Jeffrey Herlings claimed his 125th career Grand Prix victory at the MXGP of Australia in Darwin, going 1‑1 for an eighth consecutive GP — an all‑time record he now extends alone.
One more country, one more milestone
The Hidden Valley Motorsports Complex baked under bright sunshine on 20 September 2026, a sharp reversal from the rain‑soaked edition a year earlier. In Race 1, Tom Vialle seized the early holeshot, but Herlings sliced past through the fifth corner of the opening lap and never relinquished the lead. Romain Febvre closed to within a second before Herlings pressed hard with five minutes remaining, pulling out a 15‑second cushion and winning by 18.362 seconds.
Race 2 demanded a different route. Vialle again reached the first turn ahead, while Herlings started fifth. He worked through Calvin Vlaanderen, Pauls Jonass and Andrea Adamo, then hunted down Febvre to pull clear by 3.600 seconds and complete the double.
Six titles, a clean sweep and a historic switch
The 125th win was Herlings’ first on Australian soil, meaning he has now won a GP in every country in which he has competed. It was also the 250th victory by a Dutch rider in Motocross history — exactly half belonging to Herlings — and it came weeks after he clinched his sixth world championship, his third in the premier MXGP class.
That title was his first with Honda HRC Petronas after 17 years riding for KTM. His 2026 season closed with thirteen GP wins and sixteen podiums, plus the Dutch Championship. Febvre, the outgoing world champion, finished runner‑up on the day and in the championship in his final GP for Kawasaki before a planned move to Ducati.
“It was a big gamble for me to make that switch after 17 years on KTM, and so far it has paid out to be quite a successful story,” Herlings told reporters afterwards. “I was faster in 2018, but I am smarter in 2026.”
