Is Jeffrey Herlings the greatest of all time in Motocross?

On the sands of Lommel we saw him dance, fly, dominate. With Lucas Coenen sidelined by injury, he monopolized the spotlight and consolidated his hold on the red plate earned right on the eve of the trip to Flanders.

Jeffrey Herlings, in a 2026 that could have seen him hang up his helmet, jersey, gloves, and boots, looks truly irresistible in this hot MXGP World Championship summer. Sealing another victory that elevates him ever more among the greatest—if not the greatest of all time—on knobby tires.

Numbers in hand, the answer seems yes, at least as far as the Motocross World Championship is concerned. If it once sounded impressive to see him reach triple digits in Grand Prix wins, we’re now at 120. He’s also aiming the arrow at podiums (nine fewer than Tony Cairoli), with a potential sixth world title in sight. Here’s the crux: when it comes to championships won, for “The Bullet” there’s a lingering bitterness. Without all the injuries over these years, we’d presumably already be talking double digits for him. This despite a long, successful world career spent lining up at the gate against absolute legends of the discipline from at least a couple of different generations.

You don’t make—or write—racing history with ifs and buts, yet for Jeffrey Herlings they have been a factor. Since 2010, on 10 separate occasions he has had to deal with various niggles—and worse. In those circumstances, he couldn’t fully fight for the world title. Which he won, almost always, while injured in his five triumphant seasons. Injuries blend bad luck with a riding style built on sheer dominance and constantly pushing the limit for JH84. The good news is that, with his 32nd birthday coming up in September, he’s as combative and competitive as ever for a possible sixth crown—one that might mean even more than the others.

In recent years the term “resilience” has become commonplace. A word that combines three distinct meanings: the ability to react to difficulties, to leave troublesome periods behind, and to adapt to the changes that arise along one’s path. In effect, a portrait of Herlings. He already embodied the first two; now he fits the third as well—adapting to novelties. To that Honda challenge he took on after a lifetime with KTM, making the CRF450R fly. One more ingredient adding a touch of epic to Jeffrey Herlings’ 2026.

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