Jeffrey Herlings eyeing rapid 2025 MXGP return

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing icon Jeffrey Herlings is working towards a competitive return to motocross action and through the final stages of rehabilitation after surgery to repair a torn right ACL.

The five-times world champion and most successful Grand Prix winner in FIM Motocross World Championship history is coming closer to his goal of being able to ride, test and get back into MXGP shape for 2025. 30-year-old Herlings underwent an operation to fix the right knee injury, which he sustained in the sand of Valkenswaard in October 2024 and after a strong campaign in which he completed the 20-round season with 3rd in the standings and with 4 GP wins and 15 podium finishes.

Since the medical procedure the Dutchman (Red Bull KTM’s longest serving racer after joining the factory MXGP team in 2010) has been following the rehab steps and is now just a few weeks away from being able to ride his 2025 KTM 450 SX-F.

Herlings will not be able to join the rest of his team for the season-opening Grand Prix of Argentina on 2-3 March but will then assess his pace and progress until he is ready to enter the MXGP start gate once more for his eighth attempt at the class and his sixteenth year as a world championship athlete.

Jeffrey Herlings: “We’re looking good. I can do everything aside from ride the bike. I can cycle, swim, cross train – and it should only be a few weeks until we are back to the normal plan. 2024 wasn’t a great season but it was decent; we’d made a lot of races, came close to the MXGP championship, won a few GPs and had something like 15 podiums at the end. I wanted to be strong coming into this year so having this setback was not good but what I can hope for now is a successful second part of the championship. It was a weird injury because there was not much pain after surgery but it takes time to recover. I want to ride as soon as possible and join the rest of my Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team… but we just need to wait a little longer. I really want to race again.”

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CHALLENGING END TO PRO MOTOCROSS FOR RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING AT BUDDS CREEK

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The 11th and final round of the 2025 Pro Motocross Championship at Budds Creek proved a challenging one for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, where 250MX contenders Tom Vialle and Julien Beaumer each endured a share of adversity to complete their outdoor campaigns. Two-time MX2 World Champion and reigning 250SX East title-holder Vialle set the 13th-fastest qualifying time onboard his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION in what was a highly competitive session, before powering to the holeshot in Moto 1. While Vialle was holding firm with the 250MX front-runners, a red flag saw riders line up behind the gates once more. Following another holeshot, the Frenchman enjoyed a clear track out front before an untimely front-end washout would see him finish in 11th. He would later decide to withdraw from Moto 2 altogether. Following 11 rounds outdoors, Vialle completed the Pro Motocross Championship in fifth position, with five podium finishes to his credit in 2025. For 250MX teammate Beaumer, he and his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION would qualify strongly in P4 during the morning’s sessions. The 19-year-old then raced forward to 12th in Moto 1, before an early second-race fall ended his day prematurely at the Mechanicsville venue. Beaumer posted a total of three top-five results overall throughout the Pro Motocross season, overcoming mid-season difficulties as he began returning to front-running form, and eventually finishing 15th in the standings. Ian Harrison, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: "The morning qualifying started pretty well for us at Budds Creek. It was nice to see Julien maintain the pace he had at Unadilla, while Tom seemed to find a groove as the laptimes of the top 10 were super-close. Tom pulled two fantastic starts to Moto 1 after the first race was red-flagged, and was running out front before he made a mistake and fell down. From there, as the moto went on, he seemed to lose pace, while Julien was the opposite as he gained speed towards the end. After the race, Julien requested a couple of bike changes, while Tom decided he would sit out race two after lacking confidence in his setup, so he called it a day. In the second race, Julien ended up having a big wreck right in front of the mechanics' area, and unfortunately was concussed. All-in-all, it wasn't a great day for us, although at least everyone is in one piece and I am grateful for that." With the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) post-season commencing with Playoff 1 at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, on September 6, 450SMX duo Chase Sexton and Aaron Plessinger enter as the sixth and eighth seeds, respectively, while the 250SMX contingent of Vialle and Beaumer hold positions four and seven. Standings 450MX Class 2025 after 11 of 11 rounds 1. Jett Lawrence, 509 points 2. Hunter Lawrence, 454 3. Eli Tomac, 395 5. RJ Hampshire, 366 7. Malcolm Stewart, 240 8. Aaron Plessinger, 204 10. Justin Barcia, 196 14. Chase Sexton, 147 Results 250MX Class – Budds Creek National 1. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 2. Jo Shimoda (Honda) 3. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) 9. Ryder DiFrancesco (GASGAS) 17. Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 19. Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 20. Landon Gibson (Husqvarna) Standings 250MX Class 2025 after 11 of 11 rounds 1. Haiden Deegan, 505 points 2. Jo Shimoda, 456 3. Garrett Marchbanks, 352 5. Tom Vialle, 293 10. Ryder DiFrancesco, 191 15. Julien Beaumer, 166 22. Casey Cochran, 88