Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1545207
Coenen, Valin Grab Wins at MXGP of Germany T he seventh round of the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championship took place at Germany's legendary Talkessel circuit in Teutschenthal, May 29-31. Changing weather con- ditions, deep ruts and a chal- lenging racetrack tested riders across both classes and led to several championship shakeups. Lucas Coenen and Mathis Valin emerged victorious in MXGP and MX2, respectively, with both riders gaining momentum as the series hits its stride. MXGP Lucas Coenen continued his remarkable championship cam - paign with a dominant 1-1 sweep for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. The Belgian teenager controlled both motos from the front, tak- ing holeshots in each race and leading every lap en route to his third perfect Grand Prix perfor- mance of the season. While several championship contend- ers crashed or faced mechanical problems, Coenen remained com- posed and mistake-free all day. His commanding performance increased his championship ad- vantage to 31 points over Jeffrey Herlings as the series heads to Latvia's sands June 6-7. Andrea Adamo celebrated his first MXGP podium with a career- best second-place finish overall. The Red Bull KTM rookie showed impressive consistency through- WIND IN THE P50 out the weekend and spent much of both motos battling established veterans. Adamo overcame a mid-race crash with Ruben Fernandez in moto one and rebounded with another strong ride in race two, where he held off repeated attacks from defending champion Romain Febvre. A 7-3 scorecard was still enough to secure the runner-up spot and complete a one-two fin - ish for the KTM team. "It's amazing," Adamo said. "It's my first podium in my rookie season, and there are many fast guys out there, including many world champions. The line be- tween P3 and P10 is thin." Ruben Fernandez rounded out the podium with his strongest result of the year. The Honda HRC Petronas rider ran near the front in both motos of the weekend and capitalized on mistakes by other main contenders. Fernandez claimed third in the opening moto, which set him up nicely for the day's overall podium. Even after a crash in race two, the Spanish rider put in a strong performance for seventh and secured enough points to hold onto third overall by a narrow margin. The result marked his first podium appear - ance since the 2025 season and provided a morale boost for the Honda HRC squad, as Herlings did not finish race one and Vialle did not race at all. Jeffrey Herlings endured one of his toughest weekends of the season. The Honda rider strug - gled with a poor start in race one and then suffered a mechanical issue that forced him out of the moto entirely. He rebounded with a strong second-place finish in race two but could only salvage ninth overall, allowing Coenen to significantly extend his champi - onship lead. Defending champion Romain Febvre also faced adversity throughout the day. Crashes in both motos kept the Kawasaki rider from reaching the podium, and he finished 10th overall. MX2 Mathis Valin captured the first Grand Prix victory of his career with a breakthrough Lucas Coenen rode two stellar motos and further extended his MXGP Championship lead.