Herlings was on his way to Stefan Everts house to decide what the preparation will be for next year when I called him to ask how he’s been recovering from his shoulder injury. As always despite being just 15 years of age Herlings is the total professional. He knows what to say and when to say it, and you can count on him making a good shot at the 2011 FIM World MX2 Championship.

MXlarge: Jeffrey, how are you doing, is your shoulder getting back to 100%?

Herlings: Its getting good, I have been out for almost three months with my shoulder, but it should be possible to be riding in about three or four weeks. So the shoulder feels good and strong again. I have been training the last four or five weeks with running and cycling going to the gym. I hope to be on the bike soon and then start training for next season.

MXlarge: Obviously having Ken (Roczen) in your team is going to make it really competitive under the KTM team awning?

Herlings: For sure, but now it’s even, we will have the same bikes the same suspension, we will be behind the gate with the same bikes. For sure Ken will be the man to beat next year, but I will give it 100% to beat him, for sure it’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be really hard. Of course there are other riders like Paulin, Searle and Anstie, they can also compete. For the moment Roczen is the guy to beat.

MXlarge: Any plans of doing AMA Supercross before the FIM World Motocross Championship begins?

Herlings: No, I wasn’t going to do that anyway, I was thinking about it, but Pit said I should do it maybe in 2012, or maybe even later. Next year I won’t do any Supercross because I have been off the bike for four months, I need some time to get my rhythm back.

MXlarge: Watching Ken (Roczen) at the Motocross of Nations, did it make you want to be there and maybe battle with him?

Herlings: For sure I couldn’t have beaten him there, he was amazing, also on such a fast track. It was also so high with the altitude so the 250cc bike was much slower than the 450cc bike, but you saw in the second moto he was almost winning, leading for half of the moto. When I saw that I thought that guy is really fast, so he’s going to be hard to beat.

MXlarge: He’s obviously beatable though?

Herlings: He is beatable, you see Stefan (Everts) he was 10 times World Champion and people could still beat him, guys like Carmichael for example. I wish I could have raced the Motocross of Nations, but because of my shoulder it wasn’t possible.

MXlarge: What is the plan for preparing for 2011?

Herlings: To be honest I am on my way to Stefan now to talk about it. It should be as followed. I start riding at the end of November, just riding in Holland to get my shoulder better and make sure it stays in, then go to Spain for a few weeks, then come back to Holland and then go to America for three or four weeks, then come back again for Spain, we probably have to do our photo shoot there and we always train in Spain for the last four or five years.