After victories in Trentino and France, Honda HRC PETRONAS’ Jeffrey Herlings will be hoping to make it three victories in a row when they line-up in Teutschenthal, Germany this weekend. The Dutchman is just two points behind in the 2026 MXGP Championship standings, and while winning is the ultimate goal, he knows that a lot of racing is still to come and that leaving Germany fit and healthy is the real key to success in this year’s gruelling battle for the title.
Germany up next for motivated Honda HRC PETRONAS
Tom Vialle didn’t have the home GP that he was hoping for last time out, with a nasty crash in the second moto ruling him out of the restart due to an unrideable bike. However, the Frenchman is keen to get back on the gate and the German GP this weekend gives him the perfect opportunity to show his skills once again.
It also gives Ruben Fernandez another opportunity to get himself near to the front of this highly competitive MXGP field. The Spaniard has been consistent this year, without showing the speed of years past, and now that the first few rounds are out of the way, he is hoping to turn it up a notch and get on the podium like he did in 2023.
MX2 rider Valerio Lata narrowly missed out on the podium here 12 months ago, so he’ll be hoping to go one better when they line-up this time around. The young Italian hasn’t been able to crack the top five on a regular basis so far this year, but he knows this is one of his stronger tracks and will be going all-out to put his Honda CRF250RW near the front.
While it is still looking like a hot weekend, there is the chance of a thunderstorm hitting the track over the weekend, which adds some chaos to proceedings. However all four riders are prepared for anything and will look to make round seven another good one for Honda HRC PETRONAS.
Rubén Fernández 70
Honda HRC PETRONAS
I’ve had good and bad races at Teutschenthal so I know that it is a track that you have to concentrate a lot on. The track gets really deep ruts so picking the right one is key and just try to keep a good rhythm. Once again I was around 30 points in France, but I really want to push that higher and get nearer to 40pts over the course of the weekend. If I can do that, I will feel much better about my performances.
Tom Vialle 16
Honda HRC PETRONAS
It was a tough weekend in France, as I never really got comfortable with the track. Definitely not how I wanted my home GP to go, but sometimes that can happen and you just have to regroup and try again. I’ve never won at Teutschenthal but I’m feeling good about going there and trying to get back to the podium positions again. A big thanks to all the fans who supported me in Lacapelle-Marival and to team Honda HRC PETRONAS for all their work.
Jeffrey Herlings 84
Honda HRC PETRONAS
After Lacapelle, which isn’t on the calendar very often, to Teutschenthal, which is on it every year. I definitely have had some bad times there, so I’d like to avoid anything crazy happening this year and just keep the riding at the same level that we’ve been at for the last few GPs. Starts have been critical and we’ve worked hard at them and also in the first few corners to get as close to the front as possible, and giving myself the best chance of wins. Overall, I’ll be happy to leave Germany still in the championship battle.
Valerio Lata 18
Honda HRC PETRONAS
I had a really good result in Germany last year, and that will be my goal again this year. I felt I had some good speed in France but I couldn’t really show it as it was so hard to pass the top guys and I didn’t have the best starts on Sunday. Hopefully I can start nearer the front and get my series back on track.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas –
Honda HRC PETRONAS
After the heat of France, it looks like it might be another hot one, although there are forecasts that also predict rain so we will just have to see. Jeffrey is always a threat at any track, so hopefully we can help the other guys up to his level and challenge at the front of the field. Going back-to-back-to-back is never easy, and this year we will have that a few times, so a big thanks to all the team members for their continued hard work.
