Good Day Out for Jeffrey Herlings at Dutch Championship
OutdoorHub 03.11.12
A crash on the first MX2 moto may have cost KTM’s Jeffrey Herlings time to return to the pits for some hasty repairs but it did not deter him from taking a resounding victory in the second race at the Dutch Championship at Halle on Sunday.
The talented Dutch teenager continues to hone his formidable skill on the sand as riders prepare for the opening GP in Valkenswaard on April 9 and this weekend was no exception.
Jeffrey grabbed the holeshot in the first race and immediately opened up a good distance to Red Bull KTM teammate and closest rival Jeremy van Horebeek. But then he came down hard on one of the track’s big jumps and damaged his wheel. Jeffrey then lost several minutes getting back to the pit area for hasty repairs and did well to scramble back into the action to finish in sixth place.
The second moto was a happier story for Herlings. He again rocketed out of the gates to lead going into the first corner and led all the way to the flag to take the race with an impressive lead over second-placed Joel Roelants. He described the typical sand track as very fast with lots of jumps so, as arguably the world’s fastest on sand, it was an easy weekend’s preparation for Jeffrey.
Teammate Jeremy van Horebeek was not quite so lucky. He had taken control of the lead in the first moto after Jeffrey retuned to the pits for repairs. He looked certain to take the victory but towards the end of the race he was blocked by a slower rider, crashed and went on to finish second. “I was very disappointed not to win the first race because I was leading the whole time and then a slower rider held me up even though he was a lap behind me and all I could do was to manage second place,” he said.
Jeremy was second behind Jeffrey at the start of the second moto but then towards the end of the race he had problems with his foot peg, which may have been damaged in his earlier crash. He returned to the pits to have it checked but by then there was not enough time to mend the damage and rejoin the race.
The third member of the Red Bull KTM factory trio, Jordi Tixier of France did not race and is still recovering from a viral infection. The factory riders will race in Round Three of the Dutch Championship next weekend in Heerve as they continue to get in good race practice ahead of the opening of the World Championship series.
Results first moto
- Joel Roelants, Belgium, Kawasaki
- Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM
- Glenn Coldenhoff, Netherlands, KTM
- Jake Nichols, Britain, KTM
- Erik Eggens, Netherlands, Yamaha
- Jeffrey Herlings, Netherlands, KTM
Results second moto
- Jeffrey Herlings, Netherlands, KTM
- Joel Roelants, Belgium, Kawasaki
- Glenn Coldenhoff, Netherlands, KTM
- Jake Nichols, Britain, KTM
- Erik Eggens, Netherlands, Yamaha
