Herlings reflects on his Faenza injury
Red Bull KTM’s Jeffrey Herlings is recovering from his first operation this year and a procedure to remove some bone residue and scar tissue from the right foot he broke in 2019 and, what he believes, contributed to his season-ending crash at the Grand Prix Citta di Faenza in September. The Dutchman suffered discomfort and a lack of flexibility with his foot and ankle and could not react effectively when he fell in Free Practice in Italy and cracked his back and neck.
Herlings had won four Grands Prix and was leading the championship from the first race before his accident. He then missed a month of action and the fast-paced nature of the Covid-19 championship schedule meant that he lacked the necessary practice and fitness to make an effective return to action for the title. Together with the team he decided to fix the foot and work on 2021.
It is the seventh season since he made his debut as a 15-year old in 2010 that he has failed to complete a full campaign. 2020 represents the third time he has been forced away from the track while holding a red plate.
“I’m definitely devastated but when you are on the ground and you don’t have any feeling in your body for half an hour you are just happy to walk away,” he says. “The results don’t really matter. You are just relieved to be healthy and now I don’t have any pain in my back or neck. Every setback is difficult but the sport is moving so fast, the bikes are so fast that you are just waiting for it to go wrong. Almost every weekend someone gets injured but that is part of the sport and what we have to accept. I think this is the third or fourth time I’ve lost a championship. It is getting easier…but it’s not something I’m proud of.”
Herlings still has another three years as a Red Bull KTM rider and will line-up in 2021 with Tony Cairoli and Jorge Prado once more in the second iteration of the strongest team Grand Prix has even seen. The 26-year old is no stranger to injury and insists his motivation is still high, his haul of 90 Grand Prix wins means he is just eleven short of the all-time record. “I still love racing and hopefully the foot will get back to the point where I can enjoy it,” he offered. “It won’t be what it was and I won’t have full range of movement again but everything else is coming good. You get used to the hospital! I’m still so motivated I know I have a lot of racing in me and I want to win and break records.”
Words: Adam Wheeler
Pic: Shot by Bavo
