Jeffrey Herlings: Not 100%, but much better than in recent years”
MXGP title contender Jeffrey Herlings (Red Bull KTM) spoke exclusively with Paul Malin today on the MXGP TV studio show. The Bullet talked about his preparation and how he was approaching this first Grand Prix.
“It's been a while (since I last rode here), of course I had an injury at the end of last year. But there has been no racing since November due to the coronavirus. So I'm looking forward to racing tomorrow,” said Herlings.
“The first race (of the season) was shocking. I hadn't raced for about six to eight months and of course there were not all great riders at the start. Still, it was good to ride there (ed. British Championship in Lyng) with less competition as a warm-up. Since then we have raced every weekend and won three times. I know not all the good riders were there, but it was good to get a few races under our belt.”
“Of course, six weeks after it happened (ed. his crash in Faenza) I was back on the bike. At that time we did not know when the new season would start: would it be February or March? Or maybe June or July? So we've been on the bike for six months now. I had that foot injury and it had to be operated on. It's not 100%, but it's much better than the last few years. So I'm not 100%, but I'm as good as I can be at the moment. It's not my favorite track here but it's important to remember that you can't win the championship on the first round, but you can lose it! That's why I want to improve. In any case, it will be a long season, with 20 races spread over five months and I will try to be consistent.”
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Photos: Pascal Haudiquert, Adam Duckworth/Motoheadmag.com
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