Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings is known for dominating his rivals and while his 2024 season started slow and even his biggest fans were wondering if we would ever see the rider who dominated the MX2 class from 2012 until 2016, dominated the AMA riders at Ironman in 2017 and won those two MXGP titles in 2018 and 2021 would ever return. In Lommel last weekend, he answered all our questions and then some.

Racing on a circuit he hadn’t won the overall since his blistering 2018 season, Herlings showed us how important he is for our sport and how much his performances stand out over those of his rivals. Herlings is back, you can count on that and if he stays away from injury (which is a big question mark), he wins the 2024 MXGP World championship.

I think with a 38-point disadvantage to series leader Tim Gajser and a 17-point disadvantage to second placed man, Jorge Prado, “The Bullet” is probably now the favourite to win the title. Amazingly, heading into Lommel, he was 55 points down in Gajser and even his biggest fans saw that as an impossible reach. How quickly the momentum can change everything.

With Gajser losing a massive load of points to both Herlings and Prado in Lommel, you know that even for the tough Slovenian, questions will be entering his head, and he will wonder what Sweden, Arnhem and Switzerland might bring for him. He too is a five time World motocross champion and it isn’t for nothing he has those titles and also 48 GP wins and Prado with his three World titles and 45 GP wins, there is nothing to question his greatness, but after last weekend, I think most of the motocross public see Herlings bullying Gajser and Prado and making more statements in these final six rounds of the MXGP championship. I would be more surprised if he didn’t do that.

We caught up with the Dutchman after his Lommel victory and as always, he was honest, respectful and delighted to leave a racetrack with a trophy and not in the back of an ambulance.

MXLarge: 1-1 today and a perfect day.

Herlings: You know, I spoke with Jorge in the car coming to the press conference and I said yesterday, I was a bit short. His starts and early lap speed is impressive. Also in time practice, he is just boom, really quick. I think I could have matched his speed, but I would have blown up myself, so I just took it easy, and I knew I could do the same pace for 35 minutes and that was what I was aiming for. Second moto I was struggling with my knee, because I hit it when I ran into the lapped riders, but after a few laps it started warming up and it was okay. Jorge was super-fast again early and he pulled a gap, but I could close it down and I managed to pass him and make my own gap. The last four or five laps I just controlled the lead. If every weekend can be like this, I sign up for that as well.

MXlarge: In that second race it was like you wanted to prove a point?

Herlings: You know, every single point starts counting now. If I have any chance in the championship, or even second or third, every point counts. I wanted to win this GP, because it is close by and I got beaten by Jorge in Riola and while I did have a damaged wrist, I don’t think I would have beaten him in Riola, but I am getting better and better and I am slowly getting to my old self. I just need to improve my starts, the first one was terrible, the second one was good, so I was straight into third then Romain tipped over and I was second, then first.

MXlarge: Firstly, congratulations. We spoke about you maybe getting on a roll after winning in Indonesia, if you could get a good result at Loket. What we have seen in the last six weeks is that you have won in Latvia, Indonesia and now Lommel, but your mistakes cost you GP wins in Indonesian I and in Loket, so despite who well you are riding, you could have also won those GPs with a little luck.

Herlings: Yes, should have, could have, would have, but like I have said to you before Geoff, I crashed in Indonesia moto two, obviously a bit of bad luck in Loket, but I have shown in the last four or five races, that I have the speed to win. I am feeling pretty good, and I just need to improve the starts a bit. We have some new parts coming for the start, they come this week and I really hope we can find that good combination, because I am loving the bike in the race, but we need to make it also work in the starts. Jorge has great started and is riding good, and Tim is still leading, so he is the main guy and the guy I think I need to beat. Around 40 points down, with six to go and I had that DNF in Portugal, while I was second, but we still have plenty of races to go and we will see where we get.

MXlarge: Before this weekend, you were like 55 points down and you have been even further behind, but now its 38 points and that seems like a very gettable tally, to pull that back on Tim. Is that how it feels for you?

Herlings: Yes and no. I mean, Tim has some good races coming as well. Arnhem might not be the greatest track for Tim, he will be very good in Turkey, he will probably be good in Sweden. But I think any one of the three of us, me, Prado, Tim, we all have our weak points, we all have our strong points. My weak point is the start, Tim’s is maybe the sand tracks, everyone has a weak point. We are really close, I mean, all between 38 points with 14 GPs run and the Saturday races, it is quite impressive.

MXlarge: Looking at the stats, since Latvia, you have won eight of the Sunday big points races, Tim has won two and Jorge also has two, so the momentum is definitely in your favour, and you seem to really be building momentum. Do you look at that sort of stuff and use it as motivation?

Herlings: I just race by race. I know my statistics for myself, and I haven’t paid too much attention. I know I lost a moto in Indonesia, and I lost one in Loket, and all the rest I have been winning. GP win number 106 already Geoff.

MXLarge: At a certain moment, you got to stop counting mate, hahaha.

Herlings: No way, 202 moto wins, 106 GP wins, podiums I can’t remember, but I have it written down at home somewhere. I think podiums is close to 150.

MXLarge: As far as Sweden, because you are on this rich vein of form, is your attitude to go there and win, or just be the best you can be?

Herlings: I know from myself, if I get a top three start, I can honestly now win on any track and I am not saying I will, but I know I can. You saw in Loket, it is potentially a track any Dutch guy doesn’t like. Also, Indonesia wasn’t a great track for a Dutch guy, so I feel I can be good anywhere, but I need a good start and that is key, and everyone is working on their starts. I have a weird bike set-up and I am super happy on the track, but it means starts are more difficult. We have the update coming this week and it hasn’t been proven yet, but I hope it makes my starts better. We haven’t even had it tested with the test riders, so it could also be a big mess up, but it can also be something that is really good and I look forward to testing it.

MXlarge: When you ran into the lapped rider, which was his fault, but maybe also a little it your fault? You looked really pissed off once you got going and the adrenaline hit in. Can you tell me about that, because it must be awesome to be in that zone?

Herlings: I respect every rider in every single class, but you have to think, if I am that much slower on these tracks, am I in a position to race against these guys. Or maybe, I should go a class down or EMX. The guy I hit, I had passed him countless times when lapping him and there were blue flags waving and he just boom, came into my line. I am fully aware; I should have seen him as well. I mean, blue flag, I revved, and he didn’t see me. The worst thing is, I really hurt my knee, nothing internal, just a bang on the knee. It will be sore and swollen for a few says and I know its nothing internal, but those lapped riders, they can make or break you. Some of them are a bit off and get lapped two or three times, then I am not sure you should be racing here.

MXLarge: Injuries have followed you around your whole career and you said you wanted to be at every round. Its working out for you, isn’t it?

Herlings: My goal was to race all the rounds and not get injured and that is still my goal. I have the speed to be capable of winning and I can be on the podium in Sweden, and I have the pressure to win, the others don’t have the pressure for that, and I do, I need to win. Even if I get third this year, I don’t see it as a mess-up and if I can do all the races, which is my goal.

MXLarge: You got home tonight, not too long a drive, beautiful house, go sit in the jacuzzi. What do you do tonight being that its so close to home?

Herlings: You know, its 7pm now, I want to be out of the track by say 7.30pm. I am a very clean person and very organized. Honestly mate, last night, I went straight home, put on the washing machine, cleaned the clothes, cleaned all my stuff and today I will do the same thing. And hopefully everything is already clean by the time I go to bed.

MXlarge: I know you have a jacuzzi, don’t you go and sit in that with this great weather and relax a little?

Herlings: You know, I got one, but I have all that stuff, jacuzzi, sauna, sun bank, swimming pool, but I am like a big kid, I have all that stuff and don’t even use it. No, tonight I got to bed early, because I deserve that after today.

MXLarge: And you will race another round of the British championship next weekend?

Herlings: Yes, I will be racing next weekend at Hawkstone Park. I have really been enjoying racing with Conrad (Mewse). Obviously, this weekend, he was really good in time practice, but I think he struggled a bit in the races (14-17). He has been so good in England and its great practice racing him and I really respect him. I told him and I really like Conrad. He was on the junior program at KTM when I was already a factory rider. He has so much potential, and I feel like when he is in England, he uses that potential. I have always been good with him, and I take it as good practice. I really love Hawkstone and my English sponsor, Dirt Store really like me racing there. Hopefully I do well, and a lot of British fans come out to watch us.

Ray Archer images