HRC factory rider, Jeffrey Herlings picked up his 115th GP victory yesterday in France. He sat down at the press conference and gave his opinion of the win and what to expect in the coming months. Also some comments on Lucas Coenen heading to America for some National rounds this year.

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In hot and humid temperatures at the Lacapelle-Marival track in southern France, Honda HRC PETRONAS’ Herlings fought off the competition to win the second moto and take the French GP overall, his third victory in just six rounds. His one-two-one results now see the Dutchman just two points behind in the 2026 MXGP Championship standings with plenty of racing still to come.

With passing at a premium, all the riders knew that the start would be all important and although Herlings rounded the second corner in second place in race one, he knew it would be tough to make the move into first. Riding a controlled race, he kept the second-place, knowing that a victory in the second moto would secure him the overall.

And while he didn’t quite get the holeshot in the restarted race two, he quickly got into the lead and his closest championship rival behind him all moto long. It certainly wasn’t an easy task as temperatures were above 30 Celsius, but the #84 was determined not to let slip any points in what is turning into a tense battle at the top of the standings.

How did you feel today?

Herlings: It was a tough weekend, with the weather and the track conditions but to go one-two-one across the weekend is exactly what we wanted. I got the start in the second moto when I needed it and although Lucas was behind me the whole race, I was able to ride a mistake-free race and even getting some cramp near the end, I held on and took the victory. We did a lot of work during this break from the GPs, both racing and testing, so I want to thank everyone at Honda HRC PETRONAS for their efforts. This season is going to be a marathon, not a sprint so I just need to keep going.

How did you weekend feel over Saturday and Sunday?

Herlings: I won yesterday and it was quite a comfortable race yesterday. The first moto, I lost a bit of time overtaking a couple of riders with Tom and Andrea and by the time I got into second, Lucas had like a five second gap, and I wasn’t able to close him down. I wasn’t really far off, but I also didn’t want to waste all my energy because I knew it was going to be difficult. Catching somebody is one thing but passing them is another thing here and especially on this track.

How important was the start this weekend?

Herlings: Coming into the second moto, I knew the start was going to be key. Before the restart, I was second, and then there was a bit of a chaos on the line with riders being removed and how we lined up. So, it took a bit of time but then once we got racing, I was straight in the lead. I had the pressure from Lucas for the full 20 laps. I managed to not make any mistakes, because I heard him all the time, he was right on my rear wheel. Just with three or four laps to go, I started to get cramp. I was like oh shit, this is not the right timing to have that. But we managed to keep charging and managed to win.

The heat must have been tough?

Herlings: Yeah, definitely, the heat took quite a toll on me because I cramped the last couple of laps. Physically, the track was not too demanding, it was not like a deep sand track like Lommel, let’s say. We didn’t have more than 20 degrees so far yet this season and to come here, it’s around 35 and I pushed that hard, and I started to get cramps. Also, in China, last year, I was struggling a with the heat. I’m from Holland so we’re not in the best of these kinds of conditions. But it’s normal to get a bit better when you go through all this.

The season is going to be exciting isn’t it?

Herlings: It’s going to be a heck of a season if we continue racing like this. You know, Lucas is super good, and I’m looking forward to seeing him race also in America to see where our MXGP level is. But for now, I’m pleased with the weekend. I want to give it up to Team Garibaldi and also HRC Petronas for the amazing, great job they’ve been doing. We’ve raced a lot of races but also did some testing and I feel we made another step improvement, so I want to give it up to HRC and all the people in Japan for doing a great job. I am looking forward to Teutschenthal next weekend, and hopefully it’s going to be less stressful races than here today.

You are racing a lot. You must love racing?

Herlings: I enjoy racing and sometimes I feel that on the weekends in Holland, it’s very crowded on the tracks. I feel that’s even more dangerous than to just go racing and then when I go racing, I feel I’m a bit more focused. It’s just a good training, and the team has supported me in that. I think, I also need it because I have a 12-year age gap, so I need to stay on there. I need to keep having that intensity and when you go practice, I feel like I can put in less intensity than when I go racing. Kay is super fast in the sand and has the speed for me and Lucas.

You already races the Nationals in USA and won. What about Lucas going to USA?

Herlings: That’s why I don’t go back to USA. I came, I saw, I conquered and that is good enough for me. There’s a lot of rumours about Lucas going to the USA, maybe in the future, next year, whenever. I think it’s good to get his feet wet. I am curious. I actually just said to him next to me, I’m very curious to see where we are at, our level. I think already last year at the Nations, he was actually the only one who could kind of stay with Jett and now we have to see how Jett comes back, and also with Haiden, I’m quite curious.

It is a different system in America and might be hard for Lucas to get used to it?

Herlings: You have to learn the track quick. Two times, 10- or 15-minutes practice, something like that and straight to the races, they’re very explosive in the beginning so it’s different. It’s a one day and in and out with shorter break. I’m quite curious to how he does. I’m actually very pleased that he goes because it will really show where we are at. But at the end of the day, I think and I hope he will not take too many risks, because at the end of the day, people want to see us fight for a championship. For sure, people will say, there’s more risk of an injury, but when you go practice, he also broke his arms during practice last year. I got hurt many times during practice, so it can also happen also at a practice. I’m looking forward to seeing how he does.