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.”

KTM NEWS

TOM VIALLE CLAIMS SECOND 250MX PODIUM OF THE YEAR AT HIGH POINT NATIONAL

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Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Tom Vialle charged to a hard-fought podium finish in Round 4 of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the High Point National, as 450MX teammate Aaron Plessinger impressed once again with an opening moto podium and fourth-place result overall. Two-time MX2 World Champion and current 250SX East title-holder Vialle posted a strong performance at the fourth round of the season in Pennsylvania, powering his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to fourth position in the opening moto of the weekend. An elevated P2 performance in Moto 2 was enough for the Frenchman to claim second overall – marking his second podium in the opening for rounds – and he maintains fifth in the 250MX standings in these early stages of the series. Tom Vialle: "My last two results haven't been where I wanted them to be, so coming in here the plan was for sure to be on the box, and we accomplished that. Looking forward after the weekend off, I feel comfortable at Southwick, and we've done a lot of work these last couple of weeks, so I am looking at turning things around and hopefully getting another good result." 250MX teammate Julien Beaumer began his weekend with P8 in qualifying, before two difficult motos with 15-40 scores onboard his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION leaves the number 23 with his sights set on Southwick after the break. He is currently ninth in points following Mt. Morris. Julien Beaumer: “It was a tough day in High Point for me. Moto 1 was going good, and then I crashed with three laps to go. Moto 2, better start, and I made some good passes on lap one, but then I had a good crash at the mechanic's area. We'll rest up now and get ready for Southwick." Plessinger's High Point National began with him setting the sixth-fastest time in 450MX qualifying, before taking his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the lead during the early stages of Moto 1. 'The Cowboy' would go on to finish third in another positive outing. A strong start in Moto 2 saw Plessinger again in the mix with the front-runners, however, the skies would open up and cause chaos for the field, with the number 7 entering the pits for fresh goggles. With the race red-flagged soon after, a P4 finish also earned him fourth overall, and he sits third in the 450MX championship. Aaron Plessinger: “High Point was a good day. First moto, I got a good start, then Jett [Lawrence] stalled it and I led for a little bit, but I got a bit tight for a while there and I finished P3 in that one. Second moto, I didn't know it was going to rain and I picked the wrong goggles. [My] tear-offs were gone, had to pull in, and then pretty much straight after that, we got red-flagged. Overall, still P4, so I can't be too mad! We'll have a weekend off and get ready for Southwick." Next Race: June 28 – Southwick, Massachusetts Results 450MX Class – High Point National 1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 2. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 3. Eli Tomac (Yamaha) 4. Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 8. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna) Standings 450MX Class 2025 after 4 of 11 rounds 1. Jett Lawrence, 190 points 2. Eli Tomac, 162 3. Aaron Plessinger, 156 6. RJ Hampshire, 117 14. Malcolm Stewart, 60 Results 250MX Class – High Point National 1. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 2. Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 3. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) 8. Casey Cochran (GASGAS) 16. Ryder DiFrancesco (GASGAS) 20. Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) Standings 250MX Class 2025 after 4 of 11 rounds 1. Haiden Deegan, 194 points 2. Jo Shimoda, 152 3. Chance Hymas, 132 5. Tom Vialle, 125 8. Casey Cochran, 88 9. Julien Beaumer, 87 17. Ryder DiFrancesco, 54