for it. Herlings settled for a lonely
second. Race two saw more fight
from "The Bullet," but once again
Coenen's pace proved too much
to overcome.
"I had a crash at the start and
hurt my back and neck quite
badly, so I was pretty sore all
weekend," Herlings said. "That
cost me some points again, like
in Argentina. But on Sunday, I felt
better, got a good start, and was
there fighting near the front. Lu
-
cas was the best this weekend,
no
excuses, he was faster. I think
even without the crash, it would
have been difficult to beat him."
Tim Gajser finished third over
-
all for his first podium aboard the
new Yamaha.
"It feels good to be on the podi
-
um," Gajser said. "We are still test-
ing things and making changes,
especially with the suspension, but
I felt much better as the weekend
went on. The starts didn't help, I
was outside the top 10 both races,
but in the second race I could
push more, make passes and ride
more aggressively."
Maxime Renaux and Andrea
Adamo rounded out the top five
in the overall classification.
MX2
The MX2 division saw the
crowd come alive as Spanish na
-
tive Guillem Farres battled to the
victory
in moto one. The local fa-
vorite went back and forth with his
Triumph
Factory Racing teammate
Camden McLellan as the two
battled late into the race. Eventu-
ally, the pair finished a close 1-2
with defending
champion Simon
Laengenfelder taking third.
Heartbreak struck for Farres in
race two as a mechanical issue
halted his chance at an overall
victory. He was forced to pull in
early and did not finish the race.
McLellan took full advantage
of the situation and put on a
charge from third. He passed his
way around Valerio Lata and Sa
-
cha Coenen to steal the lead, and
eventually
the race win. With 2-1
finishes, McLellan took his first-
ever Grand Prix overall victory
as well as a first for the Triumph
team. Even better for him, the
South African jumped to first in
the overall points standings.
"It's a special weekend for me,"
McLellan said. "Since my last
race win in Trentino, a long time
coming that makes it even more
sweet. The red plate is a nice
bonus as well."
Laengenfelder's consistency
paid off as a pair of thirds earned
him second on the day. He didn't
challenge for the lead in either
race but played it safe to take
a podium position and still sits
second in the championship.
"I felt good, but not perfect,"
Laengenfelder said. "Today Cam
-
den [McLellan] was just stronger
and
faster, so I didn't take any
risks. I focused on my rhythm
and did my own race: 3-3 is not
too bad for the championship.
Every point counts, especially
in such a competitive class, so
consistency is really important."
Third overall was Sacha
Coenen, who started up front
in both races, but a crash while
leading race one hindered his
overall ranking. He remounted
but only salvaged seventh in the
first moto. The Belgian rider fired
back and led again in race two
but eventually lost the spot to a
hard-charging McLellan.
Mathis Valin and Janis Reisulis
completed the top five overall.
CN
MXGP (Top 5)
1. Lucas Coenen (KTM) 1-1
2. Jeffrey Herlings (Hon) 3-2
3. Tim Gajser (Yam) 6-3
4. Maxime Renaux (Yam) 4-6
5. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 7-4
MX2 (Top 5)
1. Camden McLellan (Tri) 2-1
2. Simon Laengenfelder (KTM) 3-3
3. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 7-2
4. Mathis Valin (Kaw) 4-6
5. Janis Reisulis (Yam) 5-5
VOLUME 63 ISSUE 12 MARCH 24, 2026 P47
2026 MXGP of Andalucia Highlights
