Pre-Race Interviews: Anaheim 1

January 10, 2026

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The season is finally here! We caught up with Marchbanks, Prado, Plessinger, and McAdoo for some 1:1 interviews today at press day. Enjoy!

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Garrett Marchbanks

Congrats on the move to the 450. Was that a big surprise? How did it all come about?

I’d say it was about a 50–50 surprise. I knew there were rumors late in the outdoor season, but once we hit SMX, it kind of died out. I didn’t hear anything through SMX or the first couple weeks of the Australian season. Then afterward, I got a random phone call back home from Dan Fahey at Cali, and they offered me the deal. It was exciting, but also nerve-wracking and unsure at first. I had a hard time letting go of the 250 class because I was so close. I felt like I was close at times to battling for a title, and with the year I had in 2025, I really felt I could carry that momentum into 2026 and do something really good. But opportunities like this are hard not to take.

So it wasn’t an immediate yes? You took some time to think about it?

Yeah, I definitely waited three or four days before deciding.

Did you get a chance to ride the bike or test it beforehand, or were you just discussing it while you were back home?

I was just back home discussing it. I never really rode the Kawi 450 before, but I always said they were great bikes. I don’t think it was something I really had to stress about. I was around those guys a lot, watched testing with Jason Anderson, saw what they were doing, and knew they were doing the right things. To me, it was like, yeah, they’re going to put a better bike underneath me. Let’s do it.

How have the last couple of months been? When did you actually get on the 450?

I got on it around October 23rd, which is my birthday. It’s been really good. I’ve had some really solid months on it and put in a lot of good time. It’s been exciting, busy, and a hard-working off-season, but I’ve really been enjoying it.

Do you have any particular goals, maybe finish-wise, heading into your first season?

It’s my first time in the 450 class in Supercross. For me, every season is about being consistent, walking out healthy, and trying to be in the mix.

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Jorge Prado

Obviously a crazy off-season with moving teams and everything. How did that all come about? When did you start looking for a new ride?

I don’t know, I’m just really happy to be back with KTM. I’ve been riding the bike now for around three months, so it’s been a really good off-season. I also did some other riding, and honestly, everything just worked out perfectly.

If you compare yourself now to this time last year, what’s the biggest difference coming into the season?

Totally different. Last year I had a very rough off-season and couldn’t get much time on the bike. I think I only rode it 11 or 12 times before A1, which is tough when you have a completely new bike in Supercross. This year, luckily, I’ve had a great off-season with no issues. I’ve just been able to put in the laps, and I feel way more ready. I have everything more under control, I feel good on the bike, and training has been good. I feel like I’m ready to go.

Where were you riding during the off-season?

I spent most of the time here in California, but I also did three weeks of riding in Florida with the Baker’s Factory group. So overall, mostly California.

Was it an option for you to be full-time at Baker’s?

I mainly wanted to go there to check the place out. I’d never been to Florida before, so it was a good opportunity. It’s good for testing and riding different tracks with teammates. Maybe in the future it could be an option to go there full-time, but for now, especially with the first race, we’re based in California.

Do you have any specific result or finish goal for tomorrow or for the rest of the season?

It’s hard to say for tomorrow. My main goal is to get a good start—that’s a realistic goal I set for myself. After that, I’ll just do my best and see where I lose time, then go back to work and improve for the next round. I’m still new to Supercross, so there’s no pressure. I’m just trying to do really well.

One question about motocross. Last year was tough with the bike, but now that you’ve seen the tracks and raced here, where do you think you could finish in Pro Motocross with your current bike?

If I raced the bike I have now? I’d say fighting for wins. It’s night and day compared to before. That’s not even a doubt. I don’t even think about finishing outside the top five with my current setup. I’ve won a world championship, so I’m not coming from a regional series into this. It’s a completely different situation. Let’s see what happens in 2026, but that’s what I expect.

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Aaron Plessinger

Last year obviously didn’t end the way you wanted. You kind of alluded to it, but do you feel like you have everything figured out now? Do you feel totally different, or did you just need some time off?

Yeah, I think I just needed the time off. My body was basically telling me I was done. It wouldn’t let me keep going anymore. Over the last three years, I was just pushing my body to the limit and not taking breaks. I feel like I completely drained everything out.

It’s kind of surprising we don’t see that happen more often in this sport, especially for guys who haven’t really had major injuries forcing time off.

Yeah, the injuries I had were really minor and only required maybe two weeks off. I’d miss a race here or there, then get right back into it. I was always straight back to full intensity. When you look at the length of the season now, plus SMX and everything else, it’s a lot. I feel like if more people did the full schedule every year, you’d probably see this happen more often. Who knows, maybe we’ll see more of it this year. Hopefully not, but the season is so long, it almost forces you to ride and race all year, and that’s not great on the body.

Do you have a different approach now in terms of training or dialing things back, or do you still feel like you have to go all-in?

It’s hard to really figure out how much to dial it back. If you do too little, you’re way behind. If you do too much, you’re cooked. It’s kind of a lose-lose situation during the season because it’s so long and you don’t really have time to experiment with different approaches. You almost just go with whatever seems to work because there isn’t time to try much else. I feel like the training itself was fine, but I just pushed my body to a point where it couldn’t bounce back anymore.

]Was there a positive side to stepping away from racing for a while? How did you spend your time off?

Honestly, after a couple weeks, it almost felt like a blessing in disguise. The first couple weeks were really tough. I was down, blaming myself, wondering what I was doing wrong. Even with the lingering effects, I’d wake up and not want to do anything. I’d just lay around on the couch and zone out.

But once I got past that, it was actually really nice. Taking my kids to school, picking them up, doing the stay-at-home dad thing. It was refreshing and something I’ve really been missing. Even though it’s a lot during the day, I loved it because I don’t get to do that very often at all. We went to the beach a couple times, got away, and just enjoyed being together. Before I knew it, it was time to get back on the bike.

It really does fly when you’re having fun. Those couple months of just hanging out with my family meant a lot, and I’m really thankful I got to do that.

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Cameron McAdoo

Welcome back. Feels good to be back?

Yeah, thank you. It feels great to be back. I’m excited. I raced West in 2023, but I'm usually on the east coast it seems like. So yeah, it’s fun and it’s exciting.

Do you have a preference between racing East or West?

I think the tracks on the East suit me better, but it’s always just kind of lined up that I end up racing East. I got the call around Christmas that I’d be racing West, so here we are.

You mentioned you didn’t start riding Supercross until December. Was that mostly recovery-related from your knee surgery, or a mix of things?

It was a mixture of a few things. Last season went really long, and when I got back on the bike outdoors, the team was still regrouping from SMX and the previous season. We gave them some time to get everything lined up, and for me it was helpful to spend more time just riding outdoors and getting comfortable on the motorcycle again.

During that time, they made some changes to the bike and made some progress, which was really cool. I got back on the Supercross bike at the beginning of December, the week after Thanksgiving.

Was that less prep time than you would have liked, or do you feel okay being five or six weeks in now?

Normally I like to have a longer Supercross prep, but I’ve done this for quite a few years now. Every year, you plan on racing West until the very last minute because you never know what can happen. So it didn’t really come as a shock. I had to be ready no matter what.

You talked about it in the press conference, but choosing your number was a really special tribute. Did you know right away that’s what you wanted to do?

It was between a couple numbers. My rookie number, 128, was already taken. There were basically three numbers in consideration, and that one had the strongest meaning to me. The others were just cool numbers, but they didn’t carry the same weight.

When something like that happens, people always say “never forget,” but life goes on. Fifteen years later, we’re still close with the family, and there’s still a missing piece in their lives. I really wanted to show that I still think about Izzy and that I still miss Izzy.

None of us growing up ever imagined we’d be here doing this. I hope it brings together the people I grew up racing with and our local racing community to really enjoy and appreciate it.

Last question. You’ve got a baby on the way. How has that life change been, and does it affect how you approach racing?

It’s been the biggest change of my life, and honestly the most fulfilling thing already—and we don’t even have her here yet. I never realized how exciting it would be until Maddie told me she was pregnant. We had been trying for a couple months, and for her, it’s something she’d dreamed about her whole life.

For me, it didn’t really hit until it became real. Now it feels incredibly special. I think it’ll help my racing too, honestly. It gives me something outside of racing, something that can pull me away mentally when I’m at home. I really hope I can be a great example for my kids.

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