Jun. 25, 2023

Lucas Coenen storms Sumbawa en route to maiden win

The long trip to Indonesia was certainly worthwhile for the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing crew, as Lucas Coenen delivered on his potential and stormed to the top of the podium at the first event of the Asian excursion. The Grand Prix of Sumbawa-Indonesia was round ten of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship.

Coenen was brilliant and looked wise beyond his years. Qualification was where he made his intentions obvious, as he led every lap en route to pole position and the ten points that are attached to such a feat. The first moto today, Sunday, was not quite as clearcut. '96' started right on the cusp of the top three and eventually moved into the lead on lap fifteen of eighteen in what was a spirited charge. The second moto was less eventful; he led each lap and took a brilliant victory to secure a perfect scorecard at the Grand Prix of Sumbawa-Indonesia. Such a dominant weekend was, of course, more than enough for him to finally take the first Grand Prix win of his young career. The significant haul of points helped him jump to seventh in the championship standings, in addition.

Roan van de Moosdijk had a gruelling outing, as his experience was hindered by mediocre starts. The first moto was fairly uneventful – he started ninth and finished eighth on a circuit that's tough to pass on. Fortunately, a sixth in the second moto was a positive way to finish the Grand Prix. 8-6 scores put him in eighth in the overall classification and caused him to fall to sixth in the championship standings.

Mistakes at the start of each moto meant that Kay de Wolf was faced with quite the challenge today. Charging from eleventh to ninth in moto one and fifteenth to ninth in moto two was not exactly a true representation of his speed, but he salvaged solid points as he continues to navigate his way back to one hundred percent. 9-9 scores meant that he ended in tenth overall and maintained third place in the championship standings. Twenty-two points separate him from the red plate.

Lucas Coenen: "I think this one is really special – this is an insane feeling that I cannot describe. I want to thank everybody who has worked extremely hard to support me. The Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team has been amazing."

Roan van de Moosdijk: "It has not been an easy weekend here. I just did not put myself in a position to fight for the podium in either moto – this track is not easy to make progress on. Still, we gained some solid points and look forward to the next one."

Kay de Wolf: "It was a difficult day but, like in Germany, we salvaged what we could and managed to gain some solid points. I am keen to get back inside of the top five at next week's event in Lombok."

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing will spend the week in Indonesia, as the second and last Indonesian race will be held on the island of Lombok next weekend. That'll be round eleven of the current season.

Results – 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round Ten

MX2 – Overall

1. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 50pts; 2. Liam Everts (KTM) 44pts; 3. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 36pts… 8. Roan van de Moosdijk (Husqvarna) 28pts; 10. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 24pts

MX2 – Moto One

1. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 36:03.223; 2. Liam Everts (KTM) 36:08.815; 3. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 36:17.981… 8. Roan van de Moosdijk (Husqvarna) 36:38.778; 9. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 37:03.054

MX2 – Moto Two

1. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 34:26.014; 2. Liam Everts (KTM) 34:29.887; 3. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 34:30.937… 6. Roan van de Moosdijk (Husqvarna) 34:45.442; 9. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 35:09.469

MX2 – Championship Standings

1. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 439pts; 2. Thibault Benistant (Yamaha) 434pts; 3. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 417pts… 6. Roan van de Moosdijk (Husqvarna) 373pts; 7. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 315pts