CYCLE NEWS RIDER OF THE YEAR AND FIM MXGP WORLD CHAMPION JEFFREY HERLINGS
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Feature
H
e's twenty-four years old from Geldrop, Holland; a
Red Bull KTM stalwart since making his FIM Moto-
cross World Championship debut as a gangly 15-year-
old in 2010; a holder of a podium trophy in just his second
grand prix and a win (the first of seven in a row at Valkenswaard
on home sand) on his third appearance; a three-time world
champion before his 22nd birthday; and the most dominant
250cc motocross racer in the modern era.
But there are two more things you should know
about Jeffrey Herlings:
First, in 2018 he completed the most emphatic cam-
paign of any rider in all FIM world championship history.
From 19 rounds in MXGP stretching from February to
September, from Argentina to Asia, he won 17, finished
on the podium in all and claimed 33 moto victories from
a possible 38 (never dropping out of the top three in the
others). Such was Herlings' prolificacy across the diverse
collection of tracks, countries, terrain, cultures and con-
ditions of the MXGP series that he only dropped 17 points
from a maximum haul. It sounds easy, but he was pursued
by none other than nine-time world champion and even-
tual runner-up (and KTM teammate) Tony Cairoli. Herlings'
mastery meant that MXGP fell short of being a tight duel
but #84 wasn't able to confirm his first premier-class crown
until the penultimate round—memorably at Assen for his
home grand prix—such was Cairoli's persistence.
MAKINGS
OF A MASTER
BY ADAM WHEELER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ARCHER
