Dirt bikes are awesome. No two ways about it. It takes skill to master those motorized hyenas, and Jeffery Herlings is one such master, making him a celebrity in the motocross world. He’s the top dog in MX2 right now with his outstanding 492 points, over 100 points ahead of the next guy. He’s mean and he’s fast. He guns the dirt and gusts atop the sand. He carpets the competition. He’s known as the bullet, #84, and there’s just no stopping him!
I recently discussed a different type of motorcycle event in the Netherlands, the Dutch TT. Now I’m taking you from the clean pavement, to the obstacle-filled dirt.
Jeffery Herlings rides for the Red Bull KTM factory team. And let me tell you, he’s doing well for him. He just won in Germany. In fact, he’s won the last 25 GPs he’s raced. He’s won the MX2 World Championship two times now, and with six races left, he may be tasting the sweet victory of his third, a motocross hat-trick, if you will. It’s hard to believe that at the beginning of this year, he was out for a month due to a leg injury.
Watching Jeffery Herlings ride, one is reminded of the ribbon of a kite in a soft breeze. He flaps from lift to landing with astute grace. He takes his corners precisely and while hardly loosing any speed. He always seems to stick his landings in the right place. While he’s in the air, he tucks with poise of a curled cobra ready to strike. And strike he does.
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team is doing quite well for themselves beyond Jeffery Herlings. Jordi Tixier is finishing well for them in MX2, and Antonio Cairoli is getting his name up there in the tougher MXGP.
These men throw down any regard for safety to achieve glory. They shred through tracks that twist and launch, all in the name of thrills and adventure. They go fast and hard. Sometimes they get hurt, and sometimes they bounce back from their injuries ready to go at it again. It takes guts to ride like they do. It takes something more to be the best.
