In what is proving to be an extremely difficult track to pass on, Honda HRC PETRONAS’ Jeffrey Herlings gave everything he could to try and get further forward in the qualification race at the MXGP of Germany, but in the end he had to settle for fourth place, receiving the chequered flag just four seconds behind the winner.
Everyone on the line knew that the start at this Teutschenthal circuit would be critical, and while Herlings has previously had some great gate-drops on his Honda CRF450RW, this time he wasn’t able to power away from the field and instead got entangled with another rider. The #84 did well to recover the situation and was still able to get into fourth place in the next few corners but with his championship rival directly in front of him, he knew it would be a tough race. Eating roost for the duration of the moto, he tried every line possible to make a pass, but ended up having to be content with a fourth place and seven points in this close 2026 MXGP Championship battle.
A couple of places behind him was teammate Ruben Fernandez, who moved from eighth to sixth during his qualification race. The Spaniard had a decent start, but knows that any chance of finishing higher requires him to be with the front pack from the very beginning. Unfortunately those two were the only finishers for Honda HRC in the MXGP class as Tom Vialle had to withdraw due to the injuries he suffered last weekend in Lacapelle-Marival. The Frenchmen tried his best to tough it out, but with plenty of racing still to come, he decided that discretion was the better part of valour and pulled out of the qualification race after one lap.
In the MX2 class, Valerio Lata once again had a solid day at a track that he enjoys riding. The Italian was third in free practice, sixth in timed practice and then followed that up with a seventh in the qualifying race. It wasn’t as good as last year, when he was victorious on the Saturday, but he still feels like there is more to come for the two motos tomorrow.
This is a sentiment shared by the whole team, and they’ll be trying their hardest to make it happen where they’ll hopefully more opportunities to make the necessary passes.
MX2 Qualification Result
- Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), 25:40.417; 2. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:02.270; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:04.242; 4. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:07.066; 5. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:13.166; 6. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:15.166; 7. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:18.643; 8. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:29.100; 9. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), +0:32.332; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:46.433;
Rubén Fernández 70
Honda HRC PETRONAS
Another sixth place in qualifying which is good, but I’d still like to be closer to the leaders. The start is always so critical on this track, so I need to be with the front guys straight away to follow them for a bit and just keep with them. Otherwise, I think the changes they’ve made to the layout and surface have been good and I’m motivated to put in some good rides tomorrow.
Tom Vialle 16
Honda HRC PETRONAS
It’s been a tough week, trying to get ready for this race and although I felt good enough off the bike, I was in too much pain when riding on this track. I did everything I could to line-up but already in timed practice I wasn’t right and it didn’t get any better in qualification. Now the goal is to recover as best as I can so that I can line-up in Latvia in a weeks’ time.
Jeffrey Herlings 84
Honda HRC PETRONAS
I knew this track would be tough to pass on and that the start would be extremely important. Unfortunately I hit another rider right out of the gate and I just had to do my best to come out with the leaders. Then it was a case of just trying to create an opening for a pass, but like last week it was impossible. The bad thing was that this week I was in fourth and no leading. Still, I know I can get good starts, so that is the focus and we’ll try to get on the box.
Valerio Lata 18
Honda HRC PETRONAS
I got a good start, but it took me a couple of laps before I really found my rhythm. That meant I down in seventh place and although I kept up with the guys in front of me, there was no real way to make any passes so I just stayed there. I know I need to be much more aggressive from the gate-drop so hopefully I can get two more good starts and just mix it up a bit better.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas –
Honda HRC PETRONAS
Starts are so important here, with everyone being a pretty good match for each other pace-wise. Jeffrey started in fourth and although he tried his hardest, fourth is where he finished. Unfortunately Vialle hasn’t been able to recover well enough from France to be able to compete at this high level, but we will do our best to help him get to the gate tomorrow. Ruben and Valerio both rode well on what is not an easy track, finishing sixth and seventh in their classes and hopefully they can just do a bit better in the two motos.
