AMA Supercross roared back into action at the famed Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, this Saturday, as the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing Team entered the fray with Justin Barcia securing seventh place in the 450SX ranks, with new recruit Ryder DiFrancesco taking ninth place in 250SX West.
- Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s MXGP World Champion Jorge Prado delivers P13 in Supercross debut
Lining up for his first career start in 450SX, all eyes were on defending MXGP World Champion Jorgo Prado as the Spaniard debuted in the tight confines of Supercross. After posting the ninth-fastest qualifying time, The Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing rider signaled his intentions early, and a solid eighth place in his Heat Race resulted in a direct transfer to the Main Event.
Prado powered out of the gates to one of his patented fast starts in the Main Event, mixing it up amongst the top Supercross riders in the world as he battled for position. Noting the track deterioration during the race, he gained invaluable experience under the lights of Angel Stadium, and finished in 13th place.
Jorge Prado: “First-ever Supercross race is done, and what an experience! It’s so different from what I am used to, and it was just a day of building. I felt good in practice every time, and then the night show the track was so different. I’m used to riding the test tracks with a harder base and different whoops, so every time I tried to go through these ones, they were so different, which made it difficult and unpredictable. I didn’t find a good flow in the Main Event, but got a good start. I think next week we will move in the right direction, especially with having one race under my belt, and P13 I think is not a bad start.”
Prado – An incredible experience but at the same time totally different from what I am used to. It’s a one day, race at night format that made me feel uncomfortable. This is the starting point for the following races.
When you are faced with something new, it is difficult to focus on living in the present moment, due to the uncertainty of what my real possibilities will be.
Starting with training, despite being in group B, I did 9 overall. The Heat was complicated but thanks to the result I got a direct pass to the Main Event. Very satisfied with my P.13 in what is possibly one of the years with the highest level in SX history.
