Records and coincidences: Jeffrey Herlings and Pirelli share a curious detail

“The Bullet” unlimited: sixth title for Herlings with records and double wins, and Pirelli celebrates its 84th Motocross world crown!

Before becoming a key player in the MotoGP revolution, Pirelli has other titles coming. In fact, one has already arrived: Jeffrey Herlings has clinched the MXGP Motocross World Championship. The particularly curious note is the number: Number 84—Herlings’ number—has delivered the Italian supplier its 84th world title. No, there are no hidden meanings; it’s just an interesting coincidence born of the extraordinary talent of the Geldrop rider who, without injuries, would have posted even more incredible numbers than he already has.

Just yesterday in Race 1 of the Turkish GP, Jeffrey Herlings secured the sixth world title of his career, his first with Honda, after those won in MX2 in 2012, 2013, and 2016, and in MXGP in 2018 and 2021. “The Bullet,” his nickname for his extraordinary speed, continues to write the history of world motocross. Consider the incredible tally of 123 career GP wins, leaving previous record-holder Stefan Everts (101 wins) well behind—but that’s only part of it. Just this season he has taken 8 qualifying race wins, scored 8 holeshots, and won 18 of the 34 races held so far.

Standing out are five pole positions along with five consecutive double wins recorded in the last five GPs, proof of an uncommon talent and clearly also an excellent feeling aboard the Honda CRF450RW, as noted in their first season together after title-laden years with KTM (250 and 450 SX-F). This underscores the outsized phenomenon that is Jeffrey Herlings, capable of going beyond the machine to reach the ultimate goal. But alas, he is also very fragile, with a daunting injury list: even so, his career numbers are staggering—without those various injuries, they’d be even scarier.

“We are proud to celebrate this extraordinary milestone together with Jeffrey Herlings,” commented Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli’s Head of Moto Racing. “Winning a world title is always special, but doing it with a champion who has claimed all six of his world crowns on Pirelli tires makes this success even more meaningful. The 84th world title in Motocross confirms the competitiveness of our off-road solutions and the importance of the FIM Motocross World Championship as a development platform for technologies that are then transferred to products for enthusiasts. I would like to congratulate Jeffrey, Honda HRC, and the entire Pirelli team who, through their work, contribute every day to achieving results like this.”

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