Will Jeffrey Herlings race in the US National at Ironman this weekend? Nobody yet knows, but the word is he is testing an AMA-legal bike and has been issued with a race number, 784. Herlings can’t ride his GP bike in the event as strict AMA rules restrict use of some non-production parts. The frame, swingarm, engine cases and fuel system have to be stock-based. So apart from this meaning that Herlings isn’t running at least some of these stock parts, he’s testing a bike to see if he can ride at at full potential before making his mind up. He is in the USA at Aldon Baker’s training facility in Florida, prior to the US GP in the state next weekend.

MX Sports Pro Racing have now released this info:

Due to an internal error while we were traveling to the Ironman National in Crawfordsville, Indiana, MX Sports Pro Racing mistakenly released a draft of a press release involving multi-time FIM World Champion Jeffrey Herlings’ possible participation in this weekend’s final round of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross. Herlings has not actually entered the event and has only begun testing the bike he would have to ride, should he choose to participate in the AMA Pro Racing-sanctioned event; AMA Pro Racing and the FIM-sanctioned MXGP have different rules and regulations, and Herlings would not be able to use his usual race bike for this event.

“We totally jumped the starting gate on crafting a press release, and I take full responsibility for any confusion this may have caused,” said MX Sports Pro Racing’s Davey Coombs. “I apologize for the error and hope that Jeffrey enjoys his time here in America as he prepares for the main reason he and his team are here, which is next weekend’s MXGP of the USA in Florida.”

Of course this doesn’t mean he won’t race the National, it was just a premature press release. There’s no smoke without fire, of course…