Long-time KTM rider Herlings surging toward another MXGP title with new Honda team

This Sunday brings the MXGP riders to Flanders, Belgium for Round 14 of the FIM Motocross World Championship, with the Grand Prix will be set to be staged at the treacherous Circuit de Lommel. A wicked 1.1-mile circuit consisting of astonishingly deep, unforgiving and strength-sapping sand, Lommel is regarded by all as one of the most difficult and demanding motocross circuits in the entire world. It's also something of a home race for championship leader Jeffrey Herlings. A five-time world champion, the Dutchman is the racer with the most Grand Prix wins in the entire history of the 70-year championship but still wants more and is very much out to snag another title. Flourishing in his first year as a Honda HRC Petronas rider after a 16-year stint with the Red Bull KTM organization, Herlings is in a very good spot.

“For sure Lommel is quite special and unique because it’s so rough,” noted Herlings. “Like in America, they all obviously think that Southwick is a deep sand track. Man, the guys have to really come out to Lommel or tracks like that. That’s the next level of sand.”

After a phenomenal 1-1-1 performance at the recent MXGP of Czech Republic at the Loket circuit, Herlings took repossession of the red plate for the first time since the second round of the 2026 season at Andalucia.

“It feels damn good to have the red plate, but at the same time it also brings some pressure because we now have six rounds left,” said Herlings. “Our schedules are a bit different than the U.S. because we have three motos a weekend and a lot of points up for grabs. Yeah, we changed the thing around at Loket. We went from minus 68 points to plus 49 points in eight days. Obviously I was a bit unlucky because I had a couple of DNFs with bike failures, so I lost a lot of points. At the same time now, my biggest competitor, Lucas Conen, got hurt in England and he missed the last six motos, so that’s why we got the points lead. So I was a bit lucky, but also unlucky because of the DNFs I had in races before that. Once again, it’s racing, you know?

"In racing you have so many parts on the bike. I prefer to get a bike failure instead of an injury. An engine can be fixed, but if you break your leg or do your ACL, that’s not fixed in the same day. Sometimes it’s a pain in the ass when things like that happen, but like I said, it’s a mechanical sport and things like that can happen.

“My mindset is to keep going every single race. I’m not looking at a championship. I just want to perform every weekend and good as I can. But you see how quick things turn around in eight days. You have to keep being focused and fight for every single point because eventually you might end up needing them

"I’ve had bad luck so many times, man. That’s a tough pill to swallow. I was in the world championship lead three or four times in the past. Twice I was leading it with around 100 to 150 points, and one time I was leading with over 60 points and I got hurt. Should of, would of, could have… I should have won four or five more championships, but I never got to that point. It’s part of racing, man. It can be cruel. I’m just going to approach the races like every single race I have approached all season long. Just go out there and be consistent and try to stay healthy and try to be smart. An accident or crash or injury can always happen but try to make the risk as small as possible. I want to just try to go out and win. I’ve won a lot of the last few races. I won the last two. In the last five or six GPs, I’ve just missed out on one. Yeah, I’m feeling good and I’m feeling comfortable and I’m feeling confident.”

The move to Honda HRC Petronas was a significant one at this point in his 17-year racing career, but thus far all has worked out quite well for him.

“Oh yeah, it’s been lovely,” said Herlings. “I really enjoy my time with the team and I’m feeling really good with the team. The HRC side and also the Japanese, they work their butts off. They work so hard and try to keep providing me with better product, better material, faster bikes and faster engines. Yeah, it has been going really good. I’ve got zero regrets of making the move after 17 years in orange of KTM. I’m happy I did it.

“It’s a big change being at Honda,” furthered Herlings. “Coming from working with Austrians,they’re way different. They’re different in different ways. Not everything is better, but a lot of things are better. Some things are a bit different and you have to get used to. In Austria, for example, things go way quicker and they are taking more risk, while the Japanese are making sure everything is really, really dialed-in before they do any racing with their product. The development might take a little bit longer, but they are really sure of what they are doing and they’re very, very respectful people. It’s just way different. Their culture is different. It’s good fun, man. I really appreciate their hard work and I really enjoy it.”

Despite achieving so much on a global level throughout his spectacular career and really having nothing else left to prove, can Herlings, once again, nail down an MXGP world championship in 2026?

“Yeah, my last championship was in 2021,” said Herlings. “2023 and 2024, both times, I was quite close. It’s been a hell of a ride. I want to just keep fighting and keep trying. I think the main thing is to just not get hurt. It’s a risky sport and things happen really quick and we just try not to get hurt. Yeah, it would mean the world after achieving so much in the championship, it would be super-sick to win it again, dude.”