Jeffrey Herlings injury update – may also have broken ribs

Some further Jeffrey Herlings injury news is starting to emerge that could put the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider in further pain and may impact his performance in the four points-paying races in Indonesia.

We heard at the time of Herlings’ practice crash in Berghem that his injuries may be more extensive than a broken collarbone but we held back on reporting it at the time.

A few days later and the MXGP of Lombardia went ahead without the injured Herlings as he recovered from surgery on his broken collarbone. Defending MXGP World Champion Tony Cairoli ensured he carved out the maximum 50 points with a double moto victory – closing the gap on Herlings to 12 points.

Within minutes of the grand prix finishing, Herlings posted to social media. Confident and defiant – you wouldn’t expect anything different from The Bullet – he wrote that although he had a “painful weekend” watching the racing action unfold in Ottobiano he was more motivated than ever as he looked to try and get back to the bike within a “few days”.

Getting back on the bike so soon after fracturing his clavicle is impressive. It will be painful, but we know Herlings can and has ridden through a significant pain barrier before. But this week we heard from a second source that corroborates what we had already heard. We understand that Herlings cross-rutted jumping into a turn and was thrown over the bars and he sustained two broken ribs when the bike landed on him.

If that information is correct, it would ramp up the pain for the multi-time MX2 World Champion. If he can make a return to MXGP on July 1 and bring home some points to limit the damage from team-mate Cairoli it would certainly keep the championship alive until the series returned to Europe in just over a month on July 22.

It’s also worth noting that the final round of the Dutch Masters of Motocross (Zwarte Cross) is on July 15, squeezed between MXGP of Asia (Indonesia) and the MXGP of Czech Republic. And despite winning every moto in the series so far, the title isn’t won yet. Herlings has a 30-point lead on Gautier Paulin with Max Anstie another nine points back. Herlings will hope he’s fit enough to not only secure enough points to get the Dutch championship title but to win in front of tens of thousands of adoring fans.

Keep it locked to dirtbikerider.com for the latest in Herlings’ fight to recover and return to MXGP racing.