It has been a breakout 2026 SMX campaign for Jorge Prado, firstly with his podium success in Supercross, followed by winning a round to conclude Pro Motocross, and capitalizing on impressive consistency during the regular season. It’s all that, combined with his Playoff 1 podium in Columbus, that has put him in control of the 450SMX standings at this point.

You can only play the rewind game so many times before you need to shelve it, but allow me to briefly rehash a scenario from the not-too-distant past – Prado’s first full year in America last year was a complete disaster.

I’m not just talking about the results sheet, either. He missed the majority of the 450SX season due to injury, had subpar results in 450MX, and a rather public falling-out with Monster Energy Kawasaki. All within the span of around 10 months.

That makes the fact that he currently holds the 450SMX leader’s red plate all the more remarkable, because at this time last year, Prado and Kawasaki had mutually agreed to sit out the post-season altogether, despite having a direct entry via the 13th seed. That is how bad things got.

Image: Octopi Media.

Since then, a career lifeline came with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing for 2026, and Jorge has well and truly delivered. Two 450SX podiums, along with multiple heat race victories, and being the fastest qualifier on two occasions in Supercross, combined with five Pro Motocross podiums including a 1-1 score at Ironman, have him right back in the conversation.

“I think it’s kind of crazy to be leading the SMX points,” reflected Prado after scoring third overall in Columbus. “And then the racing was also very good for me today, along with the improvement from getting lapped twice in a mud Supercross race this year to now finishing on the podium – it’s amazing.

“I think that I can’t be in a better spot than leading the SMX championship, so hopefully I can bring this [form] into the last [two] rounds. I finished the outdoor season very strong, and hopefully we can end the SuperMotocross series strong as well.”

Prado contested 25 of 28 regular-season events in just his second full year in the United States, finishing ninth overall in 450SX before placing fourth outdoors. A tough round at Hangtown, underlined by an unfortunate bike failure, ultimately saw him finish just three points shy of Haiden Deegan in third position.

Image: Octopi Media.

We’ve also seen the on-bike development over the course of the year, too, and while Anaheim 1’s podium was borderline unbelievable to witness from Prado at the time, it took him until the Salt Lake City finale to spray champagne again.

Things feel different now compared to January, though, with Prado considered less of a wildcard who had the potential to do damage under the right circumstances, and more of a legitimate podium threat every time he’s on the race track – and perhaps even a title contender, as the red plate would suggest.

The truth is that it has been a career-defining year for the highly-credentialed 25-year-old, which is not something you’d expect to say given his pedigree in Europe. But even he knows that things were not trending in the right direction this time last year, and if it hadn’t been for KTM, his American venture could well have been over before it really began.

“If you look back a year ago to where I am now, it’s a huge difference,” he recalled. “Now we are leading the SMX series, and I can’t be more happy than this.”

Image: Octopi Media.

Any doubt we once had about Prado has now evaporated. He’s a talented Supercross rider, his motocross skillset speaks for itself, and the consistency is right where it needs to be – again, evidenced by his position in 450SMX right now.

The Jorge Prado we all expected to arrive in 2025 is finally here – it just took a little time, as well as the right environment, for him to truly emerge. He has 42 points to his name to commence the post-season, although a hungry contingent is hot on his heels and ready to attack, given the opportunity.

That includes Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammates Deegan and Cooper Webb, who sit second and third in points, respectively. Add 450SX champion Ken Roczen and new 450MX title-holder Hunter Lawrence to the mix, and it’s going to be a genuine showdown to see out the 2026 SMX finals series – it’ll be up to Prado to stand up and take the crown.