Double FIM MX2 Motocross World Champion Jorge Prado is recovering from a procedure to fix his right collarbone after a fall while training in Belgium this week.
The 19-year-old MXGP class rookie for 2020 – currently eighth in the MXGP standings after the two GPs that were run before the COVID-19 shutdown – suffered a clean break in the wake of his tumble at a circuit in Olmen, Belgium.
Prado actually rode a 450cc KTM in the MXGP class at the Motocross of Nations in The Netherlands in October, finishing third and seventh, for fourth overall in the class – but 2020 was his debut in the MXGP world championships.
Prado was transported to hospital in Herentals for examination and x-rays after his crash this week and entered corrective surgery the same day, performed by Dr Tom Claes, who inserted a plate to help re-join and support the bone.
A scan late Tuesday evening showed the operation had been a success and Prado is expected to be back at his residence yesterday (NZ time). Early indications point to a four-week rehabilitation phase if the injury heals well and the Spaniard can ride his KTM 450 SX-F once more.
Prado defied a short winter of preparation to make his MXGP debut at Matterley Basin and the British Grand Prix at end of February for the first round of the 2020 series.
He has been training and working at his base in Belgium in readiness for the resumption of the FIM World Championship that is provisionally scheduled to begin again with the Grand Prix of Russia on August 2.
Jorge Prado: “It’s disappointing to be dealing with another injury but I’m really happy with how the operation went and how the collarbone is looking. I was riding through a fast corner and there was a rider ahead of me; I just misjudged the line. I lost the front end and went over the handlebars.
“At first I wasn’t sure if I’d broken anything but after about thirty minutes it was clear that something was wrong. Anyway, we are on the recovery path again and I hope to be able to do some training again after about a week and we’ll wait another three to be back on the bike. Luckily we have some time before the races start again.”
© Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ
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MXGP championship top 10 after round 2:
- Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 94 points;
- Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 85 p.;
- Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 68 p.;
- Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 60 p.;
- Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 58 p.;
- Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, GAS), 56 p.;
- Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 53 p.;
- Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 47 p.;
- Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 42 p.;
- Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 39 p.
MX2 championship top 10 after round 2:
- Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 87 points;
- Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 82 p.;
- Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 74 p.;
- Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 61 p.;
- Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 53 p.;
- Mikkel Haarup (DEN, KAW), 52 p.;
- Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 51 p.;
- Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 48 p.;
- Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), 48 p.;
- Jeremy Sydow (GER, GAS), 35 p.