Red Bull / KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings continues his winning ways, going 1-1 in the Masters of Motocross Dutch championship last weekend, and is streaking away from the opposition for yet another Dutch MX2 championship.
Herlings who is undefeated in GP overall wins this year, goes into next weekend Grand Prix of Great Britain with 10 GP wins to his name this year, and a massive points lead in the series points.
Geoff Meyer from MXLarge asked him about his weekend in Holland, and also ask him about 2017, the British GP, and his ongoing battle with Dylan Ferrandis.
Jeffrey, can you explain your weekend in Holland for us?
It was good. We were fastest in the morning, so I got a good pick of the gate. I got two holeshots. First moto holeshot and checked out. The track was dry and good, and we managed to win by nearly a minute. The second moto, I holeshotted again and after two or three laps the rain came and the track got pretty wet, so we just had to survive. I don’t gain anything for the world championship so I don’t take risk anything. We came in with another win, and got the overall. Looking at the Dutch championships we are three rounds in and we have a race in front. Most important is the world championship.
There have been big improvements in the Masters of Motocross championship this year. How do you see it as a rider?
They are trying to make it like a mini-GP. The organizer Arno van den Brink (also owner of www.motocrossplanet.nl), really puts in a lot of effort and tries to make it very professional and it really is at the moment. It isn’t a world championship, so most riders from throughout Europe are not looking at traveling to Holland to do this race, but we have had some really good entry lists. Glenn Coldenhoff and myself do most of the rounds, but also riders like Max Anstie, Evgeny Bobryshev, Thomas Convington, and so many more. There are so many GP teams racing there. They are putting in a good effort and it’s paying off. The plans they have for the future it’s going to be even better.
Obviously you had a meeting with KTM last week about next year. Did anything come out of that meeting?
Actually, I flew down there, but my flight was delayed on my way there. I had a flight back in the evening, so I didn’t have much time there, maybe a couple of hours. I will fly down after Italy; we are trying to make a final decision for next year. I only had a few minutes to talk to Pit [Beirer]. We haven’t got a final answer. There is no rush for me. We still have half of this season, and we have to make decisions for next year once this season is more or less done.
It has to be a difficult decision, because if you win MX2 this year, and get your third MX2 title, then you have the chance to go for a fourth MX2 title in 2017. Nobody has been able to do that until now. Gastin Rahier, Harry Everts and Alessio Chiodi all have three MX2/125cc titles. Of course, the MXGP class is where it’s at, and all the best riders are there. Does that make the decision all that more difficult?
Definitely, and I look for records for sure. I am only 21 and even if I did another year in MX2 I will still be 22. I can start on the big bikes, and if I go there at 23 and I have an average career, that usually goes until like 28 or 30, then I can still have like seven or eight years in MXGP. I am really focused on breaking records. To win a fourth MX2 title (only rider to ever do that if he can capture a fourth title) and get more GP wins, that would be really cool. To move to the MXGP class, against guys like [Antonio] Cairoli, [Tim] Gajser and [Romain] Febvre, that isn’t going to be easy and getting GP wins will be more difficult—it’s hard to win every weekend. At the same time, I really want to battle those guys, so it’s a difficult decision. I want to break records, but I also want to grow as a rider. If I want to do that, I have to move up to the MXGP class. It’s a difficult and complicated decision and due to the flight problems I couldn’t do that last week.
What about the knockers who say you are sandbagging? I don’t think anyone called Joel Robert a sandbagger because he stayed in the 250cc class, won six titles and never moved to the 500cc class against Roger DeCoster. How do you feel about the knockers?
You know, when I see my competition—like [Max] Anstie and [Jeremy] Seewer—those guys are older than me. The (knockers) are acting like I am 30 or something, and still racing the MX2 class. For sure I have been there a long time, but they pretend I am a veteran. I mean Marvin Musquin raced until he was 25 or something in the MX2 class and nobody said anything about him. You know, there are negative people and even if I moved up to the MXGP class and won there, they would say I should go to America, because [Ryan] Dungey and [Ken] Roczen will smoke my ass. If I went there and won, they would find something else to knock me down. I don’t focus on social media, I just focus on what is good for me. Yu will always have people against you. You will always get negative critics.
Off to England in a few days for the British GP at Matterley Basin. Are you looking forward to that track?
I think it’s a really nice track. One of the best on the calendar and hopefully we have some nice weather, and can have some nice racing. I think the start is really the key at that track. Over the years it’s gotten faster and harder, so it’s more difficult to pass. If we get a good start we will be in front. I hope we can keep the winning streak going.
Will you line up alongside Dylan [Ferrandis] in England?
That is a good question. In England the inside gate isn’t the best. You can holeshot from the middle of the gate or nearly anywhere. If you ask me today would I line up against Dylan, I would say no, because what he did to me last weekend in France, it was just too much. He already cut me off in Spain and Germany, which was seen on camera, but nothing too crazy. In France he nearly put me into the pit-lane. I mean he went into the corner all wrong himself and fell over, so he ruined his own GP. I didn’t see the point. He messed up his podium chance, so it wasn’t a smart move. I know the FIM will talk with Ferrandis—that is what I have been told. Hopefully from now on he will be a little smarter and try and focus on himself and not on me.
Acevedo J.P. and Archer images
