Entering Playoff 2 as the 450SMX points leader, red-plate holder Prado powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to P2 on the combined qualifying timesheets, before launching to the holeshot in Moto 1.

In contention for the duration of the race, the four-time world champion ultimately claimed a hard-fought second position. Again starting inside the top-three in Moto 2, Prado held P2 for over half of the race before an untimely crash relegated him to fourth.

Upon remounting and putting on an inspired charge forward, the Spaniard climbed back into P2, with his 2-2 scores earning him the overall victory as well as maintaining the red-plate – now 16 points clear of his closest competitor entering next weekend's SMX Final at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Missouri.

Jorge Prado: “Well, we just keep improving! My jump out of the gate [in Moto 2] was good, I was right there with Hunter [Lawrence] and made an aggressive pass for the lead in the third corner. I then 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.”

Equipped with the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, Beaumer posted the fastest 250SMX qualifying time around the high-speed track layout, recording a 51.096 lap-time that put him almost half a second clear of the field to take confidence into the double-moto race format.

After scoring the holeshot in Moto 1, the 20-year-old delivered a convincing wire-to-wire performance for victory to continue his momentum, before another holeshot in Moto 2 and a third-place finish secured the overall.

As a result of this weekend's double-points round, Beaumer has climbed to third in the 250SMX standings, sitting just 16 points from the lead with triple points on offer at next weekend’s title-deciding finale.

Julien Beaumer: “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 [in Moto 2], obviously. The track was pretty tricky, and the sun made things harder as well, but I’m happy to come out with the overall. I said I needed to win these last two rounds, so it’s a good start!”

Also starting well in 450SMX Moto 1 was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac, battling for a podium spot on board his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION during the early stages. He would eventually claim sixth, while a 12th-place finish in Moto 2 earned him ninth overall. Sights now shift to next weekend's round, which will mark the conclusion of his decorated professional career.

Eli Tomac: "I got a decent start in Moto 1 and I was somewhat in the mix before I lost two positions, but the riding was a lot better than the weekend before. In Moto 2, I was in a worse position off the start, and just didn't get a flow going. I was kind of happy with Moto 1 because it was an improvement, although I want to get a stronger result at my final race next weekend in Missouri."

‘The Cowboy’ Aaron Plessinger was also in action in Los Angeles, with the 30-year-old racing to a consistent P8 result in Moto 1. A 13th-place finish in Moto 2 saw Plessinger and his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION secure 11th overall for the second Playoff of the year.

Aaron Plessinger: "I got a pretty good start in Moto 1 from the outside, and then started making passes to wind up in eighth place. Moto 2, I just didn't get off to the greatest start, having hugged the inside, and was pretty much last. I did what I could to make it back to 13th, but just didn't have it going in the second one. We made it out of LA in one piece, and now we'll look for a rebound in Missouri."

Source: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photos: KTM Images / Align Media