Jorge Prado can now add another title to a record that continues to grow. The Spaniard has been proclaimed champion of the 2026 SuperMotocross 450, after a final in Missouri in which he had to suffer more than expected, but which ended up resolving in a big way with a victory in the second race.
The title also represents a particularly important step in his career, and even more so when he had some detractors who were eagerly awaiting the failure of the Galician. After winning four Motocross World Championships (2 in MX2 and 2 in MXGP) and making the final leap to the United States, Prado wins his first championship on the other side of the Atlantic, and also becomes the first Spaniard to win the SuperMotocross since it began to be held.
The road to this point has been long and complicated. And the American season combines first the AMA Supercross and then the AMA Pro Motocross, two independent championships in which Prado accumulated results until finishing second in the combined classification that gives access to the final phase of SuperMotocross. This allowed him to start the Playoffs with 22 bonus points and, therefore, in a good position to fight for the championship.
What is the SuperMotocross that Jorge Prado has won?
The format can be somewhat strange seen from the outside, and even more so if the competition on the other side of the pond is not controlled. SuperMotocross does not replace either the Supercross or Pro Motocross championships, which maintain their own champions, but rather uses the results of both to establish a joint classification before facing a specific final phase.
The top 20 finishers go directly to the Playoffs in which the position achieved during the regular season becomes an initial bonus of points. From there, two rounds and a grand final are played, all of them with two rounds, although with an important peculiarity: the first round distributes normal points, the second doubles them and in the final they are tripled. In this way, arriving well placed helps, but the championship is really decided during these last three tests.
Prado knew how to play his cards perfectly. After finishing second in the first round of the Playoffs, he won the second and appeared in the grand final with the red plate and 16 points ahead. An interesting difference, but it was not definitive considering the number of points that were at stake in Missouri.
The first round did not start as the Spaniard would have wanted. A bad start caused him to lose positions, finishing around tenth place while Haiden Deegan took the lead. Prado had to come back and ended up crossing the finish line in fifth position, while his main rival achieved victory.
With the triple points system of the fina things became much tighter. The advantage with which Prado had arrived was seriously reduced, and the second race practically became a race for the championship.
This time, however, Prado came out first, took command from the start and began to set the pace while Deegan tried to stay close. The American was reducing the difference in the final stages and put pressure on the Spaniard, but Prado held on and crossed the finish line in first position when he needed it most.
The combined score of 5-1 left Prado second in the night’s standings, behind Deegan’s 1-2, but the points were enough to secure the really important goal. The Spaniard finished the SuperMotocross 450 with a seven-point lead, and was proclaimed champion in his first full participation in the Playoffs.
The title also puts the finishing touch to a season in which Prado has been growing progressively in the United States. He added podiums in both Supercross and Pro Motocross, managed to close the latter championship by winning Ironman, and reached the decisive phase of SuperMotocross at the best possible time.
In this way, Prado continues to make history and look askance at the possibility of achieving the Supercross title, something for which you need not only rhythm and technique, but also the necessary luck so that, if you fail, there is no serious injury that leaves you out of combat.
