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Herlings, Coenen Make It A KTM Sweep At MXGP of Latvia R ound nine of the FIM Moto- cross World Championship took place at the sandy circuit of Kegums, Latvia, on June 8-9, where two new winners left their mark on the 2024 season. In the MXGP division, Jeffrey Herlings secured his first win in over a year, while his KTM teammate Sacha Coenen claimed his first career overall victory. MXGP The rain came and down - poured just before the gate dropped for the first MXGP moto, leaving the track a muddy mess for the MX1 heavyweights. Nev - ertheless, Jorge Prado secured the all-important holeshot over Herlings and points-rival Tim Gajser. Both Herlings and Gajser swiftly passed Prado in the first two laps, pushing the red plate holder back to third. On lap three, Prado slid out in the mud, losing his chance at the podium. Despite dealing with a muddy bike, he managed to secure seventh place. Further ahead, Herlings main - tained control to claim victory ahead of Gajser and Glen Cold- enhoff. Prado again took the start in race two with Herlings and Ga - jser closely in tow. This remained the running order for the entirety of the second moto, with all three riders finishing within three seconds of each other. Herlings' third in moto two earned him the overall with 1-3 finishes, his 104th overall win. Gajser's 2-2 and Prado's 7-1 rounded out the podium with Gajser retaking the points lead by four over Prado. "I was able to show people I could still ride a bit," Herlings said. MX2 The MX2 races saw more bar- to-bar battles as Sacha Coenen, Lucas Coenen, Kay de Wolf, and Simon Laengenfelder slugged it out. Sacha Coenen held the lead early in race one and defended the spot by sending de Wolf off- track during a pass attempt. De Wolf, the current points leader, remounted an attack and made the move for the lead, taking his Husqvarna teammate and brother Lucas Coenen with him for second. This move placed Sa - cha in third as the two Husqvar- nas finished one and two in the first moto. Race two spelled disaster for the Husqvarna teammates as multiple crashes throughout the moto dropped them both out of contention for the lead. For de Wolf, he threw away the race win and later hit the deck three more times before crossing the line in ninth. Lucas Coenen crashed out of second place and eventually worked his way back to third, salvaging second overall with 2-3 scores. Sacha Coenen benefited from these mistakes, as the KTM rider ran away with the moto victory: 3-1 scores earned the young Belgian his first overall win ahead of Lucas' 2-3 and Laengenfelder's 4-2. This marked the first time two brothers have landed on the podium since Dar - ryl and Shayne King did it back in 1997. CN MXGP OVERALL 1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 1-3 2. Tim Gajser (Hon) 2-2 3. Jorge Prado (GG) 7-1 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (Fan) 3-4 5. Brian Bogers (Fan) 4-5 MX2 OVERALL 1. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 3-1 2. Lucas Coenen (Hus) 2-3 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GG) 4-2 4. Kay de Wolf (Hus) 1-9 5. Liam Everts (KTM) 5-4 WIND IN THE P42 Jeffrey Herlings earned his first overall win in more than a year. PHOTOS: RAY ARCHER