Jeffrey Herlings completed an incredible turnaround in the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championship at the MXGP of Türkiye, going 1-1 for Honda HRC PETRONAS to extend his winning streak to 17 consecutive races and, more importantly, wrap up his sixth world title with two rounds remaining.
The title is Herlings’ third in the premier MXGP class and his first since 2021, while it has come in his debut season aboard the Honda CRF450RW. The Dutchman only joined Honda HRC PETRONAS on January 1 and, after finding himself 68 points behind earlier in the season, has produced a remarkable run of form to turn the championship around.
Coming into Türkiye, Herlings had won the previous 14 races and knew he had the opportunity to get the championship wrapped up at Afyon. He wasted little time getting the job done, grabbing the holeshot in the opening moto and leading all the way to the chequered flag ahead of Tim Gajser and Romain Febvre. That was enough to secure title number six, with his family, friends and the Honda HRC PETRONAS team there to celebrate.
Herlings said: “Wow. What a ride it’s been to win this sixth world title. Even since my last one in 2021 to finally get number six is just an incredible feeling. Joining Honda HRC PETRONAS on January 1st and everything being new, new bike, new team, new gear, and it hasn’t always been easy but I think you can see all the work that we’ve done and you can see the results on the track. Just so glad to have made it happen and a big thank you to the team and to my friends and family who have supported me through some tough times.”
From 68 points down to World Champion
It is the way Herlings has taken control of the championship that makes his sixth title particularly impressive. Just six rounds ago, the #84 faced a 68-point deficit, but a run of results that has seen him become almost unbeatable has completely transformed the championship picture.
Before racing began in Türkiye, Herlings already had more qualifying race wins, GP race wins and podiums than anyone else this season, while his run of 14 consecutive gate-drop victories had put him firmly in control of the title race. His success in Türkiye also continued an impressive first season with Honda, with Herlings racking up 10 overall GP victories and taking his career Grand Prix win tally to 122 – remarkably split evenly with 61 in MX2 and 61 in MXGP.
Honda HRC PETRONAS Team Manager Marcus Pereira de Freitas said: “It has been an amazing effort from Jeffrey and the whole team. This year has been one of the hardest years, but I think it proves that hard work pays off because when you look at the performances that Jeffrey has been putting in this year, especially these last few weeks, this championship is exactly what he deserves.
“He is a tremendous talent and his determination is second to none, and to win this championship in his first season with the team, and on Honda machinery just shows how capable he is as a rider, and the strong capabilities of the bike. A big thank you to Jeffrey, to the whole team at the races, and also everyone back at Japan for helping make this happen, I am proud of everyone.”
Title secured – but the winning streak wasn’t
With the championship wrapped up after the opening moto, Herlings could have been forgiven for taking his foot off the gas in race two. Instead, there was still that unbeaten run to protect and he once again fired out of the gate to take the holeshot.
This time he had Honda HRC PETRONAS teammate Tom Vialle right with him. The Frenchman pushed Herlings throughout the moto and was still applying the pressure at the chequered flag, but Herlings held firm to take the victory by just 0.499 seconds. It completed another perfect 1-1 weekend, gave him the MXGP of Türkiye overall and extended his winning streak to an incredible 17 consecutive races.
Herlings said: “Tom definitely didn’t make my life easy in that second race, but it was a great GP and to win the GP, win my sixth world title and keep my winning streak alive is something I am very happy with. It’s been a lot of work throughout the year to get to this point and I’ll make sure to celebrate tonight with all my friends and family who came here to watch. However, I’m already excited and motivated to keep this going in the last two rounds and even for next year as well.”
Vialle’s second place in the final moto completed a strong weekend for Honda HRC PETRONAS, with his 4-2 scores giving him second overall ahead of Febvre and Gajser, who both also finished the weekend on 40 points.
Vialle said: “I gave it everything I had in that second moto to try and win but Jeffrey just didn’t make any mistakes. Still, I think I showed that I’m close and we have six races left to try and get the win so that is my aim in China and Australia. I knew after yesterday I’d be close, but I wasn’t able to get the holeshot in either race, despite getting really good jumps, and that made life a lot harder. Overall though, a good return to Türkiye and I’m excited to get to China and see what I can do there.”
17 straight wins and still two rounds to go
Herlings leaves Türkiye with 855 championship points, 156 clear of Febvre on 699, with Gajser third on 659. The title might now be decided, but the #84 has made it clear that he isn’t planning on easing off during the final two rounds.
Next up is Shanghai, China, before the championship heads to Australia for the season finale. Herlings will arrive in China as a six-time World Champion, but with 17 consecutive race victories behind him, there is still another number he’ll be looking to increase before his first season with Honda comes to an end.
MXGP of Türkiye Overall: Jeffrey Herlings took the overall with a perfect 50 points, ahead of Honda teammate Tom Vialle on 40. Romain Febvre was third with 40 points, Tim Gajser fourth with 40 and Pauls Jonass completed the top five with 31.
→ Check out the full MXGP and MX2 results from the 2026 MXGP of Türkiye >>HERE<<
Images and quotes courtesy of HRC – @shotbybavo
