It’s been well-documented that this year’s SMX World Championship spelt disaster for four-time world champion Jorge Prado, whose highly-anticipated arrival in US competition turned sour in a brief time span. Upon receiving an American lifeline of sorts at Red Bull KTM for 2026, the question remains, what will it take for the Spaniard to succeed in this rare reunion?

Casting our minds back to the opening rounds of Monster Energy Supercross in 2024, Prado and Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing enjoyed cameo appearances at the first four races, which included an emphatic heat race win in the San Francisco mud before posting a P7 finish in the main event.

The expedition was met with a decree of humility in a process of learning, before the talented Spaniard returned to the European circuit and successfully defended his MXGP title in a season that would go down to the wire between the now 24-year-old Prado, Tim Gajser, and Jeffrey Herlings.

Image: Supplied.

That ultimately signalled the end of his decorated MXGP career – which also included a pair of MX2 titles with KTM in 2018 and 2019 – as Prado instead went on to sign a three-year agreement with Monster Energy Kawasaki to contest the premier division in both Supercross and Pro Motocross, as well as the SMX post-season, between 2025-2027.

Injury unravelled his attempt indoors before it really took flight, as shoulder surgery following a crash in qualifying at Anaheim 2 ruled him out for the remainder of the series. Despite that incident and invaluable seat time lost, things were still far from the catastrophe they would become, which typically started with the outdoors.

Prado had the expectation – and rightfully so, in some aspects – of being a title front-runner from the outset, but a sequence of lacklustre results by his standards led to a barrage of complaints regarding the KX450SR, which, for obvious reasons, is a big no-no – especially in the public square – for a rider earning millions of dollars in his position.

He expected to be at the front because of his world championship pedigree, although it appeared that he also neglected the necessary steps to build toward that same form in an entirely new environment, on all-new tracks, against less familiar riders, on a totally foreign machine compared with that he had been accustomed to.

Image: Supplied.

Sixth in the 450MX standings, underscored by a pair of top-five results during the season, could be perceived as a reasonable effort in a debut season – and far from problematic. However, it was everything else that went along for the ride that eventually ended the relationship in rather dramatic fashion.

That’s what led to this reunion with KTM, combined with a unique opportunity that came when France’s two-time MX2 world champion and double 250SX East number one Tom Vialle opted to head back to the grand prix paddock (suspected to be with Honda HRC) for 2026, rather than graduating to the 450 class with Red Bull KTM in America. It opened the door for Prado.

Now, as confirmed today that he’ll team up with Eli Tomac and Aaron Plessinger onboard the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, Prado finds himself back ‘home’, probably where he should have been in the first place when taking his talents to SMX. So, will it work? And can he make it a success this time around?

It’s a good question, and one I’m sure that he, his inner-circle, and the team are intrigued to figure out. From my perspective, what we need to see from Prado next year is a clean, drama-free season that sees some consistently decent results across both Supercross and Pro Motocross. Make as many rounds as you can – ideally all – and gain the experience that was missed in 2025.

This doesn’t mean saying that Jett Lawrence is the target and everything else is a failure. Even if that is the case, keep it in the back pocket and work toward that goal over multiple years. Jett is a generational talent and also has a backlog of six professional years Stateside, which is experience that cannot be discounted.

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Regardless, build towards that. Work with the technicians to get the bike in a place that works, and when it doesn’t, don’t broadcast it to the world. One more vital ingredient is to never not give your 100 percent on track. If there’s any way to get a fanbase offside quicker – especially in a sport that celebrates grit and courage – it’s if there is an air of not trying…

Will there be a drastic turnaround in form? Perhaps. But it also could be the case of tempering expectation, realizing the need to learn, and being patient with the process. It’s undeniable that he is a world-class talent, as shown by his international achievements, against some of the very best to do it in MXGP.

That said, this is a different game – especially when it comes to Supercross – so for Prado to succeed in this KTM reunion, a deeper understanding of what he is up against will be necessary. Do that, and his chances will naturally elevate. Otherwise, like Vialle and many others before him, returning back to Europe may just be his final destination.