Young Irish talent Alfie Herron took a big step in his career at the weekend, making his EMX125 debut at Arco di Trento after travelling over from Ireland. Riding under the MCV TM awning, Herron showed promising speed throughout the event and came agonisingly close to qualifying for the races. Despite narrowly missing out, the experience proved invaluable for the youngster, who left Italy motivated and eager for more.
Reflecting on his first taste of EMX125 competition, Herron was positive about both the team environment and the overall experience, even if the result didn’t quite go his way:
“Yeah, I mean, it was good to get here with the team. The team were amazing, but the first time and I came to try to do my best. I came up 0.3 off so it is really annoying, but what can you do, it’s just life, isn’t it? It was a big difference from being in the paddock as a spectator to being here and riding. The track was unreal, the team was very good and I’ll go again.”
The weekend was a learning curve from the outset, with Herron using free practice to familiarise himself with the tricky Italian circuit before pushing harder in qualifying:
“In free practice, I didn’t really push, I was just trying to look around, ride different lines, see which was faster, and then to start the qualifying, I hooked behind and got a good lap, but I made one slight mistake, I hit a stone at the back. But no excuses, we go again.”
He was also quick to highlight the intensity and depth of the EMX125 field, which proved to be a step up from what he has previously experienced:
“In timed practice, it is just fast out there. Everyone is pinned and there’s no difference in them, there’s like 2 seconds between the whole group, I mean, it’s never been that tight in races I’ve done before. The track was just nothing I’d ever rode at before, it’s beautiful over here.”
The unique track conditions and scenery in Italy also left an impression, as Herron adapted to the loose, technical terrain with minimal preparation on the bike:
“The dirt was really loose, so it doesn’t really get too bad at the start, but no, I thought it was very good, and the scenery’s just lovely. For sure, I only rode the bike for the first time on Thursday, but it was all good, the team was very nice, and good teammates. I wished them all the best on the day. On Thursday, it was just me riding and the TM boss. The track was gnarly, but that’s what Italy is, and the team did really good to get the bike all ready to go for this weekend. I don’t know the name of the track I rode at but it was good practice for that. It was just rock-solid and baked.”
Looking ahead, Herron remains determined to build on this debut and qualify at future EMX rounds, while continuing his strong form in the British Championship:
“We’ll go again and hopefully get in the top 20 next time. I don’t know yet which other rounds I’ll do. We’re going to see what it’s like after this weekend, we have got a British in two weeks, and we’ll see how we go at that one. Hopefully I’ll do Foxhill and maybe another couple, I really enjoyed the experience. The British Championship is going well, I think I’m sitting sixth in the Championship. I’ve got more pace to show, I haven’t really got to show it fully, but I just need to get a start, and I’ll be away.”
While the result sheet may not show it, Herron’s EMX125 debut was a clear step forward. With minimal time to prepare, a stacked field, and unfamiliar conditions, coming within a fraction of qualifying underlines his potential. If this weekend is anything to go by, it won’t be long before he breaks into the races.
