Image: Supplied.

Five-time world champion Jeffrey Herlings will sit out the opening round of the 2025 MXGP World Championship while recovering from a torn ACL that required surgery, the Red Bull KTM rider yet to return to riding.

The 30-year-old Dutchman damaged his right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at Valkenswaard in October, intending to climb aboard his 450 SX-F in the coming weeks.

“We’re looking good – I can do everything aside from ride the bike,” Herlings commented. “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.”

Herlings – the most successful grand prix winner in the Motocross World Championship – finished third in the MXGP standings last year, with four overall victories and 15 podiums in total. This season will commence in Argentina from March 2-3.