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JEFFREY HERLINGS
450 MXGP / 1ST
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / TILLS
>> A true king doesn’t look to rule one specific piece of territory. Their minds wander, coveting for new boundaries along the horizon. They see no borders; the entirety of a landscape is theirs for the taking, and as a true monarch, the quench for absolute reign is always germane. Enter Jeffrey Herlings who’s a valedictorian
in the eyes of many. Tedious in his habits, as the series rolls into the inaugural WW, his agenda was to force all of his fellow peers to inscribe lessons into their notepad. Starting with the initial practice session, he felt solid, launching the immaculate sin- gles with dyer intent. You could truly tell he wanted this victory; now, if only he could translate this into the following motos. It was now time, the field loaded into the start- ing gate to begin the first round. The countdown begins, and the wick is lit, the bomb explodes. As the field rockets down the start straight, Herlings jump was less than ideal, and Herlings knew he had to work a bit of his second moto Ironman magic, in order to garner a solid result. He would do so, pushing to the front, the bike dancing every which way, but his style constantly standing. Waiting much longer than most to sit down, he was allowing the chop to be absorbed by the most precise point of stroke, and then falling into a solid turning pattern. His foundational technique was gaining time on everyone in the field, except for Tomac; who was gone. He would work his way up to second, staying here, and looking forward to redemption. Moto number two, saw Herlings out too a much stronger start, with Tomac a few places behind, and he chasing the familiar foe of Antonio Cairoli. Absolutely blistering down the start straight, he would rail the outside of the berm on such a thin line, all the while eyeing the highlighted helmet of the number 222. He would eventually make the move, almost as if Cairoli had his eyes set on the title; nevertheless, his effort and speed were more than enough to be considered a serious advocate of competi- tion. His latter laps would be spent in the lead, overtaking the number one ride, and then cruising to victory. He’d done enough for the overall, his time in America not being able to go much better.
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GRITMOTO • SEPTEMBER 4, 2017