Jeffrey Herlings of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team came close to a top-three finish during the sixth round of the MXGP World Championship, held in Frauenfeld, Switzerland. After a poor start in the first moto, Herlings struggled to move forward and had to settle for 14th place. In the second moto, he held third position until the final lap, when he collided with a lapped rider and ultimately finished fourth.
For Herlings, this was only his third major race since returning to competition. He is steadily building form and his rhythm is improving week by week. This progress was already visible on Saturday, as he posted an impressive fourth-fastest time in the time practice. He also performed well in the qualifying heat, starting inside the top three and holding fourth place for much of the race. However, due to severe arm pump, he couldn’t push at full speed and lost a few positions in the closing stages, finishing seventh.
The races in Switzerland were held on Monday. In the first moto, Herlings got off to a poor start. The Frauenfeld track made overtaking difficult, and despite fighting all the way to the checkered flag, he could do no better than 14th.
The second moto told a different story. This time, Herlings had a good start and was part of the front-running group from the beginning. He held third place for a long time, but contact with a lapped rider in the final lap cost him third place and dropped him to fourth.
Jeffrey Herlings commented:
“Overall, it was a pretty good weekend. I had a terrible start in the first moto and it was tough to pass on this track, so I couldn’t really make up ground. The second start was much better, and I was able to hold third place for a long time. It’s a shame I came into contact with a lapped rider, otherwise I could’ve finished third. It’s only my fourth week back on the bike, and things are going well. Of course, we want more than a seventh place, but the other riders have more races under their belts already. Portugal has always been a tricky track for me, but we’re working hard every week to keep improving. The goal is to find more race rhythm and hopefully break into the top five there.”
With a 14-4 moto score, Herlings secured seventh place overall in the day’s classification. His next race will be this Saturday during the second round of the Dutch Masters of Motocross in Oldebroek.
MXGP Switzerland – Overall Results:
Lucas Coenen – 50 pts
Romain Febvre – 37 pts
Jeremy Seewer – 34 pts
Andrea Bonacorsi – 34 pts
Glenn Coldenhoff – 26 pts
Jeffrey Herlings – 25 pts
Photo credit: Juan Pablo Acevedo
