Jeffrey Herlings delivered a vintage performance in Kegums, Latvia, going 1-1 across both MXGP motos to claim his 109th Grand Prix win and underline that the “Bullet” still has plenty left in the tank. After an ACL injury, the Dutchman needed a bit of time to get back to winning ways but backed up his victory in Teutschenthal with another dominant weekend—going 1-1-1 including Saturday’s qualifying race. Following the event, Herlings was typically grounded but pleased as he looked back on a successful weekend in the sand.
“No, definitely, I am very pleased with the weekend. I mean, going 1-1-1, it’s been a while,” Herlings said. “So, I mean, last weekend was already very nice for me to win, but this weekend to win again, I’m very happy with this performance. It definitely wasn’t easy because all three motos, I had a very young teenager (Coenen) on the back of me mostly all the race.”
Although Herlings had moments of control, it wasn’t a straightforward run to the top step. The five-time World Champion explained how lapped traffic and track conditions made things trickier, especially in the final moto.
“Okay, the second moto, I managed to pull a gap, but the last six laps, I lost a lot with the lap riders because they were always in a battle and then on the 180s, they were fighting with each other and it was difficult to even pass them. They didn’t really want to pull over, but it is what it is. So anyway, we should not complain, we had a 1-1-1, we should smile, be happy and already looking forward to the next race.”
With championship contenders focused on consistency, Herlings admitted he’s in a unique position—riding without pressure and simply focusing on race-by-race results.
“It’s also pretty nice for my side because I can ride without pressure. I’m not like one of the guys for the championship. If I have a bad day, it doesn’t change anything. I’m just looking for daily results to work from there.”
Kegums served up typically deep and technical conditions, especially given recent rainfall. While some riders expressed frustration with the limited lines, Herlings gave credit to the organizers for doing their best under the circumstances.
“I knew it was going to be difficult to pass because when you would protect the insides and get through the waves and get through the tricky parts well, then it was difficult to pass,” he said. “I think normally I would say the track organization wasn’t great, but in this case, I kind of respect it because, you know, we had a lot of rain. So even when they flattened the track, it was so deep. I think in this case, they could have not done much better.”
“By making it flat, it made it easy. But, again, everybody went for the inside, inside, inside because everyone had been riding there all day, so it got drier and drier. But, yeah, luckily I’ve been leading every lap, so I didn’t have to get issues on that one.”
As for whether this is a sign that the “old Herlings” is back, the KTM star prefers to keep things humble and realistic.
“I don’t know (if I’m fully back). I try to do my best. I’m very, like I said last time, respectful and happy to be here. I just keep doing my best and that’s all I can do. If I win, it’s great. If not, I mean, I’ll still go home with a smile if I at least did my best.”
“Even in Sardinia, I went home, I was still quite happy because I did my best. My best there was 15th but today my best was to win. So whenever I do my best, it’s the greatest.”
For now, Herlings can celebrate another milestone in what’s already been a legendary career, and with confidence building and form returning, few would bet against him adding to that GP tally before the season’s out.
