Coenen twins dominate MXGP of Latvia

2026 MXGP World Championship
Round Eight – MXGP of Latvia
Motocenter Zelta Zirgs – Kegums

The Coenen twins turned the MXGP of Latvia into a family milestone at Kegums, with Lucas Coenen sweeping the MXGP class while twin brother Sacha did the same in MX2.

Both Red Bull KTM riders had already won their respective qualifying races on Saturday, then backed that up with 1-1 Sunday scorecards on the sandy Zelta Zirgs circuit. That gave KTM maximum points across both world championship classes and strengthened both red-plate leads as the 2026 season completed its first triple-header run.

Lucas Coenen

Behind the headline act, there was still plenty for the wider paddock. Kay de Wolf produced his strongest MXGP showing yet to finish second overall, Tim Gajser steadied his campaign with fourth, while Jeffrey Herlings was left to rue a mechanical issue after looking capable of fighting for victory in the second moto.

Camden McLellan

In MX2, Camden McLellan marked his 22nd birthday with a third consecutive overall podium for Triumph, while Sacha Coenen again showed why Kegums has become one of his strongest venues.

Jake Cannon

Further down the programme, Australian Liam Owens claimed second overall in EMX250, Jake Cannon retained second in that championship, and New Zealand teenager Levi Townley claimed the first EMX125 overall podium of his career.

Levi Townley

MXGP – Lucas Coenen controls Kegums

Lucas Coenen had already made a statement on Saturday by winning the MXGP qualifying race, and the Belgian carried that pace into Sunday with another composed and clinical ride on the KTM 450 SX-F.

Lucas Coenen

In the opening moto, Coenen crossed the line 3.738 seconds clear of Kay de Wolf, with Jeffrey Herlings third after having looked a serious threat at various stages. De Wolf’s late-race pass on Herlings helped set up what would become his best MXGP overall result to date.

MXGP Start

The second moto initially took shape as another Coenen versus Herlings contest, with the Honda HRC PETRONAS rider applying pressure before a technical problem ended his race while he was running in podium contention. Coenen then controlled the remainder of the moto to win by just over eight seconds from Romain Febvre, with de Wolf third and Gajser fourth.

Romain Febvre

The 1-1 scorecard gave Coenen the overall on 50 points, ahead of de Wolf on 42 and Febvre on 40. Gajser’s 5-4 finishes were enough for fourth overall, with home favourite Pauls Jonass fifth and Andrea Adamo sixth.

Lucas Coenen

Coenen now holds a 62-point lead in the MXGP championship after eight rounds, with Herlings second, Febvre third, Gajser fourth and de Wolf climbing to fifth.

“Amazing! I was thinking ‘Sacha did it, so now it is on me’,” Lucas Coenen said. “A bit of history today. I was just controlling the second moto because the track was tricky. I tried to make good laps and be smart.”

Kay De Wolf

De Wolf’s 2-3 return was another marker in his rookie MXGP campaign. The Nestaan Husqvarna rider was strong late in the opening moto, then had to recover from a wider start and some mistakes in race two.

“Overall, it’s been a really positive weekend,” de Wolf said. “Coming away with my second MXGP podium and my best result in the class so far is something I’m proud of. We came here aiming for a podium and to be consistent across all three races, and we managed to achieve that.”

Jeffrey Herlings

For Herlings, the final classification did not reflect the pace he had shown. A third in race one and a DNF-classified 21st in race two left him tenth overall.

“Not much to say really,” Herlings said. “Hard to take when this happens but at least my riding was good and I was challenging for the win. Just got to try and do the best we can from here on in.”

Ruben Fernández

Ruben Fernández also had a mixed day for Honda. He rode from inside the top ten to sixth in the opening moto, but was caught up in a collision in race two and had to fight back to 11th. That left him seventh overall, one place behind Adamo.

Tim Gajser

Gajser’s fourth overall was a useful reset after a difficult run of rounds. The Yamaha rider finished fifth and fourth, and remains fourth in the championship standings.

“It was another difficult weekend, but there are still positives to take away from it,” Gajser said. “I was able to put together two consistent motos and finish all of the races, which was important. In the second moto, I felt much better on the bike.”

MX2 – Sacha Coenen answers his brother

Sacha Coenen completed the other half of KTM’s Latvian sweep with a 1-1 result in MX2, extending his championship lead with another authoritative performance from the gate.

Sacha Coenen

Coenen won the opening MX2 moto by more than 23 seconds over Mathis Valin, with Camden McLellan third, Guillem Farres fourth and Simon Längenfelder fifth. In race two, Coenen again led the way, but McLellan kept him much closer and finished second, 6.484 seconds behind the Belgian.

Mathis Valin

Karlis Reisulis gave the home crowd something to cheer with third in race two and fifth overall, although a late mistake allowed McLellan through and cost him a potential overall podium. Farres finished fourth in both motos for fourth overall, while Liam Everts went 7-7 for sixth.

Sacha Coenen

For Coenen, the result continued his strong relationship with Kegums and moved him to 380 points in the championship. Längenfelder remains second on 343 despite a painful second-moto crash and retirement, with Farres third on 340 and McLellan now fourth on 326.

“No words! Really nice to win motos the same weekend as my brother,” Sacha Coenen said. “This is the third time I win here. I like this track; it suits me even if you have to be careful in some places. Good starts were the key.”

Camden McLellan

McLellan’s second overall continued an excellent run for Triumph Factory Racing. The South African had to recover from less-than-ideal starts in both motos, and his opening race included a heavy crash while he was running strongly. He still fought back to third, then made a last-lap pass on Reisulis in race two to secure second in the moto and second overall.

“It was a good Sunday here in Latvia,” McLellan said. “My riding, pace, and fitness were all strong throughout both motos, so there are plenty of positives to take away from the weekend. Unfortunately, the starts weren’t where they needed to be, which made life a lot more difficult.”

Guillem Farres

Farres had the pace to be on the podium but was left chasing in both races. He recovered from around 13th on the opening lap to fourth in race one, then was pushed off-track early in race two and had to fight back from around 17th to finish fourth again.

“It was an OK day here in Latvia, although I definitely feel like there was more on the table,” Farres said. “My pace was good, I was able to come through the field in both races, and I never gave up fighting.”

Liam Everts

Liam Everts left with solid points rather than the result he felt was possible. He had to come forward from a poor start in race one, then finished seventh again in race two after a more straightforward but still difficult moto.

“Honestly, I think the pace was better than the results show,” Everts said. “It’s not the weekend we came here for, but we still leave with solid points and that’s important over a long season.”

Valerio Lata

Valerio Lata showed promising pace for Honda HRC PETRONAS, especially in race two, where he finished fifth, but a crash while running inside the top five in race one left him 11th overall.

EMX250 – Garcia perfect, Owens on the box

Francisco Garcia continued to tighten his grip on the EMX250 championship with a perfect 1-1 weekend for Venum BUD Racing Kawasaki.

Francisco Garcia

The Spaniard did not have everything his own way from the gate, but he took control of both races and left Latvia with the full 50 points. Australian Liam Owens was one of the standout performers of the weekend, finishing third in race one and second in race two for second overall on 42 points.

Francisco Garcia

Gyan Doensen completed the overall podium ahead of Mads Fredsoe, while Latvian Jekabs Kubulins thrilled the home crowd with third in race two and fifth overall.

Jake Cannon

Jake Cannon had to work harder for his points at Kegums, with eighth in race one and seventh in race two, placing him seventh overall. The Australian remains second in the EMX250 championship, 53 points behind Garcia, with Nicolai Skovbjerg third and Doensen fourth.

Jake Cannon

Cannon’s race-two ride was still one of the better recoveries in the field, as he worked forward from 13th on the opening lap to seventh by the flag.

EMX125 – Townley earns maiden podium

The EMX125 class produced a significant result for New Zealand, with Levi Townley claiming the first overall podium of his European 125 career.

Levi Townley

Race one was won by Ricardo Bauer after a late battle with Norman KTM Factory Rookies team-mate and championship leader Moritz Ernecker. Bauer held on by less than a second, while Townley finished fourth after running near the front early in the moto.

Levi Townley

Ernecker then responded in race two with a controlled start-to-finish victory, winning by 13.982 seconds over Townley. The young Kiwi held second from the opening lap and rode with composure on the drier Sunday circuit, never quite close enough to challenge Ernecker but clear enough of the pack behind to secure the best race result of his EMX125 career.

Levi Townley

Ernecker won the round on 47 points, with Townley second on 40 and Bauer third on 37. Gennaro Utech and Sleny Goyer completed the top five overall.

For Townley, the 4-2 scorecard was a genuine step forward. The 16-year-old Yamaha Europe Monster Energy MJC rider arrived in Latvia with 30 championship points and left with 70, moving from 20th to 14th in the standings.

Levi Townley

Goyer also had a productive weekend for the MJC Yamaha squad, finishing fifth overall and retaining third in the EMX125 championship with four rounds remaining.

Next round

The MXGP paddock now takes a weekend off before returning at Montevarchi for the MXGP of Italy on June 20-21. That begins another three-round run, with Italy followed by Portugal and South Africa as the championship moves toward the midpoint of the season.

 MXGP Qualifying Race Results

MXGP Race One Results

MXGP Race Two Result

2026 MXGP World Championship Round Eight – MXGP of Latvia – MXGP Podium
MXGP Round Points

MXGP Championship Standings

MX2
MX2 Qualifying Race Results

MX2 Race One Results

MX2 Race Two Results

2026 MXGP World Championship Round Eight – MXGP of Latvia – MX2 Podium
MX2 Round

MX2 Championship Standings