Jeffrey Herlings secured the 2026 MXGP Motocross World Championship at the MXGP of Türkiye, claiming his sixth world title and his third in the premier class — his first with Honda HRC Petronas.
Perfect under the Turkish sun
The title was decided at the Afyon Motor Sport Centre, a hard-pack circuit baked by 30°C heat. Herlings powered out of the first corner to snatch the Fox Holeshot lead from Tom Vialle and never looked back. He set the fastest lap of the day on lap nine and controlled race one to win by over three and a half seconds from Tim Gajser.
That victory sealed the championship with two rounds to spare. The Dutchman led every lap across both motos, completing his fifth consecutive perfect weekend and extending a winning streak to 17 individual races in succession.
Six titles, one new chapter
Herlings becomes only the fourth rider in motocross history to reach six world championships. All five previous titles came with Red Bull KTM. This crown, earned in his first season with the Japanese manufacturer, lifts his career tally to 123 Grand Prix wins and 233 GP race victories — both all-time records.
"It's a sixth world championship, my 123rd GP win and my 11th of the year with Honda HRC Petronas," Herlings said afterwards. "I just hate losing, and in the six championships I've won, every time I've won the race and the championship on the same day."
Race two brought a Honda one-two, with Vialle finishing runner-up and outgoing champion Romain Febvre taking third for Kawasaki. The celebrations began between motos, as Herlings shared moments with family before his team fitted a gold-accented world champion number plate to his machine.
A career repeatedly interrupted by injury now stands at a new summit. With 855 championship points to his name, Herlings has turned a dominant late-season run into a legacy-defining moment — and his first title in red.
