Honda HRC PETRONAS rider Jeffrey Herlings made it nine race wins in a row, after victory in the MXGP of Sweden qualification race secured him another maximum 10 points. This run of results now sees him lead the 2026 MXGP Championship by 106 points, but the aim is to keep pushing and try to gain even more in the two motos tomorrow.
The Dutchman is in an unstoppable run of form right now, but he knows there is still work to be done if he wants to win his sixth world title, and won’t stop pushing until that goal is reached. Fastest in every session of the day, he made his life a lot easier on this tight and technical Uddevalla circuit by grabbing the lead before the second turn, after just being pipped for the holeshot by teammate Tom Vialle. Despite pressure from behind throughout the moto, he kept his composure and took another 10 points for his sixth qualification victory.
Teammate Vialle, wasn’t able to quite match the speed of the top three riders, but took a comfortable fourth place, ahead of the third member of the team, Ruben Fernandez, who made a few passes to move himself up into fifth place. It was an excellent showing for the squad and testament to how well the Honda CRF450RW performs on this hard-pack terrain in Sweden.
Valerio Lata wasn’t quite able to match that standard as the MX2 representative, but his eighth place is still in the points and he’ll be hoping he can push a little bit higher in the two longer GP-scoring motos tomorrow.
MXGP Qualifying Race
- Jeffrey Herlings (NED, Honda), 24:13.200; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Yamaha), +0:02.801; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:03.619; 4. Tom Vialle (FRA, Honda), +0:24.451; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:28.386; 6. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Kawasaki), +0:30.995; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:34.906; 8. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:45.939; 9. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Ducati), +0:47.343; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KTM), +0:49.771;
MX2 Qualifying Race
- Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 24:35.694; 2. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:02.669; 3. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:20.149; 4. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:21.326; 5. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:28.181; 6. Kay Karssemakers (NED, Kawasaki), +0:33.030; 7. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), +0:35.169; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:52.161; 9. Maxime Grau (FRA, Honda), +0:54.653; 10. Pelle Gundersen (NOR, Husqvarna), +0:58.148;
Rubén Fernández 70
Honda HRC PETRONAS
It was nice to move up into the top five, making a couple of passes on this tricky track and then having a big gap in front and behind. I know that I need to get out of the gate with those guys if I want to have any chance of a podium, but I’m happy with my riding after that.
Tom Vialle 16
Honda HRC PETRONAS
Got a great start once again but never felt completely comfortable out there and had to drop a couple of spots on the first lap. From then, I just rode my own race and kept things under control. It would have been nice to have been nearer to the front three, but hopefully we can make some adjustments for tomorrow and I can enjoy battling up front for a bit longer.
Jeffrey Herlings 84
Honda HRC PETRONAS
Really happy with my start, and almost edged out Tom for the holeshot, but he just got me. Still, I got into the lead and controlled the race. It wasn’t easy out there and I don’t think the track prep was as good as last year, but hopefully they’ll rip it a bit more overnight and they will be some more lines. Of course, I hope I won’t have to need them, if I get two more good starts tomorrow!
Valerio Lata 18
Honda HRC PETRONAS
I’m still not feeling like I can show my true speed, although I had good laps in free practice when I was second fastest. The race is much harder though and I just can’t get into a rhythm and it’s tough to make the passes I want to make. We will try and change some things which will hopefully make things better in the two races.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas –
Honda HRC PETRONAS
It was great to see Tom and Jeffrey so far clear of the pack around the first turn. They are battling each other for the holeshots ahead of the rest of the pack and I think it shows how well this Honda CRF450RW is performing right now. Jeffrey then got into the lead and kept things under control despite some pressure from behind, taking his ninth race win in a row and Tom managed to finish fourth, which was an excellent result. It was also good to see Ruben come through to finish fifth and have all three guys in the top five. Unfortunately Valerio couldn’t match that, but eighth still gives him a chance to get a good start and mix it up with the top MX2 guys.
📸 @shotbybavo
