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.”
A convincing start to the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship saw Tom Vialle finish third overall at Fox Raceway on Saturday afternoon, delivering 3-4 results across the pair of 250MX motos, while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammates Julien Beaumer (250MX) and Aaron Plessinger (450MX) also scored top-five results in their respective classes at the season-opening round. A podium finish in the 250MX category saw two-time MX2 World Champion and current 250SX East title-holder Vialle finish P3 overall on his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. Vialle accelerated to the holeshot in Moto 2 and fought up front for the duration of the race, which complemented his fourth-place result in Moto 1. Tom Vialle: "I had a great start in the second Moto, although the first one I started actually pretty far back. I passed a lot of riders in that one, and the track was very tricky – it’s not my favorite track of the year here, so it’s nice to be on the podium. Obviously, third place isn’t where we want to be, but it’s still nice to start the season on the podium.” Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 250MX teammate Beaumer began his second full Pro Motocross campaign with a fifth-place finish in the opening encounter, before leading the field in Moto 2 as he made a quick pass on Vialle for the lead. Also equipped with the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, a P4 ride would earn the number 23 fifth overall for the weekend. Julien Beaumer: "Pala was a solid start to the season and 5-4 results have me excited for where I am at. We still have some work to do to increase comfort, but to leave here fifth overall shows where we are, speed-wise, and I think I can run up front and win races. I’m excited for the rest of the season." Fox Raceway marked a strong afternoon of racing for Plessinger in 450MX, with 'The Cowboy' racing his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to fifth in Moto 1, and then a hard-fought P3 in Moto 2 after spending the entirety of the race entrenched in a battle for the final podium position. Those results placed him P4 on combined scores at the opener. Aaron Plessinger: "Pala was crazy! We put the scoop tire on for Moto 2 because I was lacking that thing in the first one, but it got me off to a great start in that last race. Then from there, it was literally me and Hunter [Lawrence], which was one of the hardest battles I’ve had in motocross, and I was able to get him on the last lap. I’ve just got to give it up to everyone who’s behind me, training down at the Baker’s Factory has been a good, good time, and I feel like this year's my year. More good starts like that and I think we can be right up there going for wins!” Defending 450MX Champion Chase Sexton opened the Fox Raceway round by posting the second fastest qualifying time onboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, before a costly early fall during Moto 1 ended his day, with both he and the team electing to sit out Moto 2. Additional information will be available once he undergoes further evaluation this week. Next Race: May 31 – Hangtown, California Results 450MX Class – Fox Raceway National 1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 2. Eli Tomac (Yamaha) 3. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 4. Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 9. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna) 15. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna) Standings 450MX Class 2025 after 1 of 11 rounds 1. Jett Lawrence, 50 points 2. Eli Tomac, 40 3. Hunter Lawrence, 38 4. Aaron Plessinger, 37 9. RJ Hampshire, 26 15. Malcolm Stewart, 10 Results 250MX Class – Fox Raceway National 1. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 2. Jo Shimoda (Honda) 3. Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 5. Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 12. Casey Cochran (GASGAS) 13. Ryder DiFrancesco (GASGAS) Standings 250MX Class 2025 after 1 of 11 rounds 1. Haiden Deegan, 50 points 2. Jo Shimoda, 44 3. Tom Vialle, 38 5. Julien Beaumer, 35 12. Casey Cochran, 19 13. Ryder DiFrancesco, 18
Reigning 450MX Champion Chase Sexton will commence his title defense this Saturday in Fox Raceway’s opening round of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship, joining Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammates Aaron Plessinger, Tom Vialle, and Julien Beaumer in the second phase of the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX). Sexton was outstanding on his way to the 450MX title last season onboard the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, entering this year’s 11-round series as a title favorite and wearing the coveted number 1 plate. The 25-year-old Illinois native won seven rounds en route to the crown one year ago, motivated to pick up where he left off outdoors with a true READY TO RACE mentality. Chase Sexton: "Preparation for the start of the 2025 Pro Motocross season is going well. I feel good and am healthy, so that’s a great start! There’s always a lot of industry talk about there being extra pressure when you come in as defending champion, but really for me, I just head into it the way I do any new season. I keep my head down, work hard, and trust the process. I’m excited for the new season to start this weekend at Pala." Joining Sexton in the premier class and also equipped with the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, Plessinger has finished third in the standings for the past two years running and landed on the podium a total of six times in 2024. With momentum increasing and a new Red Bull KTM Factory Racing contract already signed for 2026, The Cowboy's focus is firmly placed on making his presence felt yet again in Pro Motocross. Aaron Plessinger: "I'm super-excited for outdoors. It is my favorite series that we race and I've been doing motos, some testing, and everything's coming together nicely. I'm super-stoked, ready to get back out on the gate and show these boys what I've got for the outdoor series! We finished well last year, could have really done some damage if I had not had some bad races – hopefully I can contend for the title this season." Already a two-time MX2 World Champion with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and now a double 250SX East title winner in AMA Supercross following Salt Lake City's finale two weeks ago, French standout Vialle will lead the team's 250MX charge alongside last year's 250 Class Rookie of the Year, Beaumer. Entering his third term of Pro Motocross in the United States riding the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, Vialle is aiming to improve upon his P2 result achieved in the standings from last year, which he earned through racing to seven podiums and victory in Ironman's final round of the season last August. Tom Vialle: "I've been practicing outdoors for a little bit now, but didn't switch early because I was fighting for another Supercross title. Last week was really good, we did some testing with the team and I am happy with where the bike is, and I feel really comfortable riding outdoors this year. I'm excited, because I think it's going to be my last 250 outdoor season. I was able to win two MX2 titles in the world championship and have won the two 250SX East titles now, so this AMA 250MX championship is the only one that I am missing in my 250 career – I really want to fight for that one this summer and I'm motivated for that. I'm looking forward to seeing where we are at when we get to Pala and then for the whole summer outdoors." Teenage talent Beaumer spent last year learning the craft of professional competition on his way to the 250MX Rookie of the Year honors and, fresh from a breakout season in the 250SX West division where he established himself as a legitimate contender, the 19-year-old out of Lake Havasu, Arizona, has a clear target of now proving his capabilities outdoors on his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. Julien Beaumer: "I'm looking forward to kicking my season off strong at Pala. Southern California is where I have grown up riding, so I feel right at home racing there. My preparation has gone according to plan, and the team and I feel we are in a good place together, so I'm itching to get this thing started this weekend." Ian Harrison, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: "We are very excited to enter the Pro Motocross Championship with Chase and Aaron in 450MX, as well as Tom and Julien in 250MX this summer. Following Supercross, which was again a really positive and successful season for us as a team, it is always a mad rush to transition to the outdoors with the one weekend off in between. Thankfully, we have a lot to lean on from the previous years, so you generally use that experience as a base coming into Round 1, and then you continue to refine and build momentum from that point. It is always an exciting time, a lot of anticipation, and we are confident that we will be competitive when the gates drop this weekend and throughout the 2025 season." The 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship will drop the gates this Saturday, May 24, at Fox Raceway in Pala, California, for the season-opener, set to span 11 rounds throughout the U.S. this summer and culminating at Budds Creek Motocross Park in Mechanicsville, Maryland, on August 23.
The Grand Prix of Spain provided Red Bull KTM Factory Racing with another muddy episode to gather trophies in the 2025 MXGP series. Lucas Coenen finished as runner-up in Lugo, Galicia for the eighth round of the FIM world championship and in changeable conditions across a rough track. Andrea Adamo and Sacha Coenen were 2nd and 3rd overall with the KTM 250 SX-F in MX2.
