Motocross rider Jeffrey Herlings closed out the MXGP season in true champion fashion. At the final grand prix in Darwin, Australia, our world champion crossed the finish first in both motos on his Honda.
The 32-year-old Dutchman notched his eighth GP victory in a row, his thirteenth this season and the 125th of his career. Earlier this month in Turkey Herlings secured the world title for the sixth time, three of those in the MXGP — the premier class.
After winning the first moto with a 16-second lead over his French Honda teammate Tom Vialle, the margin in the second race was just over three seconds to the runner-up, Frenchman Romain Febvre.
Herlings will race once more this season. On October 4 he will represent the Netherlands together with Roan van de Moosdijk and Glenn Coldenhoff at the Motocross of Nations in France.
In the MX2 class the world title went to Guillem Farrés. The 23-year-old Spaniard did enough in Darwin with a second place in the first moto, behind his rival and teammate Camden McLellan. Farrés finished fifth in the second moto.
Farrés laid the groundwork for his title in the middle of the season with four consecutive wins. The Catalan, who will move up to MXGP next season, won six grands prix in total. Dutchman Kay Karssemakers was the best-placed Dutch rider in MX2, finishing tenth overall.
There was also Spanish success in the WMX. Daniela Guillén dethroned Dutch rider Lotte van Drunen. The 20-year-old Spanish GasGas rider won both motos in Darwin, enough to keep six-time world champion Kiara Fontanesi (32) of Italy behind her.
Guillén won three of the six grands prix this season. Van Drunen, a year younger, prevailed only at the Grand Prix of the Netherlands this year and finished third in the world standings.
