Lucas and Sacha Coenen claimed victory in the qualifying races at the Latvian Grand Prix in Kegums, Round 8 of the 2026 MXGP World Championship, further extending their leads in the MXGP and MX2 standings.
In MXGP, Lucas Coenen denied Jeffrey Herlings an early chance to gain ground in the title fight. Herlings grabbed the holeshot, but the Belgian moved into the lead on lap two and controlled the race from there. Kay de Wolf completed the top three ahead of Romain Febvre and Rubén Fernández, while Oriol Oliver scored his first-ever qualifying race points in MXGP with an impressive eighth-place finish.
The race featured little position-changing among the front runners, although Tim Gajser produced a strong recovery ride to finish seventh. Meanwhile, Maxime Renaux and Andrea Bonacorsi were forced to retire after separate crashes.
MX2 Qualy Race: Sacha takes the win!
Sacha Coenen (Red Bull KTM De Carli) claimed his sixth qualifying heat victory of the season and solidified his lead in the championship, extending his advantage to six points over Simon Längenfelder.
Längenfelder took the holeshot, but his lead was short-lived. Both Valerio Lata and Coenen quickly found a way to pass him and moved to the front of the race. Lata, who had been the fastest in timed practice just hours earlier, set the pace for much of the race while fending off constant pressure from the championship leader.
The battle for victory remained alive until the tenth lap, when Coenen finally managed to find an opening after several attempts and take the lead. From there, the Belgian controlled the race until the checkered flag. Lata secured a well-deserved second place, while Längenfelder rounded out the podium.
HIGHLIGHTS
QUALY RACES RESULTS
| Pos | # | Rider | Brand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Lucas Coenen | KTM |
| 2 | 84 | Jeffrey Herlings | Honda |
| 3 | 74 | Kay de Wolf | Husqvarna |
| 4 | 1 | Romain Febvre | Kawasaki |
| 5 | 70 | Rubén Fernández | Honda |
| 6 | 41 | Pauls Jonass | Kawasaki |
| 7 | 243 | Tim Gajser | Yamaha |
| 8 | 83 | Oriol Oliver | KTM |
| 9 | 80 | Andrea Adamo | KTM |
| 10 | 10 | Calvin Vlaanderen | Ducati |
| 11 | 303 | Alberto Forato | Fantic |
| 12 | 55 | Maximilian Spies | KTM |
| 13 | 32 | Brent Van Doninck | Fantic |
| 14 | 93 | Jago Geerts | Beta |
| 15 | 4 | Rick Elzinga | KTM |
| 16 | 919 | Ben Watson | Triumph |
| 17 | 253 | Jan Pancar | KTM |
| 18 | 24 | Kevin Horgmo | Honda |
| 19 | 142 | Jere Haavisto | KTM |
| 20 | 87 | Kevin Brumann | Husqvarna |
Qualifying Race Points: Coenen (10), Herlings (9), de Wolf (8), Febvre (7), Fernández (6), Jonass (5), Gajser (4), Oliver (3), Adamo (2) y Vlaanderen (1).
TOP 20 MX2 QUALY RACE
| Pos | # | Rider | Brand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Sacha Coenen | KTM |
| 2 | 18 | Valerio Lata | Honda |
| 3 | 1 | Simon Längenfelder | KTM |
| 4 | 317 | Mathis Valin | Kawasaki |
| 5 | 8 | Camden McLellan | Triumph |
| 6 | 26 | Liam Everts | Husqvarna |
| 7 | 772 | Janis Martins Reisulis | Yamaha |
| 8 | 99 | Guillem Farrés | Triumph |
| 9 | 33 | Kay Karssemakers | Kawasaki |
| 10 | 48 | Jens Walvoort | KTM |
| 11 | 47 | Karlis Alberts Reisulis | Yamaha |
| 12 | 73 | Ferruccio Zanchi | Ducati |
| 13 | 12 | Pelle Gundersen | Husqvarna |
| 14 | 716 | Noel Zanocz | KTM |
| 15 | 422 | Hugo Forsgren | Honda |
| 16 | 920 | Sandro Sools | KTM |
| 17 | 44 | Nike Korsbeck | Triumph |
| 18 | 83 | Maxime Grau | Honda |
| 19 | 321 | Alessandro Traversini | KTM |
| 20 | 938 | Rodolfo Bicalho | KTM |
Qualifying Race Points: Coenen (10), Lata (9), Längenfelder (8), Valin (7), McLellan (6), Everts (5), Reisulis (4), Farrés (3), Karssemakers (2) y Walvoort (1).
MXGP: Herlings on pole!
| Pos | # | Rider | Brand | Time/Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 84 | Jeffrey Herlings | Honda | 1:54.774 |
| 2 | 74 | Kay de Wolf | Husqvarna | +0.391 |
| 3 | 5 | Lucas Coenen | KTM | +0.582 |
| 4 | 243 | Tim Gajser | Yamaha | +0.744 |
| 5 | 41 | Pauls Jonass | Kawasaki | +0.883 |
| 6 | 959 | Maxime Renaux | Yamaha | +1.444 |
| 7 | 70 | Rubén Fernández | Honda | +1.600 |
| 8 | 80 | Andrea Adamo | KTM | +2.474 |
| 9 | 10 | Calvin Vlaanderen | Ducati | +2.605 |
| 10 | 303 | Alberto Forato | Fantic | +3.187 |
| 11 | 1 | Romain Febvre | Kawasaki | +3.221 |
| 12 | 83 | Oriol Oliver | KTM | +3.291 |
| 13 | 132 | Andrea Bonacorsi | Ducati | +3.364 |
| 14 | 4 | Rick Elzinga | KTM | +3.412 |
| 15 | 93 | Jago Geerts | Beta | +3.625 |
| 16 | 261 | Jorgen-Matthias Talviku | Yamaha | +4.213 |
| 17 | 55 | Maximilian Spies | KTM | +4.320 |
| 18 | 32 | Brent Van Doninck | Fantic | +4.360 |
| 19 | 919 | Ben Watson | Triumph | +4.650 |
| 20 | 24 | Kevin Horgmo | Honda | +4.858 |
MX2 Time Practice: Lata Takes Pole
Valerio Lata (Honda HRC Petronas) secured his second pole of the season since the third round in Switzerland. The Italian surprised everyone on the sand by beating Sacha Coenen by 0.885 seconds. Lata first beat Sacha by 0.572 seconds, but not satisfied with that, he pushed for more and put in another great lap at the end.
Janis Reisulis (Monster Energy Yamaha) and Camden McLellan (Triumph Factory Racing) also improved late in the session, with times that propelled them to third and fourth place, respectively, while Guillem Farrés rounded out the top five in this second and final timed practice session.
TOP 20 MX2 TIME PRACTICE
| Pos | # | Rider | Brand | Time/Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Valerio Lata | Honda | 1:57.076 |
| 2 | 19 | Sacha Coenen | KTM | +0.885 |
| 3 | 772 | Janis Martins Reisulis | Yamaha | +1.225 |
| 4 | 8 | Camden McLellan | Triumph | +1.450 |
| 5 | 99 | Guillem Farrés | Triumph | +1.892 |
| 6 | 26 | Liam Everts | Husqvarna | +1.969 |
| 7 | 1 | Simon Längenfelder | KTM | +2.004 |
| 8 | 47 | Karlis Alberts Reisulis | Yamaha | +2.122 |
| 9 | 317 | Mathis Valin | Kawasaki | +2.573 |
| 10 | 73 | Ferruccio Zanchi | Ducati | +3.852 |
| 11 | 716 | Noel Zanocz | KTM | +4.762 |
| 12 | 12 | Pelle Gundersen | Husqvarna | +4.974 |
| 13 | 83 | Maxime Grau | Honda | +5.716 |
| 14 | 48 | Jens Walvoort | KTM | +6.458 |
| 15 | 33 | Kay Karssemakers | Kawasaki | +6.4 |
Herlings and Sacha Coenen Lead in Free Practice
Jeffrey Herlings (Honda HRC Petronas) and the new MX2 leader, Sacha Coenen (Red Bull KTM De Carli), strike first at the Latvian Grand Prix by setting the fastest times in their first run on the sandy track at Kegums. Conditions are quite humid, and rain is expected later…
TOP 20 MXGP FREE PRACTICE
| Pos | # | Rider | Brand | Time/Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 84 | Jeffrey Herlings | Honda | 1:56.804 |
| 2 | 5 | Lucas Coenen | KTM | +1.353 |
| 3 | 74 | Kay de Wolf | Husqvarna | +1.848 |
| 4 | 243 | Tim Gajser | Yamaha | +2.045 |
| 5 | 959 | Maxime Renaux | Yamaha | +2.813 |
| 6 | 1 | Romain Febvre | Kawasaki | +3.087 |
| 7 | 41 | Pauls Jonass | Kawasaki | +3.241 |
| 8 | 10 | Calvin Vlaanderen | Ducati | +3.474 |
| 9 | 70 | Rubén Fernández | Honda | +3.674 |
| 10 | 93 | Jago Geerts | Beta | +3.966 |
| 11 | 132 | Andrea Bonacorsi | Ducati | +4.009 |
| 12 | 80 | Andrea Adamo | KTM | +4.177 |
| 13 | 261 | Jorgen-Matthias Talviku | Yamaha | +4.502 |
| 14 | 919 | Ben Watson | Triumph | +4.979 |
| 15 | 253 | Jan Pancar | KTM | +5.093 |
| 16 | 83 | Oriol Oliver | KTM | +5.164 |
| 17 | 303 | Alberto Forato | Fantic | +5.363 |
| 18 | 4 | Rick Elzinga | KTM | +5.607 |
| 19 | 24 | Kevin Horgmo | Honda | +5.880 |
| 20 | 32 | Brent Van Doninck | Fantic | +6.142 |
TOP 20 MX2 FREE PRACTICE
| Pos | # | Rider | Brand | Time/Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Sacha Coenen | KTM | 2:00.102 |
| 2 | 772 | Janis Martins Reisulis | Yamaha | +1.177 |
| 3 | 99 | Guillem Farrés | Triumph | +1.292 |
| 4 | 47 | Karlis Alberts Reisulis | Yamaha | +1.587 |
| 5 | 317 | Mathis Valin | Kawasaki | +1.693 |
| 6 | 18 | Valerio Lata | Honda | +1.720 |
| 7 | 26 | Liam Everts | Husqvarna | +3.024 |
| 8 | 48 | Jens Walvoort | KTM | +3.523 |
| 9 | 716 | Noel Zanocz | KTM | +3.913 |
| 10 | 8 | Camden McLellan | Triumph | +4.110 |
| 11 | 33 | Kay Karssemakers | Kawasaki | +4.115 |
| 12 | 1 | Simon Längenfelder | KTM | +4.416 |
| 13 | 83 | Maxime Grau | Honda | +5.028 |
| 14 | 73 | Ferruccio Zanchi | Ducati | +5.346 |
| 15 | 12 | Pelle Gundersen | Husqvarna | +5.427 |
| 16 | 422 | Hugo Forsgren | Honda | +9.338 |
| 17 | 44 | Nike Korsbeck | Triumph | +9.690 |
| 18 | 420 | Andrea Rossi | KTM | +11.514 |
| 19 | 321 | Alessandro Traversini | KTM | +14.282 |
| 20 | 938 | Rodolfo Bicalho | KTM | +14.813 |
