Herlings extends contract until 2020
By Alex Hodgkinson on 10th Aug 16
Jeffrey Herlings has extended his contract with KTM Factory Racing until 2020.
The contract was agreed and signed with KTM Motorsports Director Pit Beirer on Tuesday last week after Herlings spent the day at the company's new Motorsports Building at Munderfing, Austria.
Herlings, who will be 22 in September, already had a fixed contract with KTM until the end of 2017 but this has now been updated for a further three years to put an end to all advances from Honda which was prepared to get out the cheque book in its search for a top name to replace Tim Gajser when the Slovenian goes Stateside in 2018. Herlings will move up to the MXGP class next year.
"We are very pleased to sign Jeffrey through to 2020,” said Beirer.
"He came to us at a very young age and we have seen him develop into a highly-skilled rider on all terrains. He is an outstanding competitor and to have 59 GP wins at such a young age is exceptional.
"Jeffrey is an integral part of our KTM family and we view our relationship with him as one for a lifetime.”
Herlings, who was rumoured to have signed with HRC, is delighted to be saying put.
"I'm really happy to be with KTM,” he said. "I've been there since 2009 and I'm very happy to extend my contract. Hopefully we will have a lot more championship titles and wins together.
"I will try to win as much as possible and I am thankful to have this chance. It's an opportunity and we'll try to make the best of it.
This will be my last year in MX2 and I'll try to win the title.”
Recognised as a very talented rider at a young age, Herlings first raced for KTM as a Factory Junior in 2009 after winning the world and European 85cc titles the previous year.
MX2 world champion in 2012/2013, he has conceded only one moto in the first 12 rounds of the current series.
Although he has sat out the last two rounds to heal a fractured collarbone, Herlings still has a 43-point lead with three rounds remaining.
