World MX2 champ Jorge Prado has broken his femur while testing at Malagrotta in Italy and has undergone surgery. That means he’s very likely to miss the start of his rookie MXGP season which kicks off at the British GP on February 29-March 1.

Prado had to move up to the MXGP class this year after defending his MX2 title in 2018 despite still being only 18. He also missed the 2019 British GP after hurting a shoulder in testing. The official news says:

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.”