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Jeffrey Herlings interview
ktm
Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings has really turned up the heat on his competition as the MXGP class head to Italy for next week’s MXGP of Lombardia, at the Ottobiano Motorsport Circuit.
From the last five rounds, Herlings has been the most consistent of the MXGP top four, the remaining riders with a shot at winning this year’s championship. Herlings has scored four moto wins, a GP win, and a handful of podium finishes. His score tally of 207 points, nine more points in the same period than series leader Antonio Cairoli, 24 more than second placed man Clement Desalle and 19 more than Gautier Paulin.
While the 2017 MXGP championship seems firmly in the hands of Herlings KTM team-mate (Cairoli), second overall is something very possible for Herlings.
We caught up with the Flying Dutchman today to ask him about Russia and what he expects from the next round in Italy.
MXLarge: We have talked about it before, if you get the start you seem like the fastest guy, but last weekend you got the start and you still had bad luck. I can imagine it’s frustrating getting two good starts and one of them no working out. How did it feel on the weekend?
Herlings: First moto we almost got the start and we followed Tony and when the opportunity was there, we passed him and had a solid moto win. I felt that was a good achievement. I mean Tony is the championship leader and a very good rider, so to pass him straight up, just like I did in Germany, was good. Second moto another good start, I was third or fourth I think, and I think I might have touched the back wheel of Desalle. I am not 100% sure, but I think I did and my front washed away and I tipped over. I then made a couple of other crashes, but once I tipped over in the first corner and was full of mud I knew it was going to be a long moto. I managed to get to 8th and second overall. We gained two positions in the championship and like 45 points to second, so hopefully we can get on the podium in the championship. The championship is over, unless something happens to Tony, and I don’t wish a rider to get hurt.
MXLarge: Over the last five rounds you have been the most consistent guy. Do you think that 45 points is possible to close up, are you confident about that?
Herlings: I mean, it’s difficult, because Clement and Gautier are both consistent at the moment and are good riders. I mean I was like 15th in the championship after four rounds and I am up to fourth. I mean with the tracks coming up, I think it’s possible. Two or three sand races and Portugal is like a sand race. If we can get a good start and things go my way, I think I can make it up. We should be on the podium in the next four races and hopefully win a couple. I think if we get second in the championship it’s a great comeback. It’s almost like winning a championship. I mean 90 points down on Tony isn’t great, but look at Gajser, he has it, but one mistake and the championship is over.
MXLarge: You have to be due some championship luck?
Herlings: For sure, it’s not always been lucky in the past, some bad luck, but I guess I don’t want anyone to get injured in this sport, you never wish a rider to get hurt. If Ton got injured it would mean the championship is open. A lot of riders got injured this year and it can happen to me or Tony.
MXLarge: Heading to the next Grand Prix in a little over a week, back to the track you got injured in the pre-season. Obviously, you have ridden the 450 a lot and are better prepared, but do you go to Ottobiano with any worries about that pre-season crash?
Herlings: No, you can crash anywhere at any track, at any time. That was just bad luck and I just had a small crack in my hand. I am not scared to go back there, in fact I am really motivated. I feel I am on a bit of a roll, being on the podium three of the last four rounds, and obviously in France we had bad luck, but we showed we can ride the winners speed. I think we will attack the track, and we are improving my starts and with KTM, it’s great to work with the same goal. We are a great level, but we want to be better and we want to stay number one.
MXLarge: I heard you interview with David Bulmer for vitalmx in America and you mentioned you feel like you have done 1000s of starts in practice. Those two good starts in Russia, that must really give you the confidence that you can do it every weekend now?
Herlings: I mean, you also have to be a little bit lucky, because even if you get a good start and you have somebody like Tony next to you and he has his elbows in front, then it’s over. I think, at the start of the season I might have been too heavy, and I have lost a lot of weight, but still, if you are next to Tony or Glenn (Coldenhoff) and those guys are like 12 kilos less, then it’s difficult. Also with 450, I didn’t know how to start with that bike, so I didn’t know how to get starts with it, with body language, two feet next to the bike, the rpm level. On the 250 we knew how to do it, because we had been on that bike for so long. On the 450, it was all new and we found out with some data, that I was doing a lot of things wrong. In this MXGP class, you need to do everything right, and it’s not just drop the clutch and go, you need to do like 10 to 15 things right. The right rpm, shift at the right moment, the body language, so many things and it’s in the blink of the eye and you can be either 15th or first.
MXLarge: Last question. When you have had a good start, or gotten to the front quickly, you have been pretty dominant, like you get the lead and you are gone, similar to your MX2 days. Does it feel that way? I know you have a lot of respect for the MXGP field, but do you think you could get to the MX2 level, where you dominated?
Herlings: It’s true, and it was like that in Germany, I got a good start, passed Desalle, passed Cairoli, and won the moto, same thing Latvia, two good starts, won both moto’s, last weekend first moto, top three start and I won the moto. Every moto where I have had a good start, I have won, so it means I have the speed to win at any track, hard-pack, sand or mud. We want top five starts and I feel like the speed is there, so we still need to work on the start. In this field, the start is super, super important. Man, I was getting nightmares thinking what can I do, what can I do. It all must go naturally and you can’t force it. At one point, you have to say this is what I got and I need to make the best of it. Studying other riders and trying to get better
ktm
Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings has really turned up the heat on his competition as the MXGP class head to Italy for next week’s MXGP of Lombardia, at the Ottobiano Motorsport Circuit.
From the last five rounds, Herlings has been the most consistent of the MXGP top four, the remaining riders with a shot at winning this year’s championship. Herlings has scored four moto wins, a GP win, and a handful of podium finishes. His score tally of 207 points, nine more points in the same period than series leader Antonio Cairoli, 24 more than second placed man Clement Desalle and 19 more than Gautier Paulin.
While the 2017 MXGP championship seems firmly in the hands of Herlings KTM team-mate (Cairoli), second overall is something very possible for Herlings.
We caught up with the Flying Dutchman today to ask him about Russia and what he expects from the next round in Italy.
MXLarge: We have talked about it before, if you get the start you seem like the fastest guy, but last weekend you got the start and you still had bad luck. I can imagine it’s frustrating getting two good starts and one of them no working out. How did it feel on the weekend?
Herlings: First moto we almost got the start and we followed Tony and when the opportunity was there, we passed him and had a solid moto win. I felt that was a good achievement. I mean Tony is the championship leader and a very good rider, so to pass him straight up, just like I did in Germany, was good. Second moto another good start, I was third or fourth I think, and I think I might have touched the back wheel of Desalle. I am not 100% sure, but I think I did and my front washed away and I tipped over. I then made a couple of other crashes, but once I tipped over in the first corner and was full of mud I knew it was going to be a long moto. I managed to get to 8th and second overall. We gained two positions in the championship and like 45 points to second, so hopefully we can get on the podium in the championship. The championship is over, unless something happens to Tony, and I don’t wish a rider to get hurt.
MXLarge: Over the last five rounds you have been the most consistent guy. Do you think that 45 points is possible to close up, are you confident about that?
Herlings: I mean, it’s difficult, because Clement and Gautier are both consistent at the moment and are good riders. I mean I was like 15th in the championship after four rounds and I am up to fourth. I mean with the tracks coming up, I think it’s possible. Two or three sand races and Portugal is like a sand race. If we can get a good start and things go my way, I think I can make it up. We should be on the podium in the next four races and hopefully win a couple. I think if we get second in the championship it’s a great comeback. It’s almost like winning a championship. I mean 90 points down on Tony isn’t great, but look at Gajser, he has it, but one mistake and the championship is over.
MXLarge: You have to be due some championship luck?
Herlings: For sure, it’s not always been lucky in the past, some bad luck, but I guess I don’t want anyone to get injured in this sport, you never wish a rider to get hurt. If Ton got injured it would mean the championship is open. A lot of riders got injured this year and it can happen to me or Tony.
MXLarge: Heading to the next Grand Prix in a little over a week, back to the track you got injured in the pre-season. Obviously, you have ridden the 450 a lot and are better prepared, but do you go to Ottobiano with any worries about that pre-season crash?
Herlings: No, you can crash anywhere at any track, at any time. That was just bad luck and I just had a small crack in my hand. I am not scared to go back there, in fact I am really motivated. I feel I am on a bit of a roll, being on the podium three of the last four rounds, and obviously in France we had bad luck, but we showed we can ride the winners speed. I think we will attack the track, and we are improving my starts and with KTM, it’s great to work with the same goal. We are a great level, but we want to be better and we want to stay number one.
MXLarge: I heard you interview with David Bulmer for vitalmx in America and you mentioned you feel like you have done 1000s of starts in practice. Those two good starts in Russia, that must really give you the confidence that you can do it every weekend now?
Herlings: I mean, you also have to be a little bit lucky, because even if you get a good start and you have somebody like Tony next to you and he has his elbows in front, then it’s over. I think, at the start of the season I might have been too heavy, and I have lost a lot of weight, but still, if you are next to Tony or Glenn (Coldenhoff) and those guys are like 12 kilos less, then it’s difficult. Also with 450, I didn’t know how to start with that bike, so I didn’t know how to get starts with it, with body language, two feet next to the bike, the rpm level. On the 250 we knew how to do it, because we had been on that bike for so long. On the 450, it was all new and we found out with some data, that I was doing a lot of things wrong. In this MXGP class, you need to do everything right, and it’s not just drop the clutch and go, you need to do like 10 to 15 things right. The right rpm, shift at the right moment, the body language, so many things and it’s in the blink of the eye and you can be either 15th or first.
MXLarge: Last question. When you have had a good start, or gotten to the front quickly, you have been pretty dominant, like you get the lead and you are gone, similar to your MX2 days. Does it feel that way? I know you have a lot of respect for the MXGP field, but do you think you could get to the MX2 level, where you dominated?
Herlings: It’s true, and it was like that in Germany, I got a good start, passed Desalle, passed Cairoli, and won the moto, same thing Latvia, two good starts, won both moto’s, last weekend first moto, top three start and I won the moto. Every moto where I have had a good start, I have won, so it means I have the speed to win at any track, hard-pack, sand or mud. We want top five starts and I feel like the speed is there, so we still need to work on the start. In this field, the start is super, super important. Man, I was getting nightmares thinking what can I do, what can I do. It all must go naturally and you can’t force it. At one point, you have to say this is what I got and I need to make the best of it. Studying other riders and trying to get better
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