Herlings, Coenen
Lead the Way at
Latvian MXGP
R
ound 11 of the FIM Motocross World
Championship took place on the sandy cir-
cuit of Zelta Zirgs Motocenter for the MXGP
of Latvia on June 8. The damp weather and
midweek rain created deep conditions that
only the strongest riders could withstand. In
the end it was another war of attrition, and
those with the least number of mistakes
came out on top. Two Red Bull KTM riders,
and two sand specialists in their own right,
Jeffrey Herlings and Sacha Coenen, took the
weekend's overall wins.
MXGP
It's hard to bet against Jeffrey Herlings on
a sand track like this. The former champion
continues to improve after his late start to the
season, but after a win at round 10, the only
improvement was a 1-1 sweep. After winning
the qualifying race, the Dutchman carried the
momentum into Sunday, putting himself into
the lead on the opening lap in both races. He
went untouched in each moto, leading every
lap en route to a dominant overall victory. His
perfect weekend saw him claim his 109th GP
win, his ninth at the Zelta Zirgs Motocenter.
"Let's repeat it nine more times, eh," Herlings
said. "If only it were that simple! I'm thankful for
the win. Lucas [Coenen] pushed hard in both
races, so credit to him as well. Those guys are
riding really strong. I'm happy to come out on
top and looking forward to the next race. We'll
try to keep the momentum going, but it won't be
easy because everyone's improving."
Herlings' KTM teammate Lucas Coenen
kept him honest all day. The young Belgian
rider grabbed both holeshots but quickly sur-
rendered the lead to Herlings and followed
him closely throughout the race. Coenen set
the fastest lap in race one but was still no
match for Herlings, who's known as the "King
of Kegums." In Latvia, Coenen finished sec-
ond overall for the fourth GP in a row, putting
WIND
IN THE
P54
Jeffrey Herlings
is the King of
Kegums. He
swept the day
with 1-1 finishes.
Sacha Coenen stayed consistent
and won the MX2 overall.