Jeffrey Herlings got back on the podium in Spain but admitted he wasn’t able to practice after breaking his ribs in Sardinia – and he didn’t even know they were broken!
Herlings told Geoff Meyer at MXLarge: “In Sardinia I had that small crash, and the throttle cable went into my ribs, and I broke four ribs. In the MXGP hospital they said it was bruised and then I found out three weeks later, I had broken four ribs. I don’t have much pain now. At the beginning I couldn’t practice, just racing, so no practice.” Get the interesting full post-race interview with Geoff here.
Herlings added in the press conference: “It’s my best result so far although it was unfortunate last weekend as it could have been a GP win. I mean it’s not bad at all. Okay I missed my start in the first race but managed to finish 4th. But then I had a decent start in the second one but got passed by couple of guys early on but I try to get better with the starts and it’s coming on.
“I had a bit of luck with Tim crashing. I know I need to work on my weak points but the speed is coming back and I felt it again here. The speed is coming back, I feel I had the speed today in the end to work the track a bit. Not everything went together as I didn’t win, but step by step I’m coming back and very happy with the podium.”
The Dutch legend is indeed finding the speed, he was the fastest rider on track at times during his charge at the end of the second moto, but he is literally doing just that, having to find the speed in the early part of the motos while Prado has it from the get-go and is usually up front! But for those that doubted Herlings would get the speed back, they are having to eat their words, he’s getting better every week after missing basically a year and half of racing and on a bike that is notoriously hard to set-up, it even took Prado a season to figure it out and just look at Sexton this year.
Herlings is 50 points down but right now he just wants to win races, that speed is back, the intensity is still coming, but Herlings isn’t giving up on the title yet. He knows he’s nearly back to his level again – and he appears to be enjoying the process!
