Lucas Coenen Claims Muddy MXGP Qualifying Win as Weather Strikes Again in Portugal

What began as a sunny day at the MXGP of Portugal quickly turned chaotic as a massive downpour rolled over the Crossódromo Internacional de Águeda, soaking the circuit just in time for the MX2 and MXGP Qualifying Races.

Much like last year’s edition, the rain transformed the track into a slippery battlefield, setting the stage for drama, crashes, and some standout performances.

In the MXGP class, it was Lucas Coenen who emerged with a commanding victory, backing up his overall win in Switzerland with another confident ride. Calvin Vlaanderen secured a season-best second, while Romain Febvre fought through multiple crashes to salvage third.

The action started early, with Febvre clocking the fastest time in Free Practice on a bone-dry track. But it was Coenen who edged him out in Time Practice by just 0.054 seconds. Jeffrey Herlings, Coenen’s teammate, dug deep on his final lap to sneak into third, bumping Kevin Horgmo out of the top spots.

As the gate dropped, Febvre launched off the line to take the lead, but Coenen found an inside line and briefly passed him before missing a gear in front of the grandstand. The Frenchman crashed at the start of the first full lap, handing the lead back to Coenen with Herlings and Vlaanderen in pursuit.

Pauls Jonass looked strong early but was passed by Jeremy Seewer at the end of lap one. Seewer’s run was cut short with a crash, allowing Febvre to recover and move up to fourth, briefly passing both his teammate and Seewer in one move. Jonass would also hit the ground soon after.

The chaos opened the door for Kevin Brumann and Ruben Fernandez to climb into the top six, while Roan van de Moosdijk also found himself in contention. Further back, Andrea Bonacorsi cracked the top ten.

Febvre kept pushing and passed Vlaanderen on lap five, just as Jonass and Bonacorsi both hit the deck again. That allowed Glenn Coldenhoff and Mattia Guadagnini to move up.

A late charge from Maxime Renaux, who had been uncertain to even race due to injury, saw him climb into ninth, before Seewer pipped him on the last lap. But it was Fernandez who drew attention with two separate falls near the finish, dropping him out of the top five.

Then came the biggest incident of the race. While cruising comfortably in second, Herlings caught his foot on a bump, lost control over a downhill jump, and hit the ground hard. Febvre, just behind him, had no time to react and collided with the Dutchman. Herlings later confirmed online that he suffered at least one broken rib but still plans to line up for Sunday.

Despite the drama, Febvre still crossed the line third behind Vlaanderen. Brumann claimed a career-best fourth, with Van de Moosdijk fifth. Fernandez and Herlings recovered to sixth and seventh, and Coldenhoff brought it home in eighth.

Coenen, unfazed by the treacherous conditions, crossed the line with a 13-second gap, cutting his deficit in the championship to 49 points behind Febvre. The Frenchman, in turn, sits just 19 points behind the absent red-plate holder Tim Gajser.

With more rain expected, Sunday’s races are set to be as unpredictable as ever.

MX2: Adamo Leads Red Bull KTM 1-2

In MX2, it was a clean sweep for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, with Andrea Adamo leading Sacha Coenen for a dominant 1-2 finish. Defending winner Liam Everts claimed third after fending off Kay de Wolf.

Sacha topped Free Practice, but Simon Längenfelder found over half a second in Time Practice to secure pole. Adamo, despite a modest 13th in Time Practice, rocketed out of the gate, slipping past Längenfelder into turn two and immediately setting the tone. Coenen also went around the German in the downhill section, and things only got worse for Längenfelder as both Everts and De Wolf got by during the first lap, with De Wolf forcing him off track mid-lap. Still, Längenfelder regrouped to hold fifth.

Mathis Valin impressed early in sixth, but was eventually passed by Camden McLellan. McLellan also made a move on teammate Guillem Farres, finishing sixth and seventh respectively. Quentin Prugnières made a solid charge to eighth, while Ferruccio Zanchi fought back from a terrible start to grab ninth on the final lap, also passing Valin.

De Wolf’s own off-track moment on lap three proved costly, and despite closing in on Everts, he couldn’t retake third. The Dutch rider still increased his championship lead slightly to four points.

For a few laps, Sacha Coenen looked to be closing in on Adamo at the front, but a pit board urging him to “BE SMART” cooled his charge. Adamo, meanwhile, found another gear, steadily improving his pace to claim his second Qualifying Race win of the year.

With that win, the 2023 World Champion narrows the gap to De Wolf in the standings to 20 points, while Everts now sits just nine points behind Adamo.

With the track already churned up from the storm and more rain on the way, Sunday’s races are shaping up to be a true test of skill, patience, and mud mastery. Don’t miss it.