Loading...

Herlings fights hard for Italian victory at a testing Montevarchi circuit

Honda HRC PETRONAS’ Jeffrey Herlings made it four GP victories in 2026 after a hard-fought pair of races at the dry and dusty Montevarchi circuit in Tuscany, Italy. The rocky terrain certainly isn’t a favourite condition for the #84, but getting a holeshot in race one made his life a lot easier, before moving through the field in race two to secure an excellent GP overall.

Herlings fights hard for Italian victory at a testing Montevarchi circuit

After extremely hot weather yesterday, the track turned out to be a lot better for the two motos, especially after a shower hit the track between races. It was still rock-hard in places and very easy to make a mistake on, but if you could get out front and control the race, it meant you could pick the right lines and avoid the nasty roost. Which is exactly what Herlings managed to do, after a clever gate-pick strategy. Alongside Vialle, the pair rounded the first corner first and second, showing the power of the Honda CRF450RW.

From there, Herlings controlled the pressure from behind and took a good race win, giving him a lot of confidence heading into race two, and while that start wasn’t quite as effective, he was still into the top five very quickly, settling into third place. After a few laps he moved into second and despite trying everything, he wasn’t able to pass the leader and eventually settled for second place, going one-two on the day and closing the points gap over the weekend by six points in the championship battle.

Vialle can consider this a successful return to action after missing the last five GP motos, with the Frenchman going five-nine for seventh overall. Things could have been even better, except for a small tip-over near the end of race two, which dropped him a few spots. Still, it was good to see him back battling at the front of the field and he’ll looking forward to these upcoming rounds.

Unfortunately a nasty crash by Ruben Fernandez yesterday, limited his chances of a good result today as he had to line up from the very outside gate. However, the Spaniard gave his best effort, going 13-12 for 13th overall, and showing a lot of determination. Next weekend is Portugal, an adopted ‘home GP’ which he is really excited about and he’ll be trying to make sure he is as prepared as possible for that event.

This weekend was Valerio Lata’s home GP, but the Italian wasn’t quite about to challenge for the podium spots like he would have liked. Good starts in both races gave him the chance, but the terrain certainly wasn’t easy to navigate and he just couldn’t find a solid rhythm to stick with the lead pack.

Next weekend, the forecast is a lot more forgiving and the whole team are looking forward to getting to Agueda and putting in some strong rides, at a track that is a lot more popular.

 ---- 

MX2 Race 1
1. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), 34:45.276; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:02.860; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:05.485; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:07.077; 5. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:19.954; 6. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), +0:21.997; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:24.723; 8. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:30.710; 9. Maxime Grau (FRA, Honda), +0:32.717; 10. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Ducati), +0:35.969; 11. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:50.201; 

MX2 Race 2
1. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), 35:05.882; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:01.910; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:03.607; 4. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:10.818; 5. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:36.870; 6. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:40.882; 7. Maxime Grau (FRA, Honda), +0:43.234; 8. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), +0:46.866; 9. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:50.725; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:54.818; 

MX2 GP Overall
1. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 44 points; 2. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 41 p.; 3. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 39 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 38 p.; 5. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 34 p.; 6. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Maxime Grau (FRA, HON), 26 p.; 9. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 25 p.; 10. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 25 p.;

MX2 Championship
1. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 431 points; 2. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 390 p.; 3. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 373 p.; 4. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 372 p.; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 354 p.; 6. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 352 p.; 7. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 310 p.; 8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 244 p.; 9. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 241 p.; 10. Kay Karssemakers (NED, KAW), 181 p.;

KAW), 161 p.;


Ruben Fernandez 70

“Definitely not an easy GP for me, after that crash yesterday left me a bit banged up. I did the best I could to get off the gate well but having last gate-pick really put me at a massive disadvantage. Especially because this track wasn’t so easy to pass on, but I got myself just outside the top 10 in both races and I think I can be proud of my effort to do that. Next weekend is my favourite race on the calendar in Agueda, Portugal so I’m really excited to race there.”

Tom Vialle 16

"I think it was a good comeback this weekend overall. There were a couple of moments that I’d like to take back but for the most part, there were a lot of positives to take into Portugal next weekend. I got a good start in race one, almost getting the holeshot next to Jeffrey and then I think it was just a little bit of race-rust that stopped me finishing higher up. Still, it was good to back on the line and I’m excited to progress in all these upcoming GPs."

Jeffrey Herlings 84

“That isn’t really a track that suits me, but we got two good starts and I made some good passes early-on in race two. It was tough out there, but the track was much better today and even though we were racing on conditions that I’m not the most comfortable on, I still was happy with my one-two and my fourth win of the season. The team have worked so hard and it’s great to get the victory and just hopefully keep this momentum going.”

Valerio Lata 18

N/A

Marcus Pereira de Freitas HRC General Manager - MXGP

“It’s great for everyone, especially Jeffrey to get back to winning ways again. It’s been a tough couple of rounds for us, but I think it shows the work ethic and the desire from the whole team that they keep pushing, in what were extremely difficult conditions here in Montevarchi. Jeffrey knew he had to get good starts and he managed to do exactly that in, and it was great to see him and Tom rounding the first turn in first and second place in moto one. The other guys all had difficult weekends for different reasons but again, they showed a lot of determination to fight hard and I’m excited for the next few rounds.”
Older Post
Newer Post
Close (esc)

Free Shipping

Free Ground Shipping on Web Orders over $75.00

*48 Contiguous States

Age verification

By clicking enter you are verifying that you are old enough to consume alcohol.

Search

Shopping Cart

Your cart is currently empty.
Shop now

Race series product restriction and affirmation

Warning:

The RACE SERIES product you are purchasing removes, renders inoperative, or bypasses required elements of the emission control systems of EPA, certified motorcycles of motorcyle engines and may only be installed on motorcycles that are restricted to closed course competition. Installation of this product on a motorcyle that is ridden on a public street, highway, or public lands violates the tampering and defeat device provisions of the Clean Air Act & 203(a)(3)(A) and/or & 203(a)(3)(B) and may subject you to a civil penalty of up to $37,000.

Information (Enter as Applicable)

Race Information

Rider/Purchaser Information

Affirmation

By clicking below, I affirm:
  1. that i have read the above warning;
  2. that any information I have entered is accurate; and
  3. that any motorcycle on which I install the RACE SERIES product will be restricted to closed course competition and will not be ridden on any public street, highway or public lands.