Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings continued his improvement in the MXGP class, taking his 70th GP victory, and reclaiming the red plate from Antonio Cairoli last weekend in Italy. Herlings went 1-1 and with two good starts it was back to the good old days of MX2 for the Dutchman.
We talked to him today about his weekend.
Tell me, you must be the last guy to get to the track and the first guy to leave.
Yes, I had a flight at like 21.30 and had to leave early. I think I got home at like 1am on Monday morning. With all the travel we do I like to be at home as much as possible.
It was a track that was probably one of your worst or not?
Well, I would prefer we rode at Lommel, but as a track Trentino is really one lined and tough to pass and a lot of riders said that. With a bad start its so hard to get through and its an old school track and because of that it isn’t so wide in some places. Just one line in some places, but if you get a good start it’s a nice track to ride.
What about those starts, because your starts all weekend were some of the best in your MXGP career?
Yes, I mean since I have been in MXGP I had only one holeshot and that was the last GP of 2017. End of last year we changed some things on the bike, some parts and that was better for me personally. Actually, this year my starts haven’t been that bad, apart from Redsands, even Argentina and Valkenswaard they were ok, I just had a bad gate pick. Argentina, I took the holeshot and Valkenswaard I was second, but because of the bad Saturdays I had bad gate picks for Sunday. In Valkenswaard I was like 19 or 20 gate picks and right on the outside. We are really working on it and trying to get better and better and we improved last weekend. When you take a few good starts in a row you get good confidence, so hopefully they keep coming so we can race with the top guys in the first lap.
You seemed to have some issues with your bike before one of the starts. What was the problem?
Yes, we got some water in the electronics, from cleaning the bike. The team sorted it out, so it wasn’t an issue and I knew it was water in the electronics. It was okay on the sighting lap and we could have taken the spare bike if it wasn’t. But it worked out okay.
On Saturday you and Antonio had some moments, I think he took you wide on the first or second corner and then you did the same to him on the next corner. What is your opinion on that stuff, because Antonio often initiates it.
I hate that you have to race in an unclean way. The sport is already really dangerous and to get in contact with other riders, its not really my thing. I had the same incidents with Tommy Searle in the past, and Ferrandis also, he cut me off a few times at the start and now its Tony. It isn’t as bad now as it was with Searle for example in 2012, but Tony ran me into the bank on the Saturday and then the second corner I took him wide, but that was just to make a pass stick. I don’t have a reputation of being hard to pass, and if I pass other riders I don’t take them out and I want to keep my reputation clean. I just want to keep the race clean and not cut each other off. I just want to pass somebody straight up and not cut each other up. I understand Tony wants to defend his position, which is normal. Usually we race clean and I respect that from him for sure.
Antonio did slow up on one corner, I think in the first moto on Sunday, and it seemed he wanted to take you wide, but you changed lines and passed him. Do you remember that moment?
Yes, I think second moto, second or third lap. I was pretty close to him and had almost passed him, I was pretty close. The previous lap I went on the outside, because of a he expected me to do the same on the next lap, and to take the inside you had to double and take the inside, but he thought I was going to come around the outside, wide open. When I look at the images, it looked like he was waiting for me to take the outside so he could block me, but at that point I didn’t triple up, but just followed him and doubled up, so he was shocked that I didn’t go outside, so I was a bit lucky on that one, but I still remember.
It seems like when you get the start, its back to MX2 days, and your speed is just too good for the MXGP guys. Would you agree?
I think once I get the start, like eight out of ten times and I am in the top three, then its back to MX2 days. Always being up there, then I can control the races from the front like I did last weekend, but I won’t underestimate Tony and the other MXGP guys, because the level is a lot higher than the MX2 class from back in the day. I do feel like when I take good starts I can fight anyone, but it isn’t a given that I don’t get passed, because Tony, Gajser, Febvre, any one of those guys on their day are super-fast. They can beat me straight up on their day.
Portugal is another track you will both be good at, so you must be looking forward to battling Antonio again?
If is a fun track, bit sandy on top so you get some good lines there, but I have heard the track is under water and they are getting a lot of rain there. The forecast for this morning is rain all week long and hopefully the weather changes and its good weather. Also, it isn’t just Tony and me racing, there are 40 other guys who are fast.
Ray Archer images
