Jeffrey Herlings - His Future

From MXlarge.com  June 15, 2023

There is no doubt, last weekends injury to Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings is heartbreaking, not just for “The Bullet”, but for the 2023 MXGP championship and the sport in general, so the question now is, how can it all be made good.

With Herlings out of the championship hunt, missing the two rounds in Indonesia and already being nearly 70 points down on series leader Jorge Prado. Another championship thrown into the back of am ambulance and unfortunately, an all to regular occurrence for the Dutchman.

A C5 spinal cord injury that Herlings picked up in Germany is the second most common level of SCI, making up about 15% of all SCIs. Damage to the C5 spinal cord often results in paralysis of both the upper and lower body, otherwise known as quadriplegia. By participating in rehabilitative therapies, individuals can learn to adjust, cope, and manage the outcomes of this type of cervical spinal cord injury.

While Herlings didn't break his C5, and just cracked it, he dodged a bullet once again with his spinal cord and walked away, similar to what happened in Faenza a couple of years ago. Herlings did make a video soon after the German accident, at home with his girlfriend. A magnificent home with a huge garden and just what a top athlete earns from his years of hard work. During the self-made video he mentioned to his girlfriend, "I am happy to walk away from that one". Of course, she agreed and I know we all agree. Nobody wants to see somebody end up in a wheel-chair, not in any circumstances.

The importance of this injury, and also the injury Herlings picked up in his crash in Faenza in 2019 make me really scared for Herlings and when he crashed and rode slowly around for three laps to score a single point was one of the saddest things I have witnessed as a fan or the sport. Something similar was the injury to Josh Coppins in 2007 when he lost the MX1 World title due to a shoulder injury. I cried that day in England, and while I didn’t cry last Sunday, I was damn close. Not just because I am a huge Herlings fan and this does serious damage to the importance of the 2023 MXGP championship, but also because I wondered if he would even want to come back once again, once again from what could have been a life changing injury.

We all remember Faenza back in 2020 don’t we. Herlings suffered a frightening crash at the MXGP of Citta di Faenza. The Red Bull KTM rider crashed heavily in practice and was airlifted to a nearby hospital for what was later diagnosed as C1, C6, and T3 vertebrae fractures. For a short time, he lost feeling in his lower body. A close call, and something that shouldn’t go without serious questions about his future.

One thing you have to love about Herlings, is how he can come back from injuries and how lightly he takes them. After his Italian injury he talked about that scary moment he thought he was paralyzed.

“I cannot describe how devastated it was being there on the ground temporarily paralyzed and not having any feeling from my neck down for minimum half an hour. Eventually I ended up breaking my C1, C6 and T3. Doctors told me I got through the eye of the needle with not ending up paralyzed. From the good side, I got 3 stable fractures with only small cracks in the bones and the healing process won’t be too long luckily and doctors say I will get a full recovery from this injury.”

Despite the significance of the injury, there was no way “The Bullet” was giving up on his dream and for normal people like me, I would have wrapped myself in cotton wool and sat on the couch the rest of my life counting my money, but Jeffrey Herlings isn’t a normal guy, and his dreams of championships and GP wins isn’t something that just goes away after an injury. That hunger just gets stronger. Again, after his Faenza crash, he wanted to come back ASAP, despite the high risk of the Italian injury.

“It’s been a very though last two seasons, but I know I still got plenty to offer in this sport. For the moment the team and I have decided to sit out the next race in Mantova and look from there when exactly we will return to racing. I believe to become back healthy is the most important for now. Once again thanks to my team and partners for their great support. I will work hard to become back healthy again as soon as possible.”

Now, after this most recent injury, Herlings will again look at his options and want to return as soon as possible. His desire outweighing his risk of further injury, but as we know, as special as the KTM rider is on the bike, his mental toughness must make him the GOAT of comebacks?

After his injury last weekend, get all got the KTM press release and once again, we got a sad story of injury, but also the comments of coming back as soon as possible. The championship is gone, but the desire is far from over.

“It’s hard to find many words. It sums up my career in a way: we get the wins record but then suffer another injury and another setback. I still don’t know what really happened with the crash because I’d been using that line nicely in the moto until that point. Afterwards my neck didn’t feel right. I tried to finish and take what points I could, but I know my body very well by now and could feel something was wrong. So, we’ll miss another two GPs at least but I’m glad I won’t need surgery and I hope to be back with my team and racing again as soon as I can. Thanks, as always, to Red Bull KTM and all the guys who have been in my corner and for all the messages of support.”

So, what now for “The Bullet”? Possibly some AMA rounds as he has wished to do so often in the past. Can’t see him doing Southwick, which will be run the weekends after the second Indonesian race, or Millville, which is also close to that date. He will want to race Lommel and Arnhem in July and August, but who knows if the injury will be recovered enough for those two.

I was so excited to see him race the MXoN against Jett Lawrence, but what I am more excited for is for Jeffrey Herlings a winner of 103 GPs and five World motocross championships, is to enjoy his life after motocross.

What the Bullet has given us since that 2010 Grand Prix win as a 15 year old is years and years of highlight reels. Moments we won't be getting from anyone other racer in the coming years. The speed, the drama, the injuries, the outspoken comments, all these things have made Jeffrey Herlings the most polarized motocross racer of his era and not just by a little bit.

Having earnt more money than he can spend in a lifetime, I want this still young Dutchman to celebrate his achievements once the bright lights go out and he is left at home alone with his friends and family. That I want much more than any success he might have now in yet another comeback from injury.

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