2018 MXGP World Champion Jeffrey Herlings has decided to contest this weekend’s Grand Prix of Sweden at Uddevalla after making a good recovery from a fractured right ankle.
The Dutchman has made sufficient progress to be able to steer his KTM 450 SX-F at pace and return to the premier class for the second time in an injury-hit season. The 24 year old will use the sixteenth round of eighteen to gauge the level of his fitness and readiness and to accumulate valuable race mileage.
Jeffrey Herlings: “Here we go again! I’ve been riding for a couple of weeks now and feel ready to try Uddevalla. As I’ve said, 2019 is only really about the Motocross of Nations for me at Assen next month and by trying the motos in Sweden we are making another step towards that goal. There is no target for this weekend other than to finish the races and find some good feeling on the bike.”
Dirk Gruebel, Team Technical Co-Ordinator & MX2 Team Manager: “It’s good to have Jeffrey riding and racing again but we have no expectations for this weekend. He is still on the way back and has chosen to use Sweden as a good opportunity to make some starts and build his speed against top level opposition. As a team we’ll be ready to give him whatever he needs to be able to race but we know this is just another step towards a full recovery and hopefully a chance to go into post-season testing with a good condition.”
