While we all await the entries for this coming weekends French Grand Prix, we all want to see the name Jeffrey Herlings on that entry list. With him entered for the Dutch Masters a week after the French GP, and watching video of “The Bullet”, he already looks very fast.

No doubt, race condition will not be there, but we also know this exceptional talent, although at the back-end of his career, can do wonderful things straight out of the box.

“We’re looking good,” Herlings said about his return to racing in 2025. “I can do everything aside from ride the bike (which he is now doing). I can cycle, swim, cross train – and it should only be a few weeks until we are back to the normal plan. 2024 wasn’t a great season but it was decent; we’d made a lot of races, came close to the MXGP championship, won a few GPs and had something like 15 podiums at the end.

"I wanted to be strong coming into this year so having this setback was not good but what I can hope for now is a successful second part of the championship. It was a weird injury because there was not much pain after surgery but it takes time to recover. I want to ride as soon as possible and join the rest of my Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team… but we just need to wait a little longer. I really want to race again.”

We saw it when he missed all of the 2022 season due to injury, yet arrived in 2023 and nearly won the opening GP of the season in Argentina with 4-2 results, then won round two in Sardinia with a 2-2 performance. Sure, his off-season that year was good, but racing GP and some pre-season races is very different and he arrived ready to race.

We have asked Red Bull KTM team manager Joel Smets if his rider will be on the start-line in France and are yet to receive an answer, but keep checking back to see what the answer is from Mr Smets (the answer was zero chance).

Tim Gajser currently leads the MXGP points with 108 points and no doubt will add another 50 or so in France this weekend, maybe even more, but if Herlings can arrive in France and gain maybe 30 points, then the championship is without question, not over for the Dutchman.

We all remember a decade ago, when the rolls were reversed and Herlings held a 100 point lead over Gajser in the MX2 championship, and we all know what happened there as Herlings picked up an injury and Gajser a championship. Anything is possible in this crazy sport.

Well, we got the answer from Joel (Smets) and there is zero chance of Herlings racing in France. Pity, but expected. Still, we all look forward to his return soon.