Red Bull KTM Factory Racing delivered a commanding performance at SuperMotocross World Championship Playoff 2 in Los Angeles, with Jorge Prado and Julien Beaumer claiming overall victories in the 450SMX and 250SMX classes respectively at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Entering the second playoff round as the 450SMX points leader, Prado qualified second before grabbing the holeshot in Moto 1 aboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. The four-time world champion fought hard throughout the opening moto to secure second position, setting up a crucial second race where he would need to maintain his championship advantage.
Moto 2 proved dramatic for the Spaniard, who was running in second position for over half the race before an untimely crash dropped him to fourth. Demonstrating the resilience that has defined his championship campaign, Prado remounted and charged back through the field to reclaim second place. His 2-2 scorecard earned him the overall victory and extended his red-plate lead to 16 points heading into next weekend’s season finale at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Missouri.
“Well, we just keep improving!” said Prado. “I cased the quad and thought I was going over the bars, but the bike saved me – then cased it again three laps later! But man, I knew this race was going to be hard. We were all ripping. I rode it home safely after putting in a charge following my crash, but this is incredible. We’re in contention for the title – let’s get it at the last round.”
In the 250SMX class, Beaumer was untouchable in qualifying, posting a 51.096-second lap time that put him almost half a second clear of the field. The 20-year-old backed up his pace with a wire-to-wire holeshot victory in Moto 1, before another excellent start and third-place finish in Moto 2 secured the overall.
The double-points round proved crucial for Beaumer’s championship aspirations, vaulting him to third in the standings just 16 points from the lead with triple points available at next weekend’s finale. “I saw Levi [Kitchen] and Jo [Shimoda] and knew they didn’t have the greatest of first motos, so I didn’t want to risk too much,” explained Beaumer. “The track was pretty tricky, and the sun made things harder as well, but I’m happy to come out with the overall.”
Eli Tomac showed improvement with sixth in Moto 1 before finishing 12th in Moto 2 for ninth overall, whilst Aaron Plessinger secured 11th overall with 8-13 finishes. Both riders will be looking for stronger results at the Missouri finale, which will mark the conclusion of Tomac’s decorated professional career.
Photo: KTM Media
