Jeffrey Herlings has wasted no time making an impact in his new chapter with HRC Honda, showing both speed and adaptability despite a limited off-season. After an incredible 16 Grand Prix seasons with Red Bull Factory KTM, the five-time world champion made the high-profile switch for 2026, only getting his first laps on the Honda machine at the beginning of January.
Even with that late start, Herlings immediately proved he remains one of the sport’s elite riders. He stormed to victory at the season opener in Argentina and, after three rounds, sits third in the championship standings—just twelve points behind current red plate holder Lucas Coenen.
One of the most notable technical changes in Herlings’ move was the switch from WP suspension to KYB. While teammate Tom Vialle opted for Showa, Herlings—like Ruben Fernandez—chose KYB, a decision he stands firmly behind.
“To be very honest, I didn’t even try the Showa. At Kayaba, it’s a friend of mine who works on the suspensions. But aside from that, purely from a business standpoint, Honda also wanted to have one rider on Showa and another on Kayaba. I quickly became very happy with the Kayaba. Of course, it will take us a bit of time to adapt and fine-tune things, because the Honda and the KTM are two very different bikes. The KTM is more balanced towards the rear, whereas the Honda is more balanced towards the front. That has its advantages and disadvantages depending on the terrain. Both bikes have a lot of potential. We know the KTM is a good bike, just like the Honda. These are two bikes that have won titles. This weekend (in Spain), it wasn’t a question of the bike, it was simply a matter of being the best rider. At our level, I would say all bikes are good.”
While the early results are promising, Herlings admits there is still work to be done—particularly in adapting the Honda to his strengths across all terrain types. He feels especially comfortable on hard pack surfaces but acknowledges that sand remains an area where improvements are needed.
“The biggest margin for improvement is in the sand. I felt it immediately from the very first day. I think we could improve the bike in the sand. It has mainly been developed for dirt, when it’s like concrete—hard. That’s how I felt it right away. Fortunately, we’ll have 15 races on hard pack this year, so that’s a good thing. But from the first few days, we had to look for certain small adjustments. Our base is good—very good, but you always have to keep improving. Lucas’s base setup is also very good, and I know that because I rode his bike; I rode for KTM for 17 years. Let’s just say I know what we need to work on, but all of that takes a bit of time. And that’s something we didn’t really have during the off-season. But we’re already in a good position. If I had been on last year’s KTM this weekend, the results would probably have been the same—it wouldn’t have changed the outcome of the Spanish Grand Prix. KTM has a good bike, and so does Honda.”
Despite the challenges of switching teams and machinery, Herlings’ early performances suggest he is firmly in the hunt for a sixth world title. With a strong base setup already in place and a clear understanding of where improvements are needed, the Dutchman looks poised to remain a major contender as the season unfolds.
