Jorge Prado Suffers Femur Injury
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Word has trickled out of Europe that Jorge Prado suffered a leg injury while testing with the Red Bull KTM MXGP team, but the full extent is still unclear. Our friends at MX Vice, a leader in the MXGP scene, have received confirmation that something happened at an Italian practice track near Malagrotta but could not confirm the exact injury, only saying that they were told, “that the femur was fractured and exposed.” A full statement from the Red Bull KTM MXGP team and Prado is widely expected to be issued soon.
The twenty-round 2020 Monster Energy FIM Motocross World Championship begins in March and runs through September, while a handful of smaller national events take place throughout Europe in the early part of the year and serve as preseason warm-ups.
Prado, the two-time and defending MX2 World Champion, signed a multi-year contract extension with Red Bull KTM MXGP in 2019, a deal that will see him move the MXGP class in 2020. There were initial concerns about the Spanish teenager’s early advancement to the 450 class, which is necessary due to rules of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross World Championship that are intended to promote development within the MX2 class, but Prado showed he has the speed to run in the premier class when he made his big-bike debut at the 2019 Motocross of Nations.
Prado is a part of Claudio De Carli’s division of the Red Bull KTM MXGP team, which is based in Italy and has long supported Antonio Cairoli. Multi-time world champion Cairoli took Prado under his wing a few years ago and has served as a mentor to the young rider.
We will share more information about Prado and the injury as it becomes available…
FRIDAY DECEMBER 13TH UPDATE: Red Bull KTM has confirmed that Prado suffered a broken femur and that surgery was necessary to stabilize the fracture. Though there is no set timeline for recovery mentioned, the team’s wording indicates that Prado will miss the start of the 2020 season. The full press release is posted below.
Red Bull KTM’s Jorge Prado is recovering from an operation in Italy to fix a fracture to his left femur. The eighteen-year-old suffered the injury while training at the Malagrotta circuit near Rome yesterday (Thursday).
Prado, who still step into the premier class of the FIM Motocross World Championship in 2020 after claiming the last two MX2 titles, was circulating his usual practice facility with teammate Tony Cairoli and nearing the end of a training moto when he lost control approaching a jump.
The Spaniard was transferred to the European Hospital where he immediately underwent a corrective procedure performed by Dr Massimiliano Nannerini to insert a pin into the femur bone. He is expected to leave the ward in two days if initial signs are positive and start rehabilitation to make his MXGP debut as early as possible next season.
Claudio De Carli, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “This is bad news and we feel so sorry for Jorge. Things had been going well and he was just two laps away from the end of the training session. It was raining at Malagrotta and you need to have a good control of the bike to make one of the biggest jumps on the track. Jorge could not grip the plastic well, his foot slipped off the footpeg on the ramp and he crashed over the jump. He had surgery yesterday evening by a fantastic doctor that we know and trust and now we have to wait a few days to see if everything is correct before he can leave the hospital. It is a setback to our preparation but the important thing is that Jorge heals well and then can think again about his first season in the MXGP class.”
