Herlings in the mix at the tight and technical Teutschenthal circuit

Jeffrey Herlings faced a challenging qualification race at the MXGP of Germany held at the tight and technical Teutschenthal circuit. Despite his efforts to advance, he finished fourth, just four seconds behind the winner. The start proved crucial on this difficult track, and Herlings, who has previously excelled off the gate, became entangled with another rider early on, limiting his progress. Although he managed to recover to fourth place, he was unable to overtake his championship rival ahead, ultimately settling for seven points in the closely contested 2026 MXGP Championship. Herlings’ teammate Ruben Fernandez also showed promise by moving from eighth to sixth during the qualification race. Fernandez acknowledged the importance of a strong start to stay with the front pack, which would be essential for a better finish. Unfortunately, Honda HRC PETRONAS was down to just these two finishers in the MXGP class after Tom Vialle withdrew due to lingering injuries sustained the previous weekend. Vialle attempted to compete but decided to prioritise recovery ahead of upcoming races, pulling out after just one lap. In the MX2 class, Valerio Lata delivered a solid performance, finishing seventh in the qualification race after showing competitive pace in practice sessions. While not matching his victory from the previous year at Teutschenthal, Lata remains optimistic about the two motos ahead and believes there is room for improvement. The team shares this sentiment, aiming to capitalise on any opportunities to make critical passes in tomorrow’s races. The riders and team management emphasised the significance of strong starts on this circuit, given the difficulty of overtaking once the race settles. Herlings expressed confidence in improving his gate-drop to challenge for podium positions, while Fernandez and Lata both highlighted the need to be more aggressive from the outset. Team manager Marcus Pereira de Freitas noted the competitive nature of the field and expressed hope that Fernandez and Lata could build on their qualifying results to achieve better finishes in the main events.