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/1545293
Coenen Brothers Capture Wins at MXGP of Latvia T he eighth round of the 2026 FIM Motocross World Cham- pionship took place at Latvia's famous Kegums circuit on June 6-7. After days of wet weather leading into the weekend, sunny skies greeted riders on race day at the Motocenter Zelta Zirgs fa- cility. The event marked a historic moment for the Coenen family, as Lucas and Sacha Coenen became the first pair of brothers to each win a Grand Prix on the same day. Lucas further extend- ed his advantage in the MXGP Championship points, while Sacha continued his recent surge in the MX2 division, retaining the top spot on the MX2 Champion- ship leaderboard. MXGP Lucas Coenen delivered an- other commanding performance for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, sweeping the qualifying race and winning both motos. The Belgian teenager grabbed the holeshot in race one and led every lap despite a fading clutch late in the race. In race two, Lucas took the lead on lap one and never looked back. This victory marked his 20th career Grand Prix win and his fourth of the season. More importantly, a mechanical failure for Jeffrey Herlings in the second moto allowed Lucas to extend his championship lead to 62 points as the series heads into the midseason break. Lucas is also set to make his U.S. debut next weekend at round three of the Pro Motocross Championship. Kay de Wolf con- tinued his transition to the MXGP class with a career-best second overall for the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team. We knew the Dutchman would be strong on sand, and he proved a factor in both motos, charg- ing from fourth to second in race one before overcoming a difficult start in race two. De Wolf worked his way forward and eventually passed Tim Gajser to secure third in the moto, which earned him runner-up honors in the overall rankings. This result continues an upward trend for the former MX2 World Champion, who has improved his overall result in each of the last four rounds. Romain Febvre completed the podium with a consistent 4-2 score. The reigning MXGP World Champion spent much of the opening moto battling Jef- frey Herlings and de Wolf before settling for fourth. In race two, Febvre led early and stayed in the hunt for a podium position. A mechanical for Herlings late in the race bumped Febvre up a spot and put him on the box for the day. While he was unable to challenge for the overall victory, the podium result gave Febvre a solid points haul in the champion- ship battle. Jeffrey Herlings looked to challenge for the overall win after finishing second in the first moto and running near the front in the second moto. However, a me- chanical issue cut his day short for the second consecutive week- end, leaving him with a 10th-place finish and a major setback in the championship standings. Tim Gajser finished fourth overall, while local favorite Pauls Jonass gave Latvian fans plenty to cheer about in fifth overall. MX2 Sacha Coenen continued his recent dominance in the MX2 division, claiming his third WIND IN THE P56 Lucas Coenen dominated both MXGP motos with another 1-1 overall victory.