Jeffrey Herlings ends long KTM association & confirms move to HRC

Herlings on Honda in 2026

5-time FIM Motocross World Champion Jeffrey Herlings will start a brand new chapter in his MXGP profession in 2026 after concluding a 16-year affiliation with Pink Bull KTM Manufacturing facility Racing and signing a multi-year cope with Honda HRC.

Jeffrey Herlings ends lengthy KTM affiliation & confirms transfer to HRC

Herlings joined KTM as a 15-year-old in 2010 and rapidly established himself as one of many sport’s standout abilities. He claimed his first MX2 Grand Prix podium in simply his second look and his maiden GP victory shortly afterwards within the Netherlands. That early success marked the start of a protracted and productive partnership that spanned each the MX2 and MXGP lessons.

Throughout his time with KTM, Herlings recorded 112 Grand Prix wins, 61 of them aboard the KTM 250 SX-F. He secured MX2 world titles in 2012, 2013 and 2016, turning into essentially the most profitable KTM rider within the class’s historical past. A transfer to the premier MXGP class adopted in 2017, the place he added additional world titles in 2018 and 2021, regardless of a number of seasons disrupted by harm. He additionally gained not less than one MXGP spherical in each season he was lively on the KTM 450 SX-F.

MXGP 2016 Assen - Jeffrey Herlings — MXGP 2016 Assen – Jeffrey Herlings

Past MXGP, Herlings achieved success within the AMA Professional Motocross Championship, home championships within the Netherlands and the UK, and a number of victories on the Motocross of Nations, together with total workforce success with the Netherlands in 2019. His achievements place him as KTM’s second-most profitable FIM Motocross world champion.

Jeffrey Herlings - Team Nederlands — Jeffrey Herlings – Workforce Nederlands – MXoN 2017

KTM Motorsports Director Pit Beirer acknowledged the top of the partnership, highlighting Herlings’ work ethic and dedication over a protracted and different profession. KTM Director of Offroad Racing Robert Jonas additionally paid tribute to Herlings’ dedication throughout his time with the manufacturing unit workforce.

For 2026, Herlings will race for Honda HRC and compete on a Honda CRF450R for the primary time in his skilled profession. The transfer comes with a comparatively brief preparation interval forward of the opening spherical of the MXGP World Championship in Bariloche, Argentina, however Herlings has already begun driving and testing the brand new machine.

Herlings completed the 2025 MXGP season with 5 race wins and third total within the championship, extending his file to 112 Grand Prix victories. He has now gained not less than one GP in 15 of his 16 seasons as a full-time skilled, a degree of consistency that underlines his longevity on the prime of the game.

At Honda HRC, Herlings will be a part of Tom Vialle and Ruben Fernandez within the MXGP class, with Valerio Lata competing in MX2, because the producer appears to strengthen its world championship problem in 2026.

Herlings stated the chance to hitch Honda HRC was interesting because of the professionalism of the operation and the problem of adapting to a brand new bike.

Jeffrey Herlings

“Clearly, this can be a massive change for me, however truthfully, I’m so excited to hitch Honda HRC and experience a CRF450R. Having been across the paddock for a very long time, you get to see how totally different groups and other people function, so as soon as I came upon that they had been thinking about signing me, it wasn’t a tough determination to make as a result of I knew that I’d be becoming a member of an especially skilled and organised operation that does every part it might probably to assist a rider succeed. From as we speak, the MXGP of Argentina is simply over two months away, so I don’t have a number of time to adapt to this brand-new machine, however we’re going driving proper now, and I’m like a child at Christmas, simply ready to unwrap a brand new toy. I wasn’t certain I’d ever be on this place, however now that I’m, I can’t wait to get began as a manufacturing unit HRC rider.”

Honda HRC Common Supervisor for MXGP Marcus Pereira de Freitas described the signing as a uncommon alternative to safe a rider with Herlings’ file and expertise, noting his motivation to proceed including to his checklist of achievements.

The 2026 season will mark a big shift for certainly one of motocross’ most profitable riders, bringing an finish to a long-standing KTM partnership and the start of a brand new section with Honda on the highest degree of Grand Prix motocross.