Championship glory on the horizon as Honda HRC PETRONAS head to Turkiye
AfyonkarahisarHonda HRC PETRONAS are heading to Afyon, Turkiye, as they try to help Jeffrey Herlings put the finishing touches to his campaign that could see him crowned 2026 MXGP World Champion on Sunday. The Dutchman is 143 points ahead of his nearest competitor after a run of 14 consecutive victories across qualifying and race motos. It has been a tremendous run of form, and two more wins would see him seal the deal as early as after the first moto on Sunday.
While the championship is the main objective, the #84 is trying to stay focused on the actual races and just getting through them like he has all season long. Having amassed five titles already in his career, he knows what needs to be done, but with this being his first potential title with Honda HRC and five years since his last crown, he knows it is extra special and one that both he and the team have worked extremely hard to make happen.
Tom Vialle and Ruben Fernandez also are excited to get to Turkiye to try and finish off their 2026 seasons strongly. Only six points separate the duo in the championship battle, with fourth place in the standings potentially up for grabs. Vialle has been on the podium in three of the last four rounds, and has very good memories from Afyon after winning his second MX2 championship there in 2022. Fernandez hasn’t quite been able to match those podium results, but the #70 was putting together a nice run of form before Arnhem and he has done well in China and Australia before so wants to get things going in the right direction this weekend.
However, MX2 rider Valerio Lata will not travel with the team to the final three rounds of the 2026 World Motocross Championship. The Italian youngster, who is currently sitting eighth in the MX2 standings, instead ended his GP campaign in the Netherlands, all though he did successfully claim the Italian MX2 championship this past weekend.
So three riders for the final three rounds, of what has been a gruelling 2026 campaign, but one that has the prospect of ending very well for the Honda HRC PETRONAS team.
Had a tough GP of the Netherlands, but I feel a lot better coming into Turkiye and I think I can challenge nearer the front this weekend. It is a hard-pack track and that track is at elevation so we always need all the power we can get, but the Honda has been good for that this year and I’m confident I can get a couple of good starts and put myself in a strong position right from the first corner.
Had a tough GP of the Netherlands, but I feel a lot better coming into Turkiye and I think I can challenge nearer the front this weekend. It is a hard-pack track and that track is at elevation so we always need all the power we can get, but the Honda has been good for that this year and I’m confident I can get a couple of good starts and put myself in a strong position right from the first corner.
I was really happy with my podium effort in Arnhem last time out. I think everyone could see that I didn’t do so well on Saturday, but it was really satisfying to get better and better and ride at a high level with all these guys on a tough sandy circuit. Turkiye is a lot different from the Netherlands though, but I have good memories from here, having won my 2022 MX2 world title at this track so I’m hoping I can do well again this year and get myself onto the podium once again.
I was really happy with my podium effort in Arnhem last time out. I think everyone could see that I didn’t do so well on Saturday, but it was really satisfying to get better and better and ride at a high level with all these guys on a tough sandy circuit. Turkiye is a lot different from the Netherlands though, but I have good memories from here, having won my 2022 MX2 world title at this track so I’m hoping I can do well again this year and get myself onto the podium once again.
I think everyone knows that the championship is possible this weekend, but I’m trying not to think about it too much and just concentrate on each race as it happens. I’ve got a really good run of results going, 14 wins in a row, so if I can keep that alive, the championship will take care of itself. It’s been a lot of fun these past few weeks and my home GP was a blast, so now we just have these three overseas rounds to finish off the season.
I think everyone knows that the championship is possible this weekend, but I’m trying not to think about it too much and just concentrate on each race as it happens. I’ve got a really good run of results going, 14 wins in a row, so if I can keep that alive, the championship will take care of itself. It’s been a lot of fun these past few weeks and my home GP was a blast, so now we just have these three overseas rounds to finish off the season.
The team and I came to a decision to end the GP season after Arnhem, and although it would have been good to do the final races, I think that it is the best outcome for everyone. This season hasn’t gone exactly as I would have liked and the three final races are very intensive for the team, so we made this decision together. It is a shame because the podium in Australia last year was a good memory for me, but I believe this is the right choice. I am proud to have won the Italian MX2 Championship last weekend, and it is one of many great moments I have had riding for Honda HRC PETRONAS these past couple of years.
The team and I came to a decision to end the GP season after Arnhem, and although it would have been good to do the final races, I think that it is the best outcome for everyone. This season hasn’t gone exactly as I would have liked and the three final races are very intensive for the team, so we made this decision together. It is a shame because the podium in Australia last year was a good memory for me, but I believe this is the right choice. I am proud to have won the Italian MX2 Championship last weekend, and it is one of many great moments I have had riding for Honda HRC PETRONAS these past couple of years.
Although we had a weekend off from the racing, we were definitely all still working hard getting ready for these last three flyaway GPs. There is a lot of work and effort that goes into making sure everything is right for Turkiye, China and Australia and we have to be 100% prepared because of what is at stake. Jeffrey can be crowned champion on Sunday and that is the goal, so we are super-focused for that. Of course Tom and Ruben want to do well and we believe that can have a strong final three rounds, so we are also going to be helping them as much as possible because we think all three riders can get podiums. Unfortunately Valerio isn’t joining us for these flyaways after we came to a mutual agreement to end the season after Arnhem. I’d like to thank him for all his work this season and last, because we’ve had some good times with him. I’d also like to thank my good friend Roger Harvey, who retired after Arnhem and who I’ve shared a lot of memories with. He has been a pleasure to work with all these years and I’ll definitely miss seeing him at the races.
Although we had a weekend off from the racing, we were definitely all still working hard getting ready for these last three flyaway GPs. There is a lot of work and effort that goes into making sure everything is right for Turkiye, China and Australia and we have to be 100% prepared because of what is at stake. Jeffrey can be crowned champion on Sunday and that is the goal, so we are super-focused for that. Of course Tom and Ruben want to do well and we believe that can have a strong final three rounds, so we are also going to be helping them as much as possible because we think all three riders can get podiums. Unfortunately Valerio isn’t joining us for these flyaways after we came to a mutual agreement to end the season after Arnhem. I’d like to thank him for all his work this season and last, because we’ve had some good times with him. I’d also like to thank my good friend Roger Harvey, who retired after Arnhem and who I’ve shared a lot of memories with. He has been a pleasure to work with all these years and I’ll definitely miss seeing him at the races.
