The season of the reigning MXGP world champion Jeffrey Herlings starts uphill: the Ktm rider landed short from a jump during a training session. Will he recover in time for the first race of the Motocross World Championship?
It is sensational what is happening to Jeffrey Herlings (Ktm), MXGP 2021 world champion, in these hours. Or rather: he has the sensational thing that happened on Monday 31 January 2022, the rest are only consequences in an attempt to repair the damage done. On the last day of January, in fact, the Dutch driver was performing a training session with his teammate Tom Vialle in Spain at Red Sand MX Park and in an attempt to whip at low speed he ran into such a trivial mistake how serious.
The accident
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Due to the slow speed of the stunt, Jeffrey landed short after a whip in flight. From the first seconds of the video it is clear how the Dutch champion was preparing precisely that movement, without however accurately calculating the speed and distance of the jump. Once the wheels off the ground Jeffrey could not help but notice the mistake, with the nose of his Ktm 450 Sx-F pointing down too soon.
Indefinite recovery times
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Ktm confirmed the news and made it known that, following the accident, Herlings was successfully operated on for the fractured heel of his left foot. After returning to Belgium and following a medical consultation, Jeffrey went under the knife, with Dr Stefaan Verfaillie inserting several screws and a support plate to repair the damage. But there are no certainties on the return, too early to tell. With the first round in Matterley Basin, Great Britain, at the gates (February 20, here the updated calendar) the pressure in the Ktm house is tangible. But in the past the Dutchman has accustomed us to quick recoveries, most recently the one after the fracture of his left collarbone at the 2021 Dutch GP in Oss, when Ivo Monticelli landed directly on Herlings’ shoulder, who then won the heat. What is certain is that Jeffrey is not new to complicating his life alone: the fracture of the femur during the 2014 season is unforgettable, when with a lead of 145 points over his then MX2 teammate Jordi Tixier made a trivial mistake with the little 85 2T wanting to overdo it at the “Everts and friends” charity event, organized by ten-time world champion Stefan Everts.
Herlings: “Violent Impact”
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These are the statements of Jeffrey Herlings after the operation: “We are paying the consequences of a trivial accident. I think I hit a small rock on the ramp and that complicated things in flight. The impact with the ground was violent, I thank the medical staff who are taking care of me. And thanks also to the support that Ktm is giving me, we were working well in preparation for the 2022 season and the goal now is to get back to winning as soon as possible “. This, however, is the reaction of Joel Smets, Ktm team manager: “Obviously this is very demoralizing for Jeffrey and the whole team. Looking to the bright side, the injury isn’t as complicated as his foot problem in 2019. The operation took some time but everything went well and we hope Jeffrey can get the cast off in less than two weeks and that may also start doing some training like swimming and other activities. Then we will have to see how he will recover to plan his return to racing ”.
February 2 – 5:08 pm
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