To many Jeffrey Herlings has had it too easy. An undisputed master of the MX2 class for almost half a decade the Dutchman should and could have been in MXGP two years ago. It’s not quite the full story though. Four injuries in twenty-two months and before the age of twenty-one means that Herlings is either desperately unlucky or a young man pushing a limit. If the predicament is the latter then what is this dominator chasing? We tried to find out…

Jeffrey Herlings is a torn individual. It is a literal statement since the end of 2013 but he is also conflicted, and it is easy to forget just what a rare space in this sport and world the twenty year old inhabits. Since making his Grand Prix bow as a fifteen year old (first pole position and podium coming in his second appearance and the first of forty-seven victories in just his third GP) the Dutchman has lived in a small, unrivalled sphere of success. Initially battling with the likes of Roczen and Musquin in his debut term and then so memorably against Searle two seasons later for his first MX2 crown he has been mostly untouchable when fit (and even frequently when not) since the late summer of ‘13. There is perhaps only a small group of professional athletes in the world used to the very upper echelon of performance and glory and all the pressures that come with that; Herlings lives in, has grown in and continues to learn about his place in sport.

In short Herlings is not really normal. He is a freaky product of the racing’s evolution; a ‘master’ creation and is arguably Grand Prix’s most prized asset who has no interest in expanding his career to suit indoor stadium supercross floors.

Maybe unusually the ego has been checked in the last two years. Jeffrey knows he is still one of – if not ‘the’ – superstars of MXGP but has been humbled by injury and embarrassment. Around the paddock is a charming individual who has time for fans and always stops for a word. He normally wanders about in sweat pants and trainers and an official team shirt when pressed; a true individual used to doing things his way but not so arrogant as to close his ears to opinion. Thankfully the tendency to wear those bright Oakleys in press conferences faded away some time ago. Like most top level players his every move on and off the bike comes under the microscope. Herlings knows he is a target for both his rivals and for general criticism. Any mistakes still bring a gasp around circuits. To see Herlings crash is not a strange thing – even though you can see how much it grates him when talking about the subject – but then almost everybody has become accustomed to see him dominate. A Herlings error means something out of the ordinary and recently it has carried a heavy price. He has become stuck in void of wanting his statistics, wanting to dominate to move into MXGP in the best conditions but also having to handle the frustration of not being able to do that while juggling doctors’ and physio appointments and a chasing pack that are getting closer and can smell any blood he leaves on the dirt quicker than a Great White.

For a guy accustomed to success it is now new territory to handle the times when the sport does not give back in spades. He had the hardest education last year when he entered the Mexican Grand Prix with a still broken leg and rode around that circuit watching Jordi Tixier capture a championship that had his name all over it from the first laps of the season. The tears Herlings shed that day behind the podium at Leon will be something he will never forget and confusingly mixes in with all that potential, confidence, ability and profile. And the brew inside Herlings head keeps being stirred. We talk for around twenty minutes on the eve of the German Grand Prix. Eighteen hours later he’d be getting changed in the KTM team truck with a broken collarbone. One day after taking these photographs with Ray Archer in Sweden he was elated to win the first moto with the freshly plated bone holding up well but would then again feel searing pain by making a mess of his left hand in the second race. Another setback in trying to reach a position where someone like Jeffrey Herlings might feel content…

Jeff, the speed of MX2 in 2015: any different?

Yeah…Jeffrey Herlings is slower than in previous years and the competition got better I think! People like [Valentin] Guillod and [Tim] Gajser have stepped it up at some tracks. I’m not the rider I have been in the last two or three seasons but obviously the rest got better.

Why?

I think I gave them some hope and for sure these guys are going to improve. I guess they have been working to beat me and beat me for the championship. They have just gotten closer.

From all the races this season so far in how many would you say you were fully fit?

Man, physically I have been 100% but things have not been falling together. In previous years I might get a bad start and be able to pull through to first position from last but now I’ll crash or get into trouble. If you look at the championship then there is a big lead and it all looks good but I’m still not the guy I was. I think I am gaining and getting better but it feels like lately it is taking a long time.

To read the rest of the interview click HERE

Photo by Ray Archer