2019 MXGP Of Sweden | Jeffrey Herlings Set To Race

August 22, 2019

2019 MXGP OF SWEDEN | COMPLETE COVERAGE

PHOTOS | KTM/RAY ARCHER

Red Bull KTM has announced that Jeffrey Herlings intends to line up for the 2019 MXGP of Sweden, the sixteenth round of the 2019 Monster Energy FIM Motocross Championship. Herlings’ year has been a bust due to back to back ankle injuries, first in the preseason and then on the sighting lap at the 2019 MXGP of Latvia, and the time away from the bike kept him from having any chance of defending his 2018 MXGP title. Once the championship was put out of reach, his attention turned towards the upcoming 2019 Motocross of Nations at Assen. It’s clear that the Dutch rider wants to help the Netherlands win the event for the first time in history and doing so on home sand, the terrain he specializes in, would be considered a saving grace to his season. Team The Netherlands for the 2019 Motocross of Nations will consist of Herlings and Glenn Coldenhoff, while the MX2 spot is still to be determined between Calvin Vlaanderen and Roan Van de Moosdijk.

A few weeks back in an interview with MX Vice, Herlings outlined a plan to line up for the closing rounds of the MXGP season to find his form before the MXON. Now that he has a few weeks of riding to his credit and a clean bill of health, Herlings and the team have plans to be on the gate at Uddevalla and will determine their plans to continue on through the final rounds at Turkey and China from there. With the MXGP title already decided, Herlings’ inclusion will be an interesting addition to a season that has seen a pair of dominant riders, a slew of injuries, and unpredictable podiums.

The full press release from KTM, including statements from Herlings and team principal Dirk Gruebel, is posted below…

2018 MXGP World Champion Jeffrey Herlings has decided to contest this weekend’s Grand Prix of Sweden at Uddevalla after making a good recovery from a fractured right ankle.

The Dutchman has made sufficient progress to be able to steer his KTM 450 SX-F at pace and return to the premier class for the second time in an injury-hit season. The 24 year old will use the sixteenth round of eighteen to gauge the level of his fitness and readiness and to accumulate valuable race mileage.

Jeffrey Herlings: “Here we go again! I’ve been riding for a couple of weeks now and feel ready to try Uddevalla. As I’ve said, 2019 is only really about the MXoN for me at Assen next month and by trying the races in Sweden we are making another step towards that goal. There is no target for this weekend other than to finish the races and find some good feeling on the bike.”

Dirk Gruebel, Team Technical Co-Ordinator & MX2 Team Manager: “It’s good to have Jeffrey riding and racing again but we have no expectations for this weekend. He is still on the way back and has chosen to use Sweden as a good opportunity to make some starts and build his speed against top level opposition. As a team we’ll be ready to give him whatever he needs to be able to race but we know this is just another step towards a full recovery and hopefully a chance to go into post-season testing with a good condition.”