Motocross rider Jeffrey Herlings has signed a multi-year contract with the Honda factory team. The Japanese racing stable announced its arrival on New Year’s Day. The five-time world champion from Oploo recently announced his departure from KTM. Herlings rode for the Austrian racing team for sixteen years.
“This is of course a big change for me, but to be honest I am very happy to join Honda,” says Herlings on the website of his new team. “I’ve been around for a while and you see how the different teams and people do their work. When I heard that Honda was interested in me, it wasn’t a difficult decision because I knew I would be joining an extremely professional and organized team that does everything it can to help a rider succeed.”
The first grand prix of the new season is on March 8 in Bariloche, Argentina. “I have two months to get used to this brand new machine and that’s not much, but I’m going to start riding straight away. I feel like a child at Christmas, eager to unwrap a ‘new’ toy.”
World Champion
The 31-year-old Herlings became world champion in the MX2 class in 2012, 2013 and 2016. After switching to the toughest category, the MXGP, two more world titles followed: in 2018 and 2021. In total he won 112 grands prix, making him the record holder.
Serious injuries run like a common thread through Herlings’ career. He broke his collarbone twice and a foot fracture also kept him sidelined for a long time. This autumn he won the Grand Prix of the Netherlands, followed by the Grands Prix of Turkey and China.
In December it was announced that Herlings was leaving KTM after sixteen years.