Our countryman Lucas Coenen continues to amaze and gain admiration in his first season on the powerful 450cc machine. In Lugo, on a circuit that did not really suit him, Coenen managed to give the best of himself and ended the weekend with an impressive victory in the second manche.
“In my mind I'm not a rookie”
“This weekend I didn’t feel so good on this track. It was fast at the beginning, but also hard and with a lot of rocks – really not my type of surface,” said the KTM rider.
Despite the lack of feeling on the track, Lucas managed to work his way to the front of the pack in the first heat. He got off to a good start and stabilised in a respectable fourth place.
“It was really slippery. I was fifth or sixth at the start, then I got to fourth. But then I couldn’t overtake anymore, I was almost dozing off behind them!”, he joked. “Romain (Febvre) was leading, Maxime (Renaux) was second and Ruben (Fernandez) third… There was not much you could do without taking too many risks.”
However, it was in the second leg that Lucas Coenen showed his full potential, passing Vlaanderen after Febvre fell and taking the lead.
"I went for the inside again at the start, Romain passed me but it was a bit close. I didn't know if I could pass Flanders, but I did it. I won with a nice lead", a satisfied Coenen explained. "I achieved exactly the same result here as last year, and for a moment I even thought about the overall victory. But a heat win this weekend, that's already great."
Only 17 years old, Lucas Coenen impresses, not only with his speed, but also with his mature approach.
"I'm going step by step. Romain made a mistake in the second moto, and that shows that at this level you always have to stay sharp. I'm young, I'm still learning, but I'm trying to get to their level. In my mind I'm not a rookie. I want to show nice things and avoid stupid mistakes."
The transition to the powerful 450cc remains a major challenge, but Coenen seems to be finding his way more and more.
“You can’t ride a 450cc like a 250cc. Otherwise you’ll fly to the moon!” he said with a wink. “My riding style is different from Prado or Jett Lawrence. Everyone has their own style, and the most important thing is to stay calm and patient.”
With two GP victories under his belt this season, Lucas Coenen now sets his sights on the next challenge: the French Grand Prix in Ernée, where a motivated Romain Febvre awaits him in front of his home crowd. The young Belgian knows it will be tough, but he has already proven that he has the qualities to make it difficult for the best.
