First podium for Lucas Coenen, first win for Sacha Coenen

Just a few weeks after their domination on the French Junior Championship, Lucas and Sacha Coenen got great results in Germany where the European Championship was back in action. Lucas claimed for the first time on a European podium, while Sacha won his first European moto in this class. Not such a good weekend in the European 250, where Quentin Prugnières scores a fourteenth position.

After a very long break as the last round of the EMX125 was three months ago in Maggiora, the series start again this weekend in Germany where team 9MM Energy Drink BUD Racing Kawasaki line up his full Euro squad as the EMX250 was also part of the event. Both championships will now continue on a high rhythm, with six rounds within five weeks with the next one in Lacapelle Marival (France) this weekend.

Qualified third in his group Sacha got a good gate pick and nearly holeshot the first moto; he missed it but after two corners he was leading the race, posting the fastest lap time in the third circulation. One lap later he was on the ground after a mistake, and he regained the race seventeenth to finish the moto in fifteenth position. No more mistake and a perfect race for him in the next moto: holeshot, best lap and a win, the first one for him at this level and a fourth overall. This weekend the podium was for Lucas, who got a third overall after two strong races; only qualified in twentieth position, it was impossible for him to get great starts as the inside positions at the gate are so important at Teutschenthal. His starts were mid pack, but in each motos Lucas made many passes during the races to come back four and third, enough to secure a nice podium result.

It was a tougher day in the 250 class for our ‘rookie’ Quentin Prugnières, who qualified only twenty fourth! Outside the top twenty at each start, Quentin missed a good start in the first moto and collided with another rider in the next one; he never gives up to come back twice in fourteenth position, with some more experience for the future.

Lucas Coenen: “Difficult to get a good start from the twentieth gate, not the first time that I struggle to do a fast lap in the timed practice session. I came back fourth and third in the motos, I try to make more passes in the last laps but that was not easy as there were many deep ruts on the track. Very happy with my first European podium!”

Sacha Coenen: “I had a good feeling with the track, but during my fastest lap in the timed practice session I crashed and finish third. I got a great start in race one and took the lead after two corners, but then I crashed after a few laps; I was shocked, made some other mistakes, it was not a good moto. I had a lot of fun in the second one, I enjoy the track, just a shame the first moto.”

Quentin Prugnières: “Two bad starts today, always my fault. I did two strong races coming back twice fourteenth, just a shame that I missed a corner and lost some positions just four laps before the end in race one. At the second start we tangle with another rider…. The team work a lot to improve the bike for the starts, I need to work to improve my technique to get better results. Next week we race at home; I will give all!”

Lucas Coenen French Junior champion, Sacha vice champion

Sacha Coenen and Amandine Verstappen won this weekend
Lucas Coenen French Junior champion, Sacha vice champion

Another great weekend for team 9MM Energy Drink BUD Racing Kawasaki, who won two events on the French Championship. In Saint Jean d’Angely Amandine Verstappen won both races of the Women series, while in Villars sous Ecot Sacha and Lucas Coenen got another 1-2. It was the final round of the French Junior, and Lucas is the new champion while Sacha is runner up in the series.

Never in the long history of the French Motocross we saw two brothers fighting for the title, before this final round of the 2021 Junior. Coming to this round eleven points behind his brother, Sacha had to win to keep some chance of title while Lucas could secure top three results. But with the Coenen brothers there’s no strategy, it’s always wide open! And this weekend Sacha was the strongest, taking his revenge as his brother dominates the previous two rounds in Romagne and Magescq; with better starts Sacha got a double win, but in the first race he had to control Lucas while in the second he had no rivals. With two heat wins he scores 50 points, but as Lucas finish twice second it was not enough to reverse the situation; despite a bad start in race one and a very bad one in race two, Lucas came back twice second to secure his title. In the MX2 class Quentin Prugnières ends the series in fifth position, best rookie in the class.

In Saint Jean d’Angely Amandine Verstappen got another double win, and remains unbeaten in the French women series. Fastest in the practice session, winner of the qualifying race and later of both motos, Amandine is leading the series by 36 points before the next two rounds. She will be in action this weekend at Clastres, while Lucas, Sacha and Quentin have three weeks to prepare the European championship who will start again on October 3rd in Germany.

Lucas Coenen: “My start in the last race was really bad, but I stay confident as in the first moto I already did a strong come back after an average start. I couldn’t beat Sacha today, he was really fast on this track but second positions were enough to get the title.”

Sacha Coenen: “My first start was so-so, I was in the top ten and came back immediately third but struggle to pass the leaders as there was mainly one good line. I did a little mistake, then come back and finally pass both leaders to win the race. The second moto was easier as I got the holeshot and then had fun on the track, it was a good weekend”

Quentin Prugnières: “Unhappy with the first part of the races, especially the second one as some riders push me in the first corners. I could get a good rhythm after ten minutes, but then in the last minutes of the races I struggle physically. I was disappointed at the end of the second moto when another rider did a block pass, as I lost seven positions, and I know what I need to work on before coming back in the EMX250.”

Amandine Verstappen: “What can I say? Pole position in the timed practice period, then I won the qualifying race and both motos, it was another good weekend. Let’s go now to the two final rounds of the series!”

A sixth for Amandine Verstappen in Turkey

Amandine Verstappen got a sixth position during the second race of the Women World Championship in four days at Afyonkarahisar in Turkey. She is currently sixth in the standings, with two more races to go.

Amandine Verstappen once again impressed on the 9MM Energy Drink BUD Racing Kawasaki. Seventh in Qualification, she quickly secured sixth place in the opening moto, took over fifth after eleven minutes and, with solid lap times throughout the moto, was closing rapidly on the girl ahead through the final laps to finish just two seconds shy of fourth. In a repeat of her first start on Saturday the Belgian overshot the first turn in race two and was down in eleventh place at the end of lap one but she continued to push to reach eighth by half-distance, taking over seventh four laps from the end to secure sixth overall on the day and advance to the same ranking in the series points chase.

Now Amandine will race three back to back rounds of the French Championship, and will defend her leadership as she remains unbeaten.

Amandine Verstappen: “I’m pretty happy with my lap times and races but the results were not as good as on Saturday due to my starts. The lap times were really close during the timed practice period and I was in the same second as the fourth-best time with seventh. My first start was average but I came back to fifth, really close to van de Ven and Papenmeier. What can we say about my second start? The start is so important now that when you finish the opening lap in eleventh position you can’t fight for a podium. I found some good lines; most of the girls took the inside lines in the corners and I had to go outside to make some passes and come back to seventh. Now we have to return home quickly as next weekend we have the French Championship at St Jean d’Angely.”

Best season result for Amandine

Amandine Verstappen got her best result of the season this weekend at Afyonkarahisar, where the Women World Championship was back in action for a double GP. Fourth overall, she will have on Tuesday another opportunity to get a top result.

Fifth in Qualification, Amandine Verstappen stormed out of the start gate in race one on the 9MM Energy Drink BUD Racing Kawasaki but overshot the first turn to emerge fourth. She quickly regrouped to take over third on the second lap and, despite persistent pressure, defended that position defiantly throughout the remainder of the race for her best result of the season to date. The Belgian again showed commitment in race two as she quickly converted an eighth-placed start into fifth by the end of the opening lap and next time round was fourth, a position she held until two laps from the close when she was pushed back to fifth. She narrowly missed the podium as fourth overall and remains seventh in the series points standings.

Amandine Verstappen: “It was a good day for me. The track was really well-prepared and I already had a good feeling in the practice session; I was happy to have a good gate-pick with fifth-fastest time. I never take a gate next to my main rivals but I was a little bit too far from the inside and in the first corner the inside line was harder and faster than the outside. In the first race I had good start and battled all race-long to finish third which was my best of the season. In the second moto I was fourth for a long time, then I made a small mistake and lost one position but fourth overall is my best result so far. I have been training differently for the last month and today we saw the result; today was good mentally to give me confidence for the remainder of the series! ”

The WMX competitors now have three days to regroup before the second race of the Turkish double-header at the same facility on Tuesday.

Another win & double podium for the Coenen brothers

Lucas and Sacha Coenen once again hoisted the colours of the 9MM Energy Drink BUD Racing Kawasaki team on the highest steps of the podium at the French Junior Championship in Romagne, where Lucas won ahead of Sacha. More complicated day in the sands of Lommel for Amandine, Quentin and Hakon.

Change of leader in the French Juniors, and after this fourth round of the series in Brittany it is now Lucas who hold the red plate as leader of the Championship! In Romagne the twin brothers had no real opponents, each one posting the best time in their qualifying group before fighting for victory in both races. Sacha got the holeshot in both motos and was the first leader of the races, but twice he will be trapped when he comes back on the lappers, which will allow Lucas to take the lead in each race to get a double win. Lucas (1/1) climbs on the top step of the podium ahead of Sacha (2/2) and is now five points ahead of his brother before the Magescq round on August 28 and 29.

The sands of Lommel hosted the Women’s World Championship and the European 250. Tenth in qualifying practice, Amandine Verstappen will never manage to ride as she knows how to do on this surface; for a long time sixth in the first round before losing two places by arriving on the lappers – definitely! – she will be classified ninth in the second round and is seventh in the championship, fourteen points from the podium before the next double GP which will be organised at the beginning of September in Turkey. For Hakon Fredriksen, who got a podium here last year, the 2021 vintage will not be remembered; fifth fastest time in his group, our Norwegian had a big crash soon after the start of the first race; he will courageously try to restart in the second heat, but will give up after a few laps. Despite bad starts including a crash at the second one, Quentin Prugnières will never give up to do two good races coming back from the twenty-first to eleventh in the first moto, and then from thirty-eighth to eighteenth in the second one. Thirteenth of the day, he continues to learn for his first year in the 250 class at only 16 years old, he will race again this weekend as the European Championship 250 continues in Latvia.

Lucas: “I had a bit of trouble getting into practice, but then it went well and in qualifying I had a good result with the pole of my group. In the first moto I start in second and stay there until my brother has a problem with a lapper; I passed him on the outside and I won. My second start was not great, but I was quickly second behind Sacha, whom I overtook when he again had a problem with a lapper, happy with the day. ”

Sacha: “The track was really well prepared and in the qualifying session I was able to set good times with pole position. In the first moto I grabbed the holeshot and lead the race during fifteen minutes until a lapper blocks me, Lucas overtakes me at that time and I could not catch him. Second moto and another holeshot, and once again a lapper makes me fall! Lucas wins, I finished second twice and it’s still a good weekend. ”

Amandine: “I raced almost all of the first moto in sixth position, but a couple of laps before the end the marshal didn’t put out the blue flag and I lost two positions. The second moto was more difficult as I had used a lot of energy in the first one; physically it was tough today. Now we have several weeks before the next GP in Turkey; we went there two years ago and the track suits me.”