Red Bull KTM Factory Racing enjoyed a perfect afternoon on the first day of racing at the MXGP of Ernée, as Lucas Coenen and Andrea Adamo each took their third Qualifying Race win of the season.
Lucas led from start to finish in MXGP, delivering a flawless performance. The standout of the race was Kevin Horgmo, who impressed with his first-ever Top 3 finish in the premier class, taking second ahead of Romain Febvre.
In MX2, Adamo held off teammate Simon Langenfelder to secure the win, despite some early pressure.
Meanwhile, Kay de Wolf suffered a crash during Time Practice, which compromised his gate pick—but the championship leader managed to salvage 8th place with a strong comeback ride.
AS IT HAPPENED
11:46 | Free Practice
Riders hit the track for the first time today, and it was reigning MX2 World Champion Kay de Wolf who set the pace with a fastest lap of 1:47.221. In MXGP, Lucas Coenen topped the timesheets, showing early speed and confidence heading into the weekend.
14:17 | MX2 Time Practice
KTM starts on top, locking out the first three positions in MX2. Simon Langenfelder set the fastest time of the session with a 1:49.288, followed by Sacha Coenen (+0.167) and Andrea Adamo (+1.250), making it a dominant 1-2-3 for the Austrian brand.
Meanwhile, there was concern for championship leader Kay de Wolf, who ended the session in 20th place. The Dutchman suffered a minor crash early on, and although it didn’t appear too serious, he left the track holding his shoulder and did not return to action. His status remains unclear for now, and all eyes will be on whether he lines up for Saturday’s qualifying race.
Top 5 MX2 Time Practice
- Simon Langenfelder 1:49.288
- Sacha Coenen +167
- Andrea Adamo +1.250
- Rick Elzinga +1.337
- Valerio Lata +1.516
14:52 | MXGP Time Practice
Romain Febvre and Maxime Renaux wasted no time trading the top spot in the early minutes, engaging in a game of cat and mouse as they pushed the pace. But it was Lucas Coenen who ultimately secured the fastest lap with a 1:47.663 on Lap 9, claiming the early bragging rights heading into the weekend.
One of the surprises of the session came from privateer Jan Pancar, who delivered an impressive performance to secure P5, mixing it up with the factory riders and turning heads in the paddock.
Top 5 MXGP Time Practice
- Lucas Coenen 1:47.663
- Romain Febvre +600
- Maxime Renaux +713
- Calvin Vlaanderen +1.172
- Jan Pancar +1.223
17:05 | MX2 Qualifying Race
The KTM squad dominated once again, this time with Andrea Adamo claiming his third Qualifying Race win of the season. He led home teammates Simon Langenfelder and Sacha Coenen for another impressive 1-2-3 showing.
Thibault Benistant held fifth for most of the race before making a late move on Valerio Lata to take fourth. The Italian settled for P5. Oriol Oliver earned his best Saturday result of the year with a solid 6th place, holding off Cas Valk in the final laps.
Championship leader Kay de Wolf had a tough start outside the top 20 but charged through the field to finish 8th, passing Karlis Reisulis and Liam Everts on the final lap. Unfortunately, both Guillem Farrés and Rick Elzinga were forced to retire after big crashes during the race.
18:00 | MXGP Qualifying Race
Lucas Coenen went wire-to-wire in the MXGP Qualifying Race. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider led from the gate drop to the checkered flag, showing great pace and composure throughout.
The surprise of the race came from Kevin Horgmo (SR Motoblouz Honda), who delivered a career-best ride to finish 2nd, securing his first-ever Top 3 in MXGP while fending off intense pressure from Romain Febvre, who had to settle for 3rd.
Rubén Fernández kept the home crowd cheering with a strong 4th place, just ahead of Maxime Renaux, who rounded out the Top 5.
Jan Pancar impressed once again as the second-best privateer, finishing 6th ahead of Jeremy Seewer (Ducati) and Isak Gifting (JK Yamaha) in 8th. Glenn Coldenhoff and Jeffrey Herlings completed the Top 10.
