After a tough first year the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) in the United States of America, Kawasaki has now officially released Jorge Prado. Prado was set to race for Kawasaki for three years but now gets out of his contract after one tough year.
Prado had been trying to get out of his multi-year deal with Monster Energy Kawasaki in order to reunite with Red Bull KTM, but getting out of the deals had proven tricky. With this announcement, it appears he’s free to go. As for the Kawasaki squad, look for an announcement on signing Chase Sexton in a few weeks. As for the second 450 slot? That’s still anyone’s guess.
Expect more silly season news to come flooding in over the next few weeks as the 2026 SMX season is just 94 days away. The 2026 Anaheim 1 SX gate drop is set for January 10, 2026.
The following press release is from Kawasaki:
Foothill Ranch, Calif. – Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. has reached a settlement for the early release of Jorge Prado from his Kawasaki rider agreement, effective October 16, 2025. Kawasaki wishes the best for Jorge in his future endeavors.
Monster Energy® Kawasaki is hard at work in preparation for the 2026 SMX World Championship™ and will announce its 450 Class and 250 Class SuperMotocross racing team in early November. The Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship kicks off on January 10, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.