9MM Energy Drink BUD Racing junior Lucas Coenen followed up his midweek career-first FIM European Championship moto win with a perfect double-victory in today’s third race in a week at Pietramurata.

The fourteen-year old Belgian rookie, facing competition up to three years older, made the perfect start as he holeshot the first moto after qualifying fourth on the same second as pole at the glorious track in the shadows of the Italian Dolomites; he immediately raced clear of the series points leader to already hold a comfortable six-second lead after ten minutes and eventually take victory, together with the fastest lap, by sixteen seconds. Once more hooking up perfectly out of the gate in race two the teenager immediately raced clear; leading by two seconds already at the end of the first lap he was content to control that slender advantage through the slippery opening minutes before racing ever further clear during the second half to complete his perfect day with moto victory by seventeen seconds and again the fastest lap of the race. After a difficult start to the series in the summer the youngster has now closed to within four points of third in the championship and will be chasing not only more race victories but also an FIM medal in the series final at Mantova ten days from now.

In the EMX250 Quentin Prugnières wasn’t too lucky and just came back home with a few points. In the first moto he starts mid pack and was back in twelfth position when he had a crash and finish seventeenth; overtaking is so difficult on this track that you have to take some risks to pass. His second start was much better, but he was involved in a pile up in the first corner; back from last to twentieth, he was not really rewarded for his efforts.

Two more rounds for the EMX250 next Saturday and Tuesday at Mantova (Italy) where the EMX125 will also be part of the program on Tuesday.

Lucas Coenen: “It was a great first race, taking my first holeshot and leading all the way. The track was really difficult today with the bumps, tricky on some sections and it was not easy with the lapped riders but my bike handled it perfectly. It feels so good to go 1-1 to stand on the top step of the podium today; that’s what I wanted after I made a couple of mistakes in the second race on Tuesday. Now I’m looking forward to the final round at Mantova next week where I will try to get similar results. “

Stéphane Dasse: “We are super happy of course, a long time since the team won his last European Championship round! Lucas was strong today with two holeshot and two wins, the perfect weekend! For Quentin his results didn’t reflect his riding, just a shame that in the second moto he was involved in the pile up as he finally had a great start. We keep confident and positive; we hope to end the season at Mantova with great results to prepare 2022 in the best conditions.”

9MM Energy Drink BUD Racing Lucas Coenen claimed an overwhelming career-first FIM European Championship moto win at Pietramurata in the Trentino region of northern Italy today, to finish runner up of the event.

Fastest rider in his qualifying group Lucas moved quickly from a third-placed start in race one to take the lead quickly and sprinted clear at more than two seconds each lap before easing back through the final laps for a still-comfortable fourteen-second victory. A double-win looked on the cards as he sliced his way to the front already on the opening lap of race two, but two slips cast him back to fifteenth before a remarkable recovery as he consistently lapped faster than the eventual winner to end the day second on the podium. His brother Sacha wasn’t racing today as his wrist is still painful.

In the EMX250 Quentin Prugnières also show terrific pace in the shadow of the Dolomites as he pushed his KX250 from twenty-seventh to thirteenth after spinning at the gate in the first EMX250 moto. The second one wasn’t better; after a start in the pack Quentin never found a good rhythm and cross the finish line in seventeenth position.

Lucas Coenen: “It feels good to be be back winning again but of course I’m disappointed not to take the overall too even though I am still on the podium. I managed to pass quickly from third for the lead and made a big gap in the first race and I could soon take the lead in the second moto two, but then I fell two times. “

Quentin Prugnières: “At the first start I slides on the metal plate and then I was able to come back thirteenth which was not so bad. Second moto was different, the start wasn’t so good and then I never found a good rhythm and struggle to make more passes. Disappointed with this moto, and already focus on the next one.

From Spain team 9MM Energy Drink BUD Racing Kawasaki moves to Italy and will stay nearly two weeks at Arco di Trento for three GP’s. Last Saturday Amandine Verstappen and Lucas Coenen were racing, while Sacha was only a spectator after his wrist injury in Spain.

No time to rest since a few weeks, and we still have four more races in Italy at our program until mid November! On Saturday it was the sixth and final round of the Women World Championship, and Amandine Verstappen scores a fifth position. She did a great opening moto as she did most of the race with the triple World Champion Courtney Duncan (2019-2020-2021), but in the second moto she was missing some rhythm and could only finish eighth; fifth overall, she ends the season sixth in the standings.

With a painful wrist, Sacha wasn’t racing this weekend and Lucas Coenen represent the team in the Euro 125. Tenth behind the gate he didn’t got a good start in the first moto, and on this track he didn’t felt as comfortable as usual and came back from twentieth to twelfth. His second race was much better with a third position; fourth overall, he is currently fifth in the standings before the next round this Tuesday, where the Euro 250 will be also in action

Lucas: “Not a great day for me, even if the timed practice session was OK with a fifth position in my group. My first start was not good, I was far in the pack and didn’t had a good rhythm, not enough aggressive. I finish twelfth, not good at all! At the second start I made a great opening turn to come fourth, then later I passed Bruce for third but the two leaders were too far. I finish third, with a better start it would have been possible to race for a win.”

Amandine: “The first race was OK, I did all the race in the top four near Courtney Duncan; in the last part of the race I felt physically tired, but happy with good lap times during the race. My second start was not that good, then I didn’t had a great feeling on the track; now we’ll have a break, and then go back working, we know what we have to do this winter to continue to improve our results.”

Team 9MM Energy Drink BUD Racing Kawasaki was in Spain this weekend, where the Women World Championship was back in action alongside the European 125. After his podiums in Germany and France Lucas Coenen got a third one there, always with a third overall, while Amandine Verstappen ends this GP in sixth position.

Lucas Coenen was smiling when he climbed on the podiums at Teutschenthal and Lacapelle Marival, but in Spain he didn’t seems so happy when he moves on the box at Intu Xanadu in the suburbs of Madrid! His first race was perfect, as he crossed the finish line in second position just 3/10th of a second behind the race winner, and before the second start everything was possible including a race win. Unfortunately after an early crash in moto two he had to push to come back eighth, enough to get a podium with a third overall; he is now fourth in the standings with four more rounds to go.

Second fastest rider in the timed practice period, Sacha had a crash in the first race and lost time to finish sixth. Fighting for the win against the championship leader in the second heat, Sacha was unfortunate when he landed in a hole after a big jump and immediately felt pain in his wrist; forced to retire, he had the first examinations on site and nothing seems really damaged.

The penultimate round of the WMX was also at the program in Spain; Amandine started the first moto eleventh before a strong ride up the leaderboard to sixth, with fourth in sight, at the finish. A difficult opening lap in race two left the Belgian down in fifteenth place but she rode with determination to secure seventh at the chequered flag, sufficient to earn sixth overall on the day to retain that position in the series standings. Next and final round this weekend in Arco di Trento.

Lucas Coenen: “I was happy to post a good result in the timed practice period, but I can’t explain why I missed a good start today. In the first race I was able to come back second really close to the winner, but in the second one the rider in front of me took suddenly the brakes and I had no place to go. I crashed, lost time and then came back eighth; not bad, but we could have done much better. Next week we move to Arco, I really like this track and expect good results there.”

Amandine Verstappen: “The track was wet during the free practice session, but when it gets drier I felt more and more comfortable. I was fifth for a long time in the timed practice period but couldn’t improve my lap time at the end so I had the seventh gate-pick which was OK here. My start wasn’t that good in the first race; I don’t know what I did but I was outside the top ten. I came back to sixth and was fighting for the fourth position with Papenmeier and Van der Vlist; I was happy with my rhythm as I had the fourth fastest lap time in the race. Another rider hit me at the start of the second moto and I was involved in a collective crash; I was last and came back seventh. Again I was happy with my riding.”

Sacha Coenen: “The track was great, very well prepared and in the timed practice period I got a second position. My first start was very bad, I came back fifth but then made a mistake; I regain the race in eighth and finish sixth, which was not too bad. My second start was not really good but I gained many positions during the first lap, and I was second when I jumped very far and had to stop with a painful wrist.”

Team 9MM Energy Drink BUD Racing Kawasaki enjoyed racing at home this weekend, as a French GP was back in the calendar at Lacapelle Marival. One week after celebrating his first European podium in Germany, Lucas Coenen again enjoyed the podium celebration with a third overall.

Never in the past Lacapelle Marival had the opportunity to organize a MXGP, and the fans didn’t miss this opportunity to come and cheer their heroes. For team Bud Racing involved in the European Championships with their three riders, it was a great opportunity to welcome some partners on site.
Once more Lucas struggles in the timed practice session, as he qualified eighteenth on a track where the gate pick is more important than ever. But Lucas keeps confident and thanks to his ability and his powerful bike, he got two decent starts inside the top fifteen in race one and within the top ten in race two; it was enough to come back fifth and third of the races for third overall. He’s now tenth in the standings.
Fastest in the free practice session and sixth in the timed practice period, Sacha did two great starts as he was in the top three at each one; unfortunately, he lost this advantage with a crash in the first lap of both motos. Back from eighteenth to eleventh in race one, and from twenty sixth to thirteenth in race two, he finishes fourteenth overall and is now sixth in the standings.
Qualified in seventeenth position, one second slower than the top eight, Quentin got a decent start inside the top twenty of the first race and came back eleventh on the finish line. His second start will be worse as he finishes the opening lap twenty sixth, to come back eighteenth.

No race for Quentin next weekend, but Lucas and Sacha will be in Spain for the fifth of nine rounds in the EMX125.

Lucas: “A good day, even if the timed practice session wasn’t so good with an eighteenth gate pick. I had good jumps at the gate, but from outside it was difficult to get a good start. My second one was better than the first one, and in both motos I found spots to pass some rivals and come back fifth and third. Another podium, it was cool this weekend to see so many fans around the track.”

Sacha: “A tough day, even if I got good results during the practice session with a pole in the free session and then a sixth, just one second from pole position. My first start was really good, I was second when I lost the front wheel and crashed; it was a tough race, I came back eleventh. My second start was again very good, but after my crash I was far away and came back thirteenth.”

Quentin: “The qualifying session was not so good, as I qualified seventeenth. My first start was decent, we worked hard for that and then I got a good rhythm, happy with my riding. The second start was not that good, maybe too excited I hit the gate and then never find a good rhythm, very disappointed with this moto.”