Jeffery Herlings Still Going Strong!

Jeffrey Herlings: “It’s going to be a heck of a season if we continue racing like this”

Andy McKinstry1 minute ago13 mins

Image: Ray Archer

The legendary Jeffrey Herlings added another GP overall win to his name after holding off the relentless pressure of Lucas Coenen to claim his 115th Grand Prix victory in extremely demanding conditions.

Racing in intense heat and on a hard-packed circuit far removed from the deep sand tracks of the Netherlands, Herlings had to dig deep physically and mentally to emerge victorious. Despite the conditions being completely opposite to what he is used to at home, the Dutchman showed all his experience to fend off the teenage sensation Coenen in a thrilling second moto battle.

“Yeah, definitely. The heat took quite a toll on me because I cramped the last couple of laps. Physically, the track was not too demanding. It was not like a deep sand track like Lommel, let’s say. We didn’t have more than 20 degrees so far yet this season and to come here, it’s around 35. I pushed that hard, and I started to get cramps. Also, in China, last year, I was struggling a bit in the heat. I’m from Holland so we’re not in the best of these kinds of conditions. But it’s normal to get a bit better when you go through all this”.

“But going back to the racing part, really good. I won yesterday and it was quite a comfortable race yesterday. The first moto, I lost a bit of time overtaking a couple of riders with Tom and Andrea. By the time I got into second, Lucas had like a five-second gap, and I wasn’t able to close him down. I wasn’t really far off, but I also didn’t want to waste all my energy because I knew it was going to be difficult. Catching somebody is one thing but passing them is another thing here and especially on this track”.

“Coming into the second moto, I knew the start was going to be key. Before the restart, I was second, and then there was a bit of a chaos on the line with riders being removed and how we lined up. So it took a bit of time but then once we got racing, I was straight in the lead. I had the pressure from Lucas for the full 20 laps. I managed to not make any mistakes, because I heard him all the time, he was right on my rear wheel. Just with three or four laps to go, I started to get cramp. I was like oh sh*t, this is not the right timing to have that. But we managed to keep charging and managed to win”.

The battle between Herlings and Coenen once again highlighted the fascinating contrast between youth and experience in MXGP. While Coenen pushed hard throughout the weekend, Herlings used all his race craft to control the pressure and avoid mistakes when it mattered most.

The HRC Petronas Honda rider also praised the progress made by his team in recent weeks and believes the championship fight could become one of the most exciting in years if the current level continues and they both remain injury free.

“It’s going to be a heck of a season if we continue racing like this. You know, Lucas is super good, and I’m looking forward to seeing him race also in America to see where our MXGP level is. But for now, I’m pleased with the weekend. I want to give it up to Team Gariboldi and also HRC Petronas for the amazing, great job they’ve been doing. We’ve raced a lot of races but also did some testing and I feel we made another step improvement, so I want to give it up to HRC and all the people in Japan for doing a great job. I am looking forward to Teutschenthal next weekend, and hopefully it’s going to be less stressful races than here today”.

Even at this stage of his career, Herlings still races a lot – over the MXGP break he raced five different events. The Dutchman explained that racing regularly helps maintain the intensity needed to compete with riders over a decade younger than him.

“First of all, I enjoy racing. I feel that sometimes on the weekends in Holland, it’s very crowded on the tracks. I feel that’s even more dangerous than to just go racing and then when I go racing, I feel I’m a bit more focused. It’s just a good training, and the team has supported me in that. I think, I also need it because I have a 12-year age gap, so I need to stay on there. I need to keep having that intensity and when you go practice, I feel like I can put in less intensity than when I go racing.

“Also in Holland, when Kay (de Wolf) is racing, he’s super-fast in the sand. I feel like he has the speed for me and Lucas, and to match our speed as well in the sand. I try to keep sharp, because I need to stay with this young fella (laughs)”.

Herlings also shared his thoughts on Coenen going to race in America later this summer. Having already racing an AMA Pro Motocross round himself in the past, the five-time world champion admitted he is eager to see how the MXGP star compare against the American elite.

“That’s why I don’t go back (to Amercia). I came, I saw, I conquered and that is good enough for me. There’s a lot of rumours about Lucas going to the US. Maybe in the future, next year, whenever. I think it’s good to get his feet wet and I’m quite curious. I actually just said to him next to me, I’m very curious to see where we are at, our level. I think already last year at the Nations, he was actually the only one who could kind of stay with Jett and now we have to see how Jett comes back, and also with Haiden, I’m quite curious”.

The Dutch superstar believes the unique format and intensity of American racing will provide a huge test for Coenen but also an opportunity to gauge the true strength of MXGP against the AMA scene.

“You know, you have to learn the track quick. Two times, 10 or 15 minutes practice, something like that and straight to the races, they’re very explosive in the beginning so it’s different. It’s a one day and in and out with shorter break. I’m quite curious to how he does. I’m actually very pleased that he goes because it will really show where we are at”.

“But at the end of the day, I think and I hope he will not take too many risks, because at the end of the day, people want to see us fight for a championship. For sure, people will say, there’s more risk of an injury, but when you go practice, he also broke his arms during practice last year. I got hurt many times during practice, so it can also happen also at a practice. I’m looking forward to seeing how he does”.