Herlings strikes as Coenen holds red plate in French thriller
By Team TMX on 25th May 26
The FIM Motocross World Championship returned with a bang after the mid-season break with the MXGP of France, as Jeffrey Herlings and Lucas Coenen went bar-to-bar in a scorching showdown at Lacapelle-Marival.
On a hard-baked, technical Circuit Georges Filhol, it was Herlings who edged the overall with 2-1 finishes - matching Coenen on points but taking the GP win - while the young Belgian did enough to cling onto the red plate by just two points.
The weekend wasn’t without concern, though, as home favourite Thibault Benistant crashed heavily on the opening lap of race one and was airlifted to hospital. The paddock now awaits further updates, with widespread support for the Frenchman.
Race one saw Coenen grab the holeshot and control things up front, holding off early pressure from Herlings, who lost crucial time working through traffic. Once clear, the Dutchman closed in but the KTM rider had enough in hand to take the win.
Behind them, Tim Gajser charged through the pack with a string of decisive passes to secure third, while Romain Febvre salvaged seventh after a tough start in front of his home fans.
Race two brought the drama. A first-turn pile-up triggered a red flag, ruling out Tom Vialle and Gajser from the restart.
When the gate dropped again, Herlings hit the front early and this time, he didn’t crack.
Coenen shadowed him for the entire moto, probing left and right but never quite finding a way through. Even as fatigue set in late on, Herlings held firm to take his 115th career GP win in emphatic fashion.
Febvre bounced back with a strong ride to third, securing a home podium after a gritty weekend.
With just two points separating Coenen and Herlings at the top, the championship battle is finely poised heading into Germany next weekend where another hardpack test awaits at Teutchenthal.
