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.”
