Jeffrey Herlings (Honda) in Arnhem: race win with blood in his mouth

First race of the MXGP class in Arnhem, Grand Prix of the Netherlands: French HRC works rider Tom Vialle took the holeshot, but even on the first lap, pole-sitter and World Championship leader Jeffrey Herlings (Honda) tried to take the lead, only to briefly lose control in the deep sand of a left-hand bend and drop back to third place behind Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna).

A rodeo ride and blood in his mouth

“It was a difficult race,” explained ‘The Bullet’ after the first race. “I bit my tongue during my rodeo ride on the first lap and had blood in my mouth afterwards.” After I’d overtaken de Wolf, there was a minor technical issue towards the end, but I managed to hold on to the lead right across the finish line.”

I bit my tongue during my rodeo ride on the first lap and had blood in my mouth afterwards

Jeffrey Herlings

Crash in the first corner

In the first corner after the start, there was a crash involving the two Ducati factory riders, Calvin Vlaanderen and Andrea Bonacorsi, as well as defending champion Romain Febvre, all of whom went down. They had to restart the race from the back of the field.

Herlings versus de Wolf

The race’s highlight – the duel between the two local heroes, Kay de Wolf and Jeffrey Herlings – kept the spectators on the edge of their seats. On lap 14, after a series of duels lasting several laps, Herlings got the better of de Wolf and subsequently pulled away by a few seconds. As it later turned out, these were the most crucial seconds of the race, which ultimately secured him the victory.

Topic of the week

Topic of the week: Aprilia comeback? The truth is: Aprilia never went away!

Four weeks ago, Aprilia headed into the summer break from Germany with a badly injured Marco Bezzecchi. The response came from the heart of British motor racing: ‘Together we are strong!’

Thomas Kuttruf

Read more

Sudden standstill just before the finish

After Herlings had got the better of de Wolf, he looked like the certain winner, but in the final lap there was a near-disaster. Herlings braked into a bend and, in doing so, stalled his engine. He tried to restart his Honda, but it wouldn’t start. He tried to put it into neutral, but the bike wouldn’t budge. It was only when he dismounted and applied the rear brake several times that he was able to continue the race. It seemed that a stone had become lodged in the braking system, causing the brake to lock up.

Romain Febvre lapped by Herlings and de Wolf

Kawasaki works rider Romain Febvre, who had crashed on the first lap, was lapped by Herlings and de Wolf towards the end of the race. By the end, only the top eight were within a lap of the leaders. Tim Gajser (Yamaha), in third place, was already 45 seconds behind the leader.

Results for the German riders

Maximilian Spies (KTM) finished the first race as the top German in 12th place. Noah Ludwig (KTM) picked up 2 World Championship points in 19th place. Peter König (KTM) missed out on the points in 23rd place.

Arnhem, MXGP Race 1

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NL), Honda

2. Kay de Wolf (NL), Husqvarna, +3.773

3. Tim Gajser (SLO), Yamaha, +44.802

4. Tom Vialle (F), Honda, +1:00.724

5. Andrea Adamo (I), KTM, +1:28.247

6. Ben Watson (GB), Triumph, +1:29.725

7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NL), Yamaha, +1:31.734

8. Roan van de Moosdijk (NL), KTM, +2:00.674

9. Kevin Horgmo (N), Honda, 1 lap

10. Romain Febvre (F), Kawasaki, 1 lap

11. Pauls Jonass (LV), Kawasaki, 1 lap

12. Maximilian Spies (Germany), KTM, 1 lap

13. Andrea Bonacorsi (I), Ducati, 1 lap

14. Jago Geerts (B), Beta, 1 lap

15. Jörgen-Matthias Talviku (EST), Fantic, 1 lap

16. Calvin Vlaanderen (NL), Ducati, 1 lap

17. Rick Elzinga (NL), KTM, 1 lap

18. Jan Pancar (SLO), KTM, 1 lap

19. Noah Ludwig (D), KTM, 1 lap

20. Adam Sterry (GB), KTM, 1 lap

World Championship standings:

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NL), Honda, 770 points

2. Romain Febvre (F), Kawasaki, 636, (-134)

3. Tim Gajser (SLO), Yamaha, 598, (-172)

4. Lucas Coenen (B), KTM, 566, (-204)

5. Andrea Adamo (I), KTM, 507, (-263)

6. Ruben Fernandez (E), Honda, 488, (-282)