Lucas Coenen continues to impress in his rookie season aboard the 450cc machine, and despite not feeling at home at the Lugo track, the young Belgian still managed to come away with a strong performance—including a second moto victory.
Reflecting on the weekend, Coenen admitted the track wasn’t to his liking:
“Yeah, the weekend, this track I didn’t feel so good on it, let’s say. It was fast at the beginning, but also hard packed with a bit of stones, not really my type of track. But it was a big learning with this type of track and also with those guys.”
Despite struggling with the conditions, Coenen still found himself in the battle near the front in the opening moto.
“It was really slippery with the big bike for sure, but after the start I was 5th or 6th, and I got up to 4th, and then I was just like almost falling asleep behind them, because I didn’t see anywhere to pass. Romain was 1st, Maxime was 2nd, and Ruben 3rd, so I was like, yeah, we can’t do anything more. I saw it as too much of a risk, so I was just trying to keep my goggles clean, and get to the second moto.”
In the second race, Coenen bounced back in style, getting to the front after Febvre had a small crash and the Belgian passed Vlaanderen for the lead.
“I went again inside on the start, Romain got me, but it was a bit sketchy. I didn’t know if I would be able to pass Vlaanderen, but I managed to do it, and somehow I won the second moto with a good gap, and did exactly the same result as last year, so at one point I was looking more. I saw Ruben 3rd, I said if Ruben keeps Romain behind him, I will win the overall again. But I am happy to finish the weekend with a moto win. Next up is Romain’s home GP, so it’s going to be hard, but I look forward. Also with the crowd, it’s also really nice there and it’s going to be a good battle.”
Although Coenen is still early in his 450 career, he’s taking a measured approach and soaking up every bit of experience.
“I just go step by step, learning every step of the way, and for sure Romain in the second moto made a mistake. It happened so fast, so even at our level, you need to stay sharp and be there every single moto. For me, like you said, I’m young, I’m learning, but I’m trying to be like them. In my head, I’m not a rookie. If I can get a good battle with them and maybe get some tricks out of my pocket and show some good things, it can be nice. I’m loving it and trying to be like them and be more intelligent than I was before. I just adapt and I want to be not like a rookie making stupid mistakes. It’s difficult, but I’m trying to not be on the ground and show what I can do”.
Coenen also highlighted the importance of adapting to the power of the 450 and finding his own rhythm against the world’s best.
“With the 450cc, you can’t ride it like you can ride a 250cc. Otherwise, you go to the moon, I would say. I mean, the style is not a lot the same compared to them (Jorge Prado and Jett Lawrence) because they have a different style. I have my own style and many other riders have different styles in the world, so just being calm and patient.”
With confidence building and a moto win in the bag, Coenen now sets his sights on the next challenge—the French Grand Prix and a fired-up Romain Febvre on home soil.
