year, Jorge Prado (Lugo, 23 years old) was already thinking about his next challenge: crossing the Atlantic to compete in the highest category of Supercross, an American variant of the discipline. Unlike European motocross, where the courses are longer and made from natural surfaces, in North American Supercross the races take place inside large baseball or American football stadiums, with many more spectators and on designed terrain. especially for the occasion, something that increases its difficulty.

In January, Prado had the opportunity to compete in four rounds of the Supercross championship, a month-long adventure that is portrayed in the documentary under the lightsreleased this Monday on the platform streaming DAZN. ”In the documentary you can see how I was able to live my American experience, which was one of my dreams. You can see my preparation and the relationship with my team,” says the young driver in a conversation with EL PAÍS. “Since I was little I had in mind to compete in the United States, I wanted to know what it was like to compete in Supercross to give me an idea of ​​what my future could be in the coming years,” adds Prado, who shows a competitive gene and an ambition to achieve more than It makes it seem like being a motocross world champion at his age was a small thing.

After four races on American soil, Prado returned from his adventure with a victory in a qualifying round. A complete success for someone who was just going to try it in a context totally unknown to him. As explained in the documentary by the American Wil Hahn, former pilot and now coach of Red Bull Gasgas, the team that temporarily hosted the Spanish pilot, both disciplines, Supercross and motocross, have little in common, beyond the fact that the aesthetics are similar. It was of little use to Prado to dominate the European terrain to be able to perform in the same way on the American circuits, shorter and more compressed than the others. “It's like (Michael) Jordan trying to play baseball,” says Hahn in the short film when asked to make a simile that reflects the difference between both competitions. Given this panorama, scoring a heat and having remained within the top-10 in the highest category of Supercross, are small steps but taken by a giant.

Prado is already back in Europe, where he has a title to defend after a trip from which he returned with several learnings in his suitcase: “In the United States I left my comfort zone a lot and I felt very strange at first, I was not ready for this type of competition. But that makes me now feel more comfortable under conditions where I don't have control of everything. In addition, I really enjoyed it and developed skills that can also be useful for motocross,” reflects the man from Lugo, who knows a lot about changes. At eleven years old he had to emigrate with his family to Lommel (Belgium), one of the birthplaces of motocross, to fulfill his dream. At that moment, his parents understood the need for sacrifice and bet everything on the career of his son, who was already showing signs of his potential in minor championships. His father left his job in a bank behind to work in a factory and his mother quit law to go to work in an ice cream parlor. Today the two reap the fruits of that all or nothing of 2012. “The people around you are very important,” Prado says in this regard, “the environment is essential to be able to perform in competition and it is key to have that peace of mind of feeling well surrounded and comfortable day after day, so that you can then focus on what is important at a sporting level,” he completes.

He is aware that the sacrifice of his family was fundamental to his premature success, but he also knows that many families bet in the same way, without obtaining the same results. There, he points out, is when talent comes into play: “There are many people who possibly do the same thing and pilots who make the same effort, but who do not achieve something similar. That (stand out) in the end depends on the qualities that each one has, that is what makes the difference. About myself, I can say that I work very hard, possibly harder than others. If you add to that a favorable environment and that I am good at riding a motorcycle, I have a package very competitive,” he acknowledges with a smile that removes any hint of arrogance.

Before reaching the pinnacle of motocross in September 2023, Prado had to pick himself up from many falls in previous years. He fell ill with covid and suffered pneumonia. He had consequences. Then, a broken femur and a broken clavicle threatened to put an end to his dream, but he persisted. “Injuries are complicated because they reduce your level of confidence and feeling safe is very important to be a more aggressive driver, but you have to be strong to know how to recover, train and get back to it,” he prescribes to those who may be going through a bad situation. moment. “I am more and more convinced that to grow, you have to go through a little bit of trouble,” reflects the motocross world champion who is already thinking about revalidating his title within the category, but at the same time, as his transatlantic preseason advanced him, He is already thinking about taking the next big leap. This time to another discipline: “In five years I see myself with many more titles, both in motocross and Supercross,” he says with enthusiasm. For now, he has already taken a good bite out of Europe, but this boy, raised under the aura of a child prodigy, is convinced that he can take on the world.

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