Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing had to settle for fifth place overall at the twelfth round of the MXGP season in Matterley Basin, Great Britain. The Dutchman, who came into the weekend in great form after back-to-back Grand Prix victories in Germany and Latvia, rode to two fourth-place finishes in the motos.

The championship left Central Europe and arrived at the iconic Motocross of Nations circuit and regular British Grand Prix venue for the past twenty years: Matterley Basin. Located near the city of Winchester and close to the southern coast, the circuit was scorched by high early summer temperatures. The English soil was hard-packed, fast, and rough for the twelfth Grand Prix of 2025.

Herlings started the weekend strongly by winning Saturday’s qualifying race, securing his second pole position of the season. In Sunday’s first moto, he looked set for a fourth consecutive race win, but a mistake with three laps to go dropped him to fourth place. In the second moto, a few small errors and tricky track conditions made things more difficult. Despite this, Herlings stayed close to the front group and crossed the line in fourth once again.

“The win on Saturday was fine, but with two or three laps to go in the first moto I made a mistake while going for the lead,” Herlings explained afterward. “In the second moto, the track was extremely difficult for passing — almost impossible. 4-4 today — it wasn’t my best day. We’ll work hard toward Finland. I’m sixth in the standings now, but I’m still aiming for third place. That’s realistic and achievable.”

The next round of the season takes place in mid-July in Finland, where MXGP will visit the brand-new KymiRing circuit for the first time.

Photocredits – Juan Pablo Acevedo