Lucas Coenen masters the mud to win MXGP of Germany
By Team TMX on 1st Jun 26
Lucas Coenen extended his advantage in the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championship with a commanding 1-1 performance at the Liqui Moly MXGP of Germany, as mixed conditions at Teutschenthal’s Talkessel circuit caught out several title contenders.
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider controlled both motos to secure his third overall victory of the season, capitalising on costly errors and mechanical issues for his closest rivals to stretch his championship lead.
Andrea Adamo completed a strong day for KTM with second overall - his first MXGP-class podium - while Honda HRC Petronas’ Ruben Fernandez claimed third for his first top-three finish of the campaign.
Despite drier conditions in the morning, the Talkessel circuit quickly became technical and unpredictable, with deep ruts and intermittent rain making passing difficult and mistakes inevitable.
Coenen made the perfect start to the opening moto with the holeshot and immediately established control, fending off early pressure from Tim Gajser. Behind them, Fernandez settled into third, while Jeffrey Herlings’ race unravelled early after a poor start left him outside the top 10.
The race turned on lap four when Adamo and Fernandez made contact battling for position, dropping the Italian down the order. Moments later, Herlings was forced out of the race with a technical issue, handing Coenen a significant championship advantage.
Further back, Romain Febvre crashed while attempting to respond to a pass from Maxime Renaux, compounding a difficult outing for another title contender.
Out front, Coenen remained unchallenged, managing the conditions to secure a controlled victory by just under five seconds from Gajser, with Fernandez completing the podium.
Coenen again claimed the holeshot in race two, but Adamo briefly took the lead before the Belgian reasserted himself on the opening lap. From there, he built another decisive advantage while chaos unfolded behind him.
Gajser’s challenge ended early after a crash dropped him down the order, while Febvre also hit the ground in a separate incident. Herlings, recovering from his first moto DNF, charged through to second after passing Adamo on lap one, but was unable to close the gap to Coenen.
A series of incidents further down the field - including clashes between Febvre and Adamo, and separate falls for Kay de Wolf and Renaux - highlighted just how demanding the circuit had become.
Coenen remained composed throughout, sealing the moto win by nearly five seconds over Herlings, with Adamo holding off late pressure to secure third.
The 1-1 result marked Coenen’s 19th career Grand Prix victory and extended his championship lead to 31 points over Herlings.
Adamo’s consistency earned him second overall, while Fernandez’s 3-7 scorecard was enough to secure the final podium position by a single point in a tightly contested battle.
Behind them, Renaux and De Wolf completed the top five overall, while Gajser and Febvre were left to salvage points after costly mistakes.
In MX2, Mathis Valin claimed a landmark first Grand Prix victory with 2-1 finishes, becoming the third first-time winner of the season and delivering Kawasaki Racing Team MX2 its first win in its current structure.
Sacha Coenen looked set to take overall victory after winning the opening moto, but a crash while leading race two, followed by a post-race penalty for jumping on yellow flags, relegated him to second overall. Despite that, the Belgian leaves Germany with the championship lead and the red plate for the first time in his career.
Triumph Racing Factory Team’s Camden McLellan secured third overall with a consistent performance, while reigning champion Simon Laengenfelder endured a difficult home round to finish fifth overall.
The championship now heads to Kegums for the MXGP of Latvia, where Herlings boasts a dominant record. With Coenen yet to win at the circuit, the next round could prove pivotal in shaping the title fight.
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