Red Bull KTM Factory Racing continued their streak of premium results and podium presence in the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship as Jeffrey Herlings celebrated his sixth MXGP victory of the season around the Spanish hard-pack of Intu Xanadú Arroyomolinos for round 13 of 18 in the current series.

The curving and rutty hardpacked soil of Intu Xanadú Arroyomolinos entertained MXGP for the second time after the new circuit opened its gates in 2020. The sun shone for the one-day event and the terrain was technical and demanding.

For the fifth Grand Prix in a row (and for the ninth time this season) Jeffrey Herlings secured Pole Position in MXGP Timed Practice. The Dutchman was just seven-hundredths of a second ahead of Tim Gajser.

Herlings was buried deep in the top ten at the start of the first moto. He had to charge hard to reach 4th and then profited from a mistake by Gajser to take 3rd. Jorge Prado was 2nd. The 20-year-old was pushed all race by the noisy crowd and jostled for the lead briefly before being passed by Romain Febvre. Prado – who could only make 16th and 12th last Sunday in France in the wake of surgery to fix a cut under his left arm – resisted Herlings’ threat on the last lap to bank 22 points.

In the second moto Herlings started brighter to immediately put pressure on the holeshotting Prado. Cairoli was also inside the top five and set the fastest lap in the opening stages. By mid-race distance Herlings was able to find a spot to relegate his teammate and pulled clear. It was his tenth moto win of the year and ensured he has taken the flag once in seven of the last eight Grands Prix.

Herlings has stretched his world championship lead to 12 points over Romain Febvre, 15 ahead of Tim Gajser, 65 in front of Prado and 86 adrift of Tony Cairoli. Five rounds and a maximum of 250 points remain.

Jeffrey Herlings: “We started off strong in Timed Practice and I had a good jump off the gate in the first moto but rode into the first two turns too careful; like an old grandma! I got up to 10th but a good start is crucial now because the guys in 7th-8th are riding so fast and when they have good lines it is hard to pass. It took me some time to get going. The first 15 minutes were awful but the last 15 were really good. I came from far back and closed-up to the leaders. The second moto start was better. Tim [Gajser] made a mistake and I was into 2nd. Jorge was tough to pass but he was riding the right lines. Once I managed it, I was able to check-out and control the race. It was good. I’m looking forward to Arco and the shorter start straight there!”

The final five dates of 2021 MXGP will all take place in Italy and within the next three weeks. A triple header line-up at Arco di Trento in Trentino will form rounds fourteen, fifteen and sixteen before the series moves to 2021 Motocross of Nations venue, Mantova, for the final two Grands Prix.

Results MXGP Spain 2021

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (3-1)
2. Jorge Prado (ESP), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (2-3)
3. Tim Gajser (SLO), Honda (4-2)
4. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki (1-7)
5. Tony Cairoli (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (7-4)

Standings MXGP 2021 after 13 of 18 rounds

1. Jeffrey Herlings 505 points
2. Romain Febvre 493
3. Tim Gajser 490
4. Jorge Prado 440
5. Tony Cairoli 419

Jeffrey Herlings of the Red Bull KTM Factory team managed to keep the damage limited amidst a lot of drama at the MXGP round of Germany in Teutschenthal. Herlings finished second in a dramatic opening heat, and crossed the line in third position in the final race, despite racing with a painful knee.

Herlings grabbed pole position with a lap time that was nearly one and a half seconds quicker than the second rider. He launched well in the first heat, and formed part of the leading group. He burst into the lead halfway through the first lap, but his rhythm had not settled in yet, and Prado repassed him. Herlings got more into his flow and launched an attack in the dying stages of the race. He came just short and finished second. Prado crossed from left to right on the finish jump, causing both riders to crash. Herlings sustained some scrapes and a painful knee, and clearly not in the best shape after the incident.

Herlings started in the top five in the second heat, and took some time to pass into third. By the time that had happened, the two leading riders had already opened up a gap. He opted for a safe third place finish, by which he managed to contain the damage.

“We all know that Jorge is a difficult rider to pass,” Herlings said. “He always defends his line well, and there is nothing wrong with that, but to jump completely from left to right on the finish jump was not called for. My knee had a knock during the crash, and it was quite swollen. Teutschenthal is not my favorite track, but still we started well during qualifying. I would even have been happy with third overall at this track. All in all I feel that we came through it ok, and I will be much fitter again next weekend.”

With 2-3 finishes, Herlings finished second overall. He is second in the world standings, two points behind Tim Gajser. The battle resumes at Lacapelle Marival in France next weekend.

Daguitslag MXGP Duitsland:
1 Tim Gajser 45 Pnt
2 Jeffrey Herlings 42 Pnt
3 Romain Febvre 40 Pnt
4 Pauls Jonass 33 Pnt
5 Jeremy Seewer 29 Pnt

Tussenstand wereldkampioenschap MXGP:
1 Tim Gajser 415 Pnt
2 Jeffrey Herlings 413 Pnt
3 Romain Febvre 407 Pnt
4 Jorge Prado 384 Pnt
5 Antonio Cairoli 353 Pnt

The Bitci Grand Prix of Turkey and the eighth round of the 2021 FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship reactivated the series after a three week break and Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing was able to take the victory in the MXGP class.

After missing the Grand Prix calendar in 2020, Afyonkarahisar arrived back on the MXGP trail and with two consecutive events: Sunday and Wednesday 8th September. The paddock encountered sunshine and warm temperatures for the first meeting and became reacquainted with the wide and quick layout that frequently mixed hard-pack with bumpy and rutted sections.

It was Jeffrey Herlings though who seized overall honors in Turkey. He worked his way through to 1st place in the opening moto and then pushed up to 2nd spot in the next race. The Dutchman gathered five more points than his teammate, Prado, who went 2-3.

Jeffrey Herlings: “Today was a good day. I picked up the pieces and got the second place in the second moto for the overall. Our starts need to be better, so we know where we need to improve when we go again here. I had to pass a lot of guys and really work for this win. It was a bit sketchy watching Tony and Jorge racing! The competition is super-strong. I’m doing all I can and the championship is so tight. I’m already looking forward to Wednesday.”

Results MXGP Turkey 2021

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (1-2)
2. Jorge Prado (ESP), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (2-3)
3. Tim Gajser (SLO), Honda (6-1)
4. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki (4-4)
5. Tony Cairoli (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (5-5)

Standings MXGP 2021 after 08 of 17 rounds

1. Tim Gajser 310 points
2. Jorge Prado 297
3. Romain Febvre 293
4. Tony Cairoli 284
5. Jeffrey Herlings 274

Jeffrey Herlings of the Red Bull KTM team clocked his first GP victory of the season at Maggiora in Italy. Herlings finished sixth in the first heat after some problems, but won the rain-soaked second heat to claim the GP.

After some good training during the week, Herlings was raring to go. He underlined this by claiming pole position, which boosted his confidence.

A decent start gave Herlings a platform to move forward from. A stone lodged in his rear brake though which forced him to a stop. He fought hard to reclaim sixth, a decent result under the circumstances.

The rain came lashing down before the start of race 2, which changed the track completely. Herlings launched with the leading group. He soon found himself in second place, and just past mid-race, pounced and took over the lead. From then on he rode unchallenged to victory.

“The first race felt like a disaster,” Herlings said. “I did not know why the bike was braking so hard. I had to fix this, and lost about 20 seconds. I was disappointed, and really wanted to go for the win in race two. The rain suddenly started, forcing us to make a quick choice about goggles and tyres. My starts weren’t great, but at least better in the second heat. There was a little gap to Glenn, and I knew that backmarkers could play a role. I attacked at the right time, and this brought me the overall victory. We made up a good number of championship points, and it is good to carry this confidence with me to Oss. I would like to thank the Red Bull KTM team for their hard work. The bike was really perfect.

Jeffrey took the overall GP victory and reduced his deficit to the world championship leader to six points. The next race on the calendar is his home GP at Oss in two weeks’ time.

Overall MXGP Maggiora:
1 Jeffrey Herlings 40 Pnt
2 Glenn Coldenhoff 40 Pnt
3 Antonio Cairoli 40 Pnt
4 Jorge Prado 36 Pnt
5 Romain Febvre 34 Pnt

World Championship Standings MXGP:
1 Tim Gajser 124 Pnt
2 Jeffrey Herlings 118 Pnt
3 Romain Febvre 107 Pnt
4 Antonio Cairoli 105 Pnt
5 Jorge Prado 97 Pnt