Image: Octopi Media.

Reigning MXGP champion Jorge Prado has indicated he ‘expected more’ at the 2025 Pro Motocross season-opener at Fox Raceway last Saturday, with his highly-anticipated debut in American outdoors resulting in a sixth place finish overall.

Comments in the lead-up to round one from Prado were centered around being in title contention, however, dual moto winner Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC Progressive) put just shy of a minute between he and the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider in each outing.

Ultimately, Prado occupied positions five to 10 throughout the day, qualifying eighth, before racing to a 7-6 moto scorecard, and earning a consistent sixth overall for his 450MX debut.

“Round one done here at Fox Raceway, and I’m a little bit disappointed,” reflected Prado. “I expected more, but realistically, it’s fair that we struggled. I’m coming off an injury, and on top of that, I’ve never raced outdoors on the Kawasaki.

“We only had four weeks on the new bike, trying to build a setup, so it’s normal that it wasn’t 100 percent. But that’s the mentality of a racer – you always want to be battling up front. The second moto was [I] P6, a little better than the first one. Small steps. I did my best, and that’s what counts.”

Riders will have another chance this weekend as gates are set to drop at the Hangtown National, with Prado aiming to build upon his sixth-place standing as the season progresses.