So, here we are, just a week to go before the best MXGP riders in the world arrive at the Bariloche circuit in Argentina, for what is, one of the most anticipated seasons in Grand Prix history.

For me, a 55-year veteran of the sport, somebody who has attended motocross since 1971 and moved to Europe in 1993 and pretty quickly started covering GP racing, I cannot remember being as excited as I am for a season to start.

A majority of my excitement, if I am honest is seeing Jeffrey Herlings on the start line and on a HRC factory machine. Herlings has been the most polarised rider in the last 15 years and maybe ever.

His sheer speed and desire to win, well, we have maybe seen it in riders like Stefan Everts, Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart or Antonio Cairoli, but Herlings always brought something a little special. A celebrity type of character, outspoken, super confident and so determined to bury his rivals.

He did it time and time again, for sure in his MX2 career and those 2018 and 2021 MXGP championship victories. Now, somewhat older and wiser, he is more a diesel than the powerhouse of 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018 and 2021.

The Dutchman ended 2025 with 2-2-1-1-2-1-1-1-2 results and had he been riding a KTM in 2026 and been more comfortable on his bike, you would think he was going to be super competitive, in his 17th year in Grand Prix racing. He isn’t on an orange bike though, is he? No, a brand new, full factory HRC machine, one that he looks great on, but one he still probably doesn’t feel completely comfortable.

He showed in Mantova that there is still a lot to learn, his second pre-season race at Hawkstone Park, well, it was cancelled and this weekend, he races at home in Lierop, just a stones throw from his home. If I am honest, I don’t see him winning Lierop, because that track will need him to be 100% comfortable on his Honda and I doubt he is there yet.

He might battle up front, with the likes of Romain Febvre, or Kay De Wolf (if he isn’t suffering too much from his crash in France last week), but you can be sure, Herlings will learn a lot from Lierop and it will put him in good steed for Argentina, which is also a sand track, but surely not as deep and demanding as Lierop.

It is always hard to gauge where Herlings is in his preparation, because he never wants to act like he has sorted it all out. He prefers to act like he is behind the eight ball and struggling a little. It takes the pressure off, because let’s be honest, for many, many years, we all expected him to win everything he raced.

Those days a long gone, but he could easily come out in Bariloche, Argentina and go 1-1-1. I don’t think so myself, I think it’s more a work in progress and at some point, when 100% comfortable with his Honda, we might start seeing a bunch of 1-1-1 performances.

I know I will sit back and enjoy watching him in Argentina, because he knows winning round one doesn’t give him a championship, and you can be sure, some of young guns, like Lucas Coenen, or Kay De Wolf might want to try and make a statement and show the old boys, that the new sheriff is in town.

If I had to make a prediction, I see Herlings being top five, two consistent motos and learning a lot about his bike in GP battle. He might make the podium, but I think too many riders, like defending champion Romain Febvre, world number two Lucas Coenen and Maxime Renaux will be more comfortable on their bikes and in their teams. That might even be the podium finishers right here.

We will be doing a lot of short stories leading in Argentina, and as we try and do at every GP, the coverage will be as good as possible, with Saturday and Sunday race reports, highlights, press conferences and interviews. It is nearly go time and as said at the start of this article, I am excited to be involved again in 2026, in what is going to be a massive season.