Jeffrey Herlings answered some media questions at the HRC MXGP launch as the legend looks ahead to 2026 on a new manufacturer for the first time in his career in one of the most stacked field in World Championship history.
(Host) Jeffrey, obviously you’ve only been with the team since January 1st, how—sort of difficult has it been to have this short timeline and is the aim to be ready for Argentina or is it sort of more to be aiming to be winning a little later?
Jeffrey Herlings: I mean, the team might have time, I don’t because I don’t have ten years more of racing in me, so I need to deliver and I need to deliver quick. Obviously like you said, because I was just starting on January 1st and we’re only like beginning of February, had a very short time notice to get my clothing set up, to get my helmet, boots set up, to get my bike set up, to get everything set up. I just had like five, six weeks max till now, and so we’re still learning, discovering, but I think we’re already on a good base also on the bike.
I think there’s a lot of potential, a lot of possibilities on the new bike. It’s—it’s kind of a prototype, it’s a new bike, it just came out, so for sure like I said there’s a lot of potential, but I need to deliver, I need to deliver quick, I’m aware of that, so yeah I don’t have time to keep waiting for through the season, I need a few races to get myself warmed up. I could see last weekend once again I didn’t have the intensity, but hopefully by GP1 I’ll be good to go and then hopefully we can start fighting for victories quick.
Geoff Meyer (MX Large): Jeffrey, having seen you on the Honda in videos it looks like you’ve taken a liking to the bike. Is there any moment you wish maybe changed teams sooner to experience new machinery at a different point in your career?
Jeffrey Herlings: Obviously it’s always hard to say. My time at KTM was good as well, you know I’ve accomplished a lot with them, so no negatives to them, for sure we had ups we had our downs but I look back at a good memory with them but it’s always been my dream to race for Honda HRC. Remember back in the days we were already negotiating, I was really close to signing with Honda in 2016 already, and then for me there was only one option if I would leave KTM it—it would be for Honda.
It’s been my childhood dream and once now I’m on the bike I’m really surprised how good it is. I do get on a new prototype bike, so you know would have been easier if I would stand on the other bike the previous one because they had so much experience and years of development in it already. So now it’s like in their children’s steps the new bike which I’m riding, so also gives me a lot of hope that there’s so much potential in the bike. But yeah, you know coming to the team now I know it’s the latest stage in my career, but I have no regret of not coming earlier because like I said I had a great time at the other team as well but it’s a blessing and yeah, a thing I should I never wanted to miss is to go Honda HRC so I’m very happy I took this decision.
Paul Athis (Cultura Sportiva): Jeffrey, the last couple of seasons were marred by serious injuries before the season started. How did you approach this year to hopefully avoid that situation again?
Jeffrey Herlings: Obviously the first race hasn’t started in MXGP series but I mean motocross is a risky sport, there’s a lot of risk involved so injuries are part of the sport and obviously last year I missed the start of the season the first two races and then I got back racing with just a couple of days on the bike and I really had to build myself into it because the first races was a big struggle as I was six months out with ACL injury. But for now, I’m feeling good, I’m feeling fit. I do feel a lack of not racing enough like I saw last weekend (in Mantova) just the intensity wasn’t there, but that’s why I do three races to warm up and get ready for the first GP. Like I said I don’t have many chances left, so every chance I have I need to take it with both hands and yeah just really feeling good and fit right now.
Jonathan McCready (Gate Drop): Jeffrey, this year it feels like the veterans versus the rookies in the class. Does this make it sort of exciting for you? I mean obviously you’ve got big changes yourself, but looking at the championship as a whole, how excited are you just to be racing all these new guys as well?
I mean it feels for me like it’s just the same guys over and over again so I don’t see any big changes yet. There’s a couple of guys coming up, but I think this will be the same guys who’ve been fighting for the championship this year as it was the last couple of years – just the party will be just a bit bigger because there’s two three more new riders getting involved. But yeah definitely looking forward to it, I feel like I can still do it if not I wouldn’t have even started you know.
Like, if I look at the last few races last year when I was healthy, I won most of them and got like five podiums straight and won three out of last five races I think. So definitely super excited and this is a complete new adventure, a big new motivation, you know after 17 years working with one with one team, then going into a new team for your last potential last two or three years of your career makes things quite exciting and just brings a hell a lot of new motivation. So yeah, definitely be nice to race with the rookies but end of the day this championship is so long with 60 motos so it’s just about consistency. You saw in the past, you saw last year with Febvre just being there every single weekend being consistent I think that’s the thing what will bring you a championship.
Ben Rumbold (MXGP): Jeffrey, obviously in America Jorge Prado went from KTM to Kawasaki. Was that worrying for you seeing someone of his talents to struggle to cope with the change of bike or did it provide sort of motivation that you wanted to show that it is possible?
Jeffrey Herlings: Obviously change from KTM to Kawasaki is a different thing than change from a KTM to a Honda. I think a Honda is a more proven bike, you saw even in US with Jett, you saw in Europe with Tim, so I think it’s different. Obviously, it did give me some nights to think about it, because I never tested before I signed up with Honda HRC. So, I never tested the bike, and it was kind of a gamble you know so I never knew maybe it was not going to fit, maybe it was going to fit much better than my KTM. I didn’t know, but right now as I’m on the Honda, I have no regret. Like I said it’s a brand-new bike and how good it is already I think there’s much more potential in the bike and yeah definitely looking forward to this year’s racing.
