Jeffrey Herlings returned to Grand Prix victory in Teutschenthal. After injuring his knee at the end of the 2024 season and undergoing surgery, the Dutch rider made his comeback to the World Championship in Sardinia without any prior preparation. While his return to racing hasn’t been smooth—setbacks have plagued him—he’s made steady progress weekend after weekend, gradually regaining both speed and rhythm. It was finally at the 10th GP of the season—in Germany—that the Red Bull KTM rider claimed another Grand Prix win. The 108th victory of his career.
“It really feels good,” Herlings said after his win. “When I got back on the bike, I decided to do a small local race near my home after just three days. I got hit in the back at the start and couldn’t ride for two weeks. After that, I only rode one day before Sardinia. In total, I had ridden four days before my first GP of the year. Since then, I’ve been progressing little by little. I went from 15th, to 10th, to 7th. In Portugal, I felt ready to fight for a podium, but I crashed and Romain hit me. It wasn’t his fault, it was mine. I broke a rib and had to race like that in Portugal and Spain—in pain. Last weekend, I had the pace to get on the podium but I crashed again. I finished fourth with the same points as the third place rider. There have been a lot of ups and downs, but I never gave up; I kept moving forward.”
On a demanding track and facing tough competition—namely Lucas Coenen and Romain Febvre—Jeffrey Herlings made use of his experience in changing conditions. The Red Bull KTM rider stayed composed under pressure, particularly in the second moto.
“The competition is tough, and the track was really difficult,” the day’s winner continued, reflecting on his weekend in Germany. “I battled with Lucas on Saturday during the qualifying race. I have a lot of respect for him because at just 18 years old, he’s already able to handle pressure every weekend without making mistakes. Last weekend he was battling with Romain, and this weekend it was with me. He’s a future champion. I spent the entire first moto on Sunday behind Lucas and finished second. He didn’t make any mistakes, rode really well, and if you can’t find a spot to pass him, it becomes tricky because he’s solid. In the second moto, it was muddy. I let Romain pull away a bit because I wanted to save my goggles. I knew if I used all my tear-offs and roll-off too early, I’d be in trouble. I waited for the backmarkers. I had a really good line that no one else was using. I got by Romain and, a few laps later, Lucas. It feels great to win again; it’s been a while.”
Having returned in Sardinia at the fourth GP of the season, Herlings was over a minute off the lead in each race. Since then, “The Bullet” has put his head down and worked relentlessly to catch up. Two months later, the effort is paying off.
“I tried to ride as much as possible, even though I had to take a few days off because of the broken rib,” Herlings commented on the last two months. “I just needed to ride as much as I could to improve. I had to ride to make up the gap on the others. In Sardinia, for example, I had the speed, but my arms pumped up like concrete really fast. I needed to race against the GP guys to get back to the level, and that’s what I’ve been doing. I feel like I’m close to being on the same level as the others, and I’m trying to keep progressing every weekend. I want to finish the season strong. For me, the title is out of reach anyway. I’m racing to win GPs, to score the maximum number of points, and to win as many motos as I can. But like I said, the competition is tough, so it won’t be easy.”
“I’ve come back from a lot of injuries, so I’ve ended up getting used to it,” continued the Red Bull KTM rider, who hadn’t won since the GP of Arnhem in August 2024. “I’ve had a lot of highs and lows in my career. When you have talent, you have it—it doesn’t just vanish. What changes is that when I wake up in the morning, I’m sometimes a bit stiffer than when I was 18, but the talent stays. You just need to work—work a lot—to become competitive again. As you can see, it took me two months to get back to a competitive level. There are some fast young guys coming up, so I have to try to win a few more to make the record even better for the day I retire [laughs].”
Rather than focusing on testing when he returned, Herlings stuck to the basics: riding as much as possible. That approach is now paying off as he starts to shift more attention toward developing his 450 SX-F. Yes, Jeffrey Herlings is making progress and gradually closing in on his top form.
“When I got back on the bike, I decided not to do any testing,” the Dutchman admitted. “I just needed to ride, to try to regain speed. I told myself that once I was a bit more competitive, then we’d start testing. I’ve also improved my starts. They’re not perfect, but they’re better. In France, for example, I started second in one moto. Lucas gave me a small gift by leaving the inside gate open. Even though I usually prefer the second gate, I know that starting from the inside often gives you a top 5 out of the first turn. The thing is, I’m not yet consistent, but I’ve made good changes to the bike for the starts. We’ll keep working, because the others aren’t slowing down.”
Coming back from injury is something Herlings has had to do far too often. We asked the Dutch rider if he ever doubted his ability to win again, given his results early in his comeback.
“When I decided to race in Sardinia, it was simply because it made more sense than training at home and risking a collision with an amateur,” Herlings explained. “It was better to ride with these guys in the GPs and see where I stood. From there, I had to work. I knew very well I wouldn’t be competitive when I returned, but I never doubted my ability to win again. I know it takes time to come back. I remember when Tim came back in 2023, it took him a few races to win again. I think he finished 15th at Lommel on his return. The difference is, he had time to do a proper off-season. When you get injured, normally you take the rest of the year to recover, rest, and get back on the bike in November. That way, you still have time to prepare for the new season. I didn’t have that at all. That’s how it is. I take things as they come, and my goal is to get as many podiums and wins as possible before the end of the season. We’re halfway through the championship, and I don’t want to interfere in the title fight between the other two. I’m here to do my job, and may the best of the two win.”
Within the De Carli team, two-time MXGP World Champion Jorge Prado has been replaced by a fierce new rival: rookie Lucas Coenen. A rider who, according to Herlings, is not unlike the Spaniard. This weekend in Teutschenthal, Jeffrey spent most of his time on the Belgian’s rear wheel before finally passing him in the second moto to claim that 108th Grand Prix win.
“I think Lucas is a lot like Prado. I have to be careful what I say, because Jorge is a friend of mine. I’d say Lucas is a bit more complete … Actually, I’d better say nothing at all [laughs]. They’re both very talented, but we know that when it rained, Jorge sometimes struggled a bit. Lucas is very young, and there are a lot of rumors about him—especially regarding a move to the US. Whatever he does, he’ll be very talented and very good. He’s someone we’ll see at the front for the next 10 or 15 years if he can avoid injuries. Every rider has their own characteristics. Antonio was a scrappy rider who always managed to find space. Jorge always felt like he had mirrors on his bike—he could sense us coming. You have to adapt to battling each of them because they’re all different. Me, I make sure to be clean with them on track, and so far they’ve been clean with me. I want to be respected on the track because I have a lot of respect for the other riders.”
