Source: Supplied.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team’s Jeffrey Herlings locked up an elusive third FIM Motocross World Championship MX2 title at the Charlotte Motor Speedway for round 17 of the 2016 series.

Following a string of injuries continued to deny the Dutch rider his third MX2 championship, Herlings is celebrating the victory and has his sights set on additional titles in the coming years.

“I am super, super happy,” said Herlings. “Especially after everything we’ve been going through with a broken femur, a dislocated hip, two broken collarbones and almost losing my little finger. It’s number three and hopefully many more to come.”

After sitting out the Czech Republic, Lommel and Switzerland MXGP events due to a broken collarbone, Herlings returned in Assen to claim victory before lining up in Charlotte with additional top American competitors thrown in to the mix.

“The two strongest guys from America [Cooper] Webb and [Austin] Forkner were here,” he said. “Webb is the national champion and I beat him straight up in the first race and then he beat me in the second. I think the competition is stronger in the US, but we won the championship and that’s what it’s all about.”

Finishing second overall and ahead of his closest rival Jeremy Seewer, Herlings was able to claim the championship with one round remaining in Glen Helen, a circuit the newly-crowned champion prefers over the all-new Charlotte layout.

“I like the track at Glen Helen and it should be better than this track,” he added. “Like always, we will do our best to make it happen.”

The 2016 season marks Herlings’ final year in the MX2 ranks as he plans to move to the premier MXGP category in 2017 with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team.