Jeffrey Herlings has been speaking to Dutch media after it was recently announced he’d miss the first MXGP World Championship round which is taking place in Argentina. The good news is that his ACL recovery has gone well and he can do everything except ride his bike but is expected to get back on his Factory KTM soon.
Speaking to Omroepbrabant.nl, Herlings discussed the following topics…
On when we might see him back racing MXGP…
It’s not entirely certain yet, but I’ll probably miss the first three or four races in MXGP. Then you have to be realistic and know that the world title is simply gone. For many people this comes as a shock, but we didn’t announce it earlier because we hoped that the recovery would go faster. Of course it’s bitter, but I’ve known for three months. That’s different.
On his future and if he’ll come back for the 2026 season (his contract with KTM expires at the end of 2025)…
If I continue with KTM, it will be in a maximum of one year. I would still like to go for that world title once again in 2026. Preferably with KTM, but unfortunately they are going through a difficult period financially and I don’t know how that will end. The goal is that 2026 will be my last year with a good winter preparation. After that, the best will be over and I’ll call it a day. I’ve had a lot of injuries and that really gets to you. Then it’s enough. And suppose there’s no new contract, then this will be the last year.
It’ll be very interesting what the future holds for the five times world champion who has been with Factory KTM his entire GP career. If KTM don’t extend his contract, other brands will surely be sniffing around to snap him up to take on MXGP. He can still challenge for a World title if he can stay injury free and is still one of the biggest names in the sport.
You can read the full article, here.
