Honda HRC PETRONAS rider Jeffrey Herlings won a hard-fought MXGP of Turkiye qualification race, to make it 15 wins in a row and mean that all he has to do is beat his nearest rival in race one, to be crowned 2026 MXGP World Champion.
The Dutchman didn’t make life easy for himself, getting an uncharacteristic bad jump out of the gate, but an excellent first and second turn, moved him into third place, before a strong pass then got him into second. In front of him was teammate Tom Vialle, who took another holeshot at a track he has very fond memories of.
Having won the 2022 MX2 championship at this venue, Vialle knew he liked this place and rode extremely well for the duration, only relinquishing his lead with just two laps to go as Herlings forced his way through. That pass meant that Herlings hasn’t lost a race since the British GP qualification and if takes the chequered flag in race one tomorrow, he’ll wrap up the MXGP Championship with seven motos remaining. It has been an amazing run and one more win will spark jubilant scenes amongst the team and all the supporters who have made the long trip from the Netherlands to be here in Afyon.
Vialle is looking strong though, and will hope to he can leave Turkiye with his second overall of the season, and if he continues his excellent starts, he has a really good chance of making that happen. There is also the prize of fourth place in the championship up for stakes and Vialle is pushing hard to make that happen.
Unfortunately, the third member of the squad, Ruben Fernandez suffered an unlucky incident midway through the race when running in fifth place. With the Spaniard also looking to come fourth in the championship, it was a shame to see him withdraw from the race, but he will be determined to line-up tomorrow and try to collect as many points as he can.
MXGP Qualifying Race
1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, Honda), 25:10.790; 2. Tom Vialle (FRA, Honda), +0:01.046; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Yamaha), +0:02.151; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:05.181; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:32.721; 6. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), +0:34.506; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Ducati), +0:34.889; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KTM), +0:39.045; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Kawasaki), +0:40.082; 10. Alberto Forato (ITA, Fantic), +0:41.377; … 15. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), -2 lap(s);
Rubén Fernández 70
Honda HRC PETRONAS
Pretty banged up after that crash, which just was really tough because I was riding well and felt good. I’d moved up into fifth place and had a good gap behind me so wasn’t pushing too hard, riding comfortably before just an unlucky moment. I’m going to rest up and see how I feel tomorrow, but hopefully I’ll be okay to ride.
Tom Vialle 16
Honda HRC PETRONAS
I had a good start and was riding really well for the whole race. The top four were all right there so I knew I couldn’t afford any mistakes and I thought I with my good lines I might be able to hold off Jeffrey. He got me with two laps to go, but I stayed with him and I’m looking forward to tomorrow. I know if I can get good starts tomorrow, I have a chance at another podium or perhaps even more, so I just want to go out there and execute.
Jeffrey Herlings 84
Honda HRC PETRONAS
I didn’t get the best start, but made a couple of important passes on the first lap to move into second. Tom was riding a good pace and had the right lines so I had to just try and find somewhere to make a move. It certainly wasn’t easy because I didn’t want to do anything too forceful, but I made it happen with a couple of laps left. Hopefully tomorrow I can make my life a bit easier and get the start, but having the inside gate-pick will help that out.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas –
Honda HRC PETRONAS
It was an intense battle at the front between Tom and Jeffrey, but they rode respectfully and it was good to see two of our guys up front and leading the way. Tom got the holeshot and tried to hold onto the lead, while Jeffrey made a couple of passes to move into second place on the first lap. He then ate a lot of roost trying to find the right place and eventually took the win, to extend the streak to 15 race wins in a row. One more and he’ll become 2026 MXGP Champion, which is of course what we all want.
It was a shame to see Ruben have to pull off, as he was riding well and we’ll now see how he’s feeling tomorrow before making a decision on him. We are hopeful he’ll be able to line-up though and he’s a tough competitor.
📸 @shotbybavo
