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.”
Defending 450MX Champion Chase Sexton made a successful return to racing during Round 6 of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the RedBud National, with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider scoring a top-five finish overall after showcasing front-running speed throughout the day. In what is considered his home race on the schedule, Sexton powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION – which was sporting a unique livery in celebration of the 4th of July weekend – to the eighth fastest qualifying time, with RedBud marking his first appearance since exiting the Fox Raceway season-opener. After scoring a P5 finish in Moto 1 at the iconic Michigan circuit, Sexton charged toward the front of the field in Moto 2, running as high as second place before a late mishap saw him finish fourth. Fifth overall was a convincing result upon return and a solid foundation to build from in the second half of the season. Chase Sexton: "First race back at RedBud wasn't great results-wise, but I didn't really expect a whole lot coming into the round. Second moto, I was pleasantly surprised that even if I wasn't riding great, that my speed was still pretty good. I'm happy with the day – onward and upward from here to build into SMX and try to win some races." 450MX teammate Aaron Plessinger powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the sixth-fastest qualifying time. A P6 finish in Moto 1 was another strong performance for ‘The Cowboy’, despite developing a fever that would ultimately end his weekend early. Together with the team, Plessinger elected to sit out Moto 2 for safety purposes and to prioritize his recovery, currently fifth overall in the point-standings. In 250MX, Tom Vialle qualified sixth overall, before racing to the front of the pack in Moto 1 onboard his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. After leading the race during its opening stages, Vialle would eventually claim third, before a fall in Moto 2 saw him eventually claim 21st, resulting in P13 for the weekend. After six rounds, Vialle holds P4 in the championship. Tom Vialle: "Practice and qualifying were good, then I was leading Moto 1 for a while until about six or seven laps to go, where I ended up in third. Overall, my speed was much better there than previous rounds, which was good. Unfortunately, I had a crash at the start of the second moto in turn two. I kind of collided with another rider and I flew off the track, so I'm lucky to be alright. I did what I could to come back to 21st, so we'll get back to training in Florida and come out strong in Millville." Equipped with his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, 250MX teammate Julien Beaumer qualified in a promising fifth position, before recording a more challenging 16-13 moto scorecard for 16th overall as the series heads to Spring Creek next weekend. Julien Beaumer: “It was another pretty average day for me. Second moto was off to a better start, but then I crashed late and just struggled to get going again. We'll get some things figured out this week and come back to try again at Millville." Next Race: July 12 – Spring Creek, Minnesota Results 450MX Class – RedBud National 1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 2. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 3. Justin Cooper (Yamaha) 4. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna) 5. Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 7. Justin Barcia (GASGAS) 8. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna) 12. Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) Standings 450MX Class 2025 after 6 of 11 rounds 1. Jett Lawrence, 290 points 2. Hunter Lawrence, 239 3. Justin Cooper, 221 5. Aaron Plessinger, 204 6. RJ Hampshire, 185 11. Malcolm Stewart, 105 17. Justin Barcia, 52 21. Chase Sexton, 35 Results 250MX Class – RedBud National 1. Jo Shimoda (Honda) 2. Jalek Swoll (Triumph) 3. Michael Mosiman (Yamaha) 6. Ryder DiFrancesco (GASGAS) 13. Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 16. Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) Standings 250MX Class 2025 after 6 of 11 rounds 1. Haiden Deegan, 274 points 2. Jo Shimoda, 236 3. Levi Kitchen, 189 4. Tom Vialle, 186 13. Julien Beaumer, 106 14. Ryder DiFrancesco, 91 16. Casey Cochran, 88
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings, winner of the German and Latvian Grands Prix this season with his works KTM 450 SX-F, will miss round 13 of 20 of 2025 MXGP at the KymiRing and for the Finnish Grand Prix on 12-13 July.
A hard-fought podium finish was earned by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Tom Vialle in Round 5 of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the Southwick National, with second place overall elevating him to P3 in the 250MX standings. Dual MX2 World Champion Vialle posted a strong performance at the fifth round of the season in Massachusetts, guiding his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to second position on the combined qualifying timesheets. An early fall in Moto 1 saw the Frenchman rebound to an impressive third-place result after charging his way forward, before another P3 ride in Moto 2 sealed second overall for the day. With his result, the 24-year-old climbs to third in the 250MX standings after his third podium of the year outdoors. Tom Vialle: "I made it tough on myself in Moto 1. I was in third and then tried to make a quick pass on the first lap, but I fell. Crashing on the first lap loses you a lot of positions, so I think I remounted in 12th or 13th. I had a tough race from there, came back to P3, and I felt like my speed was really good, but I used a lot of energy. Second moto, good start and I passed a couple of guys, but I was tired from the first moto using all that energy. Overall, the speed was good, but we’ve still got work to do.” 250MX teammate Julien Beaumer began his weekend with P7 in qualifying, before two challenging races with 18-22 scores onboard his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION marked a trying weekend in the sand. He's currently ranked 13th in the championship. Julien Beaumer: “That was a really bad day at Southwick. I struggled in the sand, even with the work that we’ve been doing to improve in those conditions – I just need to be better on softer surfaces, but we’ll be better at RedBud.” Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450MX contender Aaron Plessinger's Southwick National began with him setting the 10th fastest time in qualifying, before taking his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to a fourth place finish in Moto 1. A strong start in Moto 2 saw Plessinger in the mix with the front-runners, holding strong in P4 before a fall cost him energy in the latter stages of the race, with ‘The Cowboy’ finishing in eighth position and being credited P7 overall for the round. With five rounds completed, AP sits fourth in the 450MX standings. Aaron Plessinger: “I struggled at Southwick from the beginning today, but I did get off to an awesome start in Moto 1. I was right toward the front and then I started losing the tow, so finished P4 in that one. In the second moto, I was in a good spot again, but then a small mistake ended with me on the ground. My energy went away with that crash, so I did what I could for eighth. We finished seventh overall, with this being my first time out of the top-five this season. We’ll regroup, rest up, do our homework, and come out swinging at RedBud!” Next Race: July 5 – RedBud, Michigan Results 450MX Class – Southwick National 1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 2. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 3. Eli Tomac (Yamaha) 6. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna) 7. Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 9. Justin Barcia (GASGAS) 10. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna) Standings 450MX Class 2025 after 5 of 11 rounds 1. Jett Lawrence, 240 points 2. Eli Tomac, 202 3. Hunter Lawrence, 197 4. Aaron Plessinger, 188 6. RJ Hampshire, 149 11. Malcolm Stewart, 82 21. Justin Barcia, 21 Results 250MX Class – Southwick National 1. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 2. Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 3. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) 15. Ryder DiFrancesco (GASGAS) 21. Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) Standings 250MX Class 2025 after 5 of 11 rounds 1. Haiden Deegan, 244 points 2. Jo Shimoda, 186 3. Tom Vialle, 165 13. Julien Beaumer, 91 14. Casey Cochran, 88 16. Ryder DiFrancesco, 65
