Lucas Coenen Dominates as Febvre Takes Championship Lead at MXGP
In a gripping display of skill and resilience, Lucas Coenen of the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP achieved his second consecutive victory at the latest round of the MXGP series, solidifying his standing among the top competitors. Starting strong with a Win in the Qualifying Race, Coenen continued to demonstrate his prowess by clocking the fastest time in the Warm-Up session, ahead of competitor Fabien Febvre and teammate Maxime Renaux.
Coenen’s day began with a strong start, claiming his third Fox Holeshot Award of the season, battling evenly with Febvre, who sought to regain the advantage. Renaux suffered an early setback, falling after turn two, allowing Mattia Guadagnini from Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX Team to advance into the top five.
Despite an initial poor start, Glenn Coldenhoff surged through the pack, passing both Guadagnini and Carlos Fernandez to secure a strong position. Coenen, showcasing tactical skill, executed decisive passes on Jeremy Seewer and Jeffrey Herlings, with the latter struggling to recover from early-season injuries to ultimately finish tenth.
Brian Bogers of Fantic Factory Racing exhibited impressive form until a painful fall forced him to rejoin the race, eventually finishing 18th. Teammate Andrea Bonacorsi, however, surged into the top five as Coenen faced challenges in the muddy conditions, dropping him to 12th before Regaining his pace to finish strong.
In a dramatic conclusion, Coenen clinched the first race victory by over six seconds, despite relentless pressure from Febvre, who now leads the Championship standings by a mere three points ahead of the absent Tim Gajser.
The second race mirrored the start of the first, with Coenen securing his fourth Holeshot of the season. Fernandez momentarily pushed through to third, but the dry conditions soon started to impact performance. Renaux’s slip early on allowed Bonacorsi to rise, while Herlings struggled, suffering a minor crash that demoted him to ninth overall.
Ultimately, Fernandez captured third place, marking his first podium since last September. Febvre, battling fiercely for the lead, succumbed to a costly mistake that relegated him to second position once again.
Coenen’s impressive performance marks his 12th career GP win and narrows the gap in the championship standings; he currently trails Febvre by 43 points and is just 18 points shy of surpassing Gajser’s total. With the next GP set for Lugo next weekend, Febvre will carry the red plate, marking a pivotal moment in the season as the competition intensifies.
