Multiple MXGP champion Jorge Prado and Red Bull KTM couldn’t have asked for a better first 450SX Supercross together, delivering a third-place finish on a day that went well every time that the well-credentialed Spaniard hit the circuit at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. As a result, it was one of the most stunning storylines of the 2026 opener.

Put simply – we had questions. In fact, we had many questions entering the new Monster Energy SMX World Championship season regarding Prado, the factory KTM organization, Monster Energy Kawasaki, and even Chase Sexton after a drastic shake-up during last year’s silly season.

The main questions were, how much of Prado’s struggles would be alleviated by the new environment and familiar motorcycle after such a troubled stint at Monster Energy Kawasaki? And then, in addition, did the Sexton and KTM combination really not extract his best? These were the topics we wanted to know most about, and Anaheim 1 gave us some answers.

Prado was light-years better aboard the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION platform on Saturday night, largely looking like a different rider altogether. Take sixth in qualifying, a heat race win, and third in the main event, and measure that with last year’s 14th-place finish at the Angel Stadium opener, which tells two different stories on the surface at least.

Image: Octopi Media.

“This is really ahead of my expectations,” the 25-year-old added. “The goal for this weekend was to just get through each session and do the best that I can. I had a great preparation leading into this year, but I am still so new to Supercross.

“Getting the heat race win was awesome, but I am really happy with my main event and to be on the podium. I rode within my limits, and still don’t have a lot of words to describe my feelings right now, but all I can say is that hard work always pays off! It’s great to start the season this way, so now we’ll keep learning and look forward to a new opportunity next week.”

All areas of his game were strong – including starts, whoops, rhythm lanes, race-craft, fitness – and much improved, which in a sense leaves us with perhaps the rider we were expecting from the beginning, when he first arrived in America full-time. By all accounts, he even surprised himself with his Anaheim performance, with the outdoors favored given his previous outdoor experience.

“I knew that once I got everything in place, that I could be good, but by good, I am talking about outdoors,” he admitted. “For Supercross, this is my fifth 450SX race I think, so it’s crazy… I don’t even know how I managed to get here on the podium today, but it feels super-good after a rough ’25. This is amazing.

Image: Octopi Media.

“When I am behind the gate, of course, I want to win, but you need to be realistic. My goal for today was to just finish the main event and get a lot of information to see what we need to work on. It’s great to start the season this way, but I don’t want to start flying, I need to keep my feet on the ground.”

Anaheim 1 can typically be a strange one, with season-opening nerves a very real thing once the lights go on for the new season. So, while there are narratives to draw from round one, what’ll be intriguing is to see how the form continues into the following rounds.

What is a truth, however, is Prado’s history with the wider KTM Group, with the familiarity something he continually raised during the pre-season. And perhaps that was it, perhaps that was all that was required, for him to return to familiar pastures, and align with a brand that he’d already delivered so much success with.

“I’ve been a KTM rider forever,” he continued. “And, the guys on the team also had a great base set-up, and I was comfortable with it pretty much from day one. That was a big advantage, because I was able to do a lot of laps during the winter and not just testing.

“I put so many hours on the bike, which meant I entered the weekend much more sure about myself and the track. I had a great feeling – I felt safe on Supercross, which means I can continue to progress, and the KTM is just a good bike for me.”

Image: Octopi Media.

San Diego and beyond will be interesting, to say the least. We’ll see whether Jorge can maintain the same form – and ethos of making all the rounds over pure speed – and also whether Chase and Kawasaki can rebound.

It wasn’t necessarily a bad outing for the 2023 450SX champion, since Sexton qualified in P1, but a couple of mistakes and a poor start reflected in his eighth-place finish. Additionally, new recruit Garrett Marchbanks missed a qualifying transfer to the main, representing a difficult night overall for Team Green.

For KTM, Prado, and even Eli Tomac, round one was a dream scenario. All three made wholesale changes entering the 2026 Monster Energy Supercross Championship season, and if A1 was anything to go by, they must collectively be thrilled about their decisions.