2-time MXGP and 3-time MX2 Motocross World Champion Jeffrey Herlings has had his fair share of eventful mishaps on the track, but that doesn’t stop him from placing high in every race and returning for more every time. After his surgery, MXGP announced on Instagram that Herlings is preparing to re-join MXGP in the Sardegna round, brilliant news for all MXGP fans, as Herlings certainly keeps it interesting!
Let’s look at a few of his many victories in honour of him re-joining MXGP in 2025!
Younger Years
2008
Even in his younger years Herlings dominated the competition. In the 85cc tournament he came out on top – securing first place and FIM Junior World Champion title. As well as this, winning the European Motocross Championship making him both a European and a World title holder.
2009
His successful younger years continued on. He entered the 250cc European Motocross Championship placing 2nd, and then the MX2 Dutch Open Championship, where he ranked 3rd overall.
World Championship Titles
MX2
Jeffrey Herlings made his debut into the MX2 world in 2010, placing 6th. From there he would only improve his techniques as well as his rankings in the races. His first World Champion title came about in 2012, where he placed 1st in nine Grand Prix rounds out of the 16 that he raced in.
His second (and consecutive) world title win in the MX2 category was secured a year later in 2013, where he placed 1st in every single race he took part in.
Before he made his MXGP debut, he competed in one last race in MX2 in 2016. This gained him another World Champion title. He placed 1st in 15 out of 16 races, securing his place as number one overall.
MXGP
Herlings made his MXGP debut in 2017, where he secured second place on the podium after placing 1st 6 out of the 19 races he was in. From this point, his tactics as well as his overall placements on the podiums increased, too.
In 2018, he got his very first MXGP World Champion title after he placed in 1st in 17 of his 19 rounds. He dominated the 2018 MXGP competition and gained more Grand Prix wins in a season than any other rider in history, scoring 933 out of the possible 1000.
However, he was out of most races during the 2019 to 2020 season. Due to this, He was unable to hold onto his crown.
But this changed in 2021; he came back and completed 17 out of 20 races, placing first in 9 of them.
Injuries
Despite an extensive list of injuries, Herlings has prevailed massively in the world of motocross. He even surpassed the record amount of Grand Prix wins held by Stefan Everts when he gained his 102nd win, whilst his injuries range from a broken ankle to a fractured collarbone.
2019
Herlings missed 7 rounds of the 2019 MXGP season, due to his foot injury, placing him 19th overall. His 9th round was also compromised when another rider drove over his ankle after a collision, ultimately breaking it.
After this he competed in the final 3 rounds, placing 12th, then 1st twice.
2020
The following year, during the practice for the 7th round Herlings crashed. The crash temporarily paralysed him for 30 minutes and after this he decided to not compete in the rest of the competition. Before his paralysis accident however, he won 4 of the 6 rounds.
2021
During the race, Ivo Monticelli’s bike landed on his shoulder and managed to break his scapula. Despite this potential setback for Herlings, he still managed to secure his 2nd World title and 9 Grand Prixs in the 2021 season.
2023
In the 2023 MXGP season, Herlings secured his place in history with his 101st and 102nd Grand Prix victories. However, he also gained two injuries in the 9th round and practice for the 16th. He fractured his C5 vertebrae and his collarbone. This didn’t stop him from- despite only competing in 10 of the races, placing top 10 on the overall leader board.
MXGP Sardegna 2025
Now a confirmed return for the motocross champion has been issued, can we expect another World Championship title? With years of experience and 5 World Championships under his belt will he reclaim the crown, or will Tim Gajser stand in his way? One thing is certain- this season is unmissable! Share your predictions below.