It is something very special when brothers can both be battling at the front at the ultimate level of motocross, just as New Zealand’s King brothers, Darryll and Shayne, did back in the 1990s.
But now it is Belgian bothers Lucas and Sasha Coenen who are the latest breed of sibling rivals to turn heads in the world of motocross.
While it was Lucas who seemed to have more momentum than his twin brother, winning a Grand Prix in 2023 in Sumbawa, Indonesia, and three in a row in 2024, the first in Lugo, Spain, then St Jean d’Angely in France and finally, Teutschenthal in Germany.
One thing about brothers though, if one is having success, you can be pretty sure the other is working even harder and getting more motivated to not be left behind and it is clear, Sacha Coenen has been working hard and for now, nobody is leaving him behind.
His first ever Grand Prix victory came at Kegums in Latvia and last weekend, he added Grand Prix win number two at Maggiora in Italy. Now, as the two brothers head to Lombok, in Indonesia, for the next two rounds, you have to wonder which brother will get the better of the other.
At Kegums in Latvia, Sacha Coenen finally showed what he is made of, winning his first ever Grand Prix and showing a little more than just speed. He had been the holeshot king in the MX2 class in recent times, but being fast and a good starter was derailed by a horrible run of crashes. In Latvia, that wasn’t the problem.
New Zealand brothers Darryll and Shayne King, from New Plymouth, along with Alec McIvor (right) and Ronnie Towler (front), at the Taihape Motocross Championships in 1985. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
“Really nice to win my first GP,” Sacha said. “I’m feeling happy! I had good speed, and I knew I could do it! I had a really good start in the second race, and I just did my race.
“We need to focus and try to make every weekend a bit like this … and be on the podium as much as we can. Not many mistakes today and I kept on my wheels. This feels so nice.”
At Maggiora last weekend, Sacha Coenen reeled off win number two, although a small mistake nearly cost him. Two GP wins in a row and with confidence building, he might do the same as his taller brother Lucas, who has already won three in a row in 2024.
“I felt really good this weekend. I was leading the first race, but then had a tip-off and finished 4th. Not so bad but I made the holeshot in the second race, then led the whole way in the second. I carried on my good feeling from Latvia, and now I want to keep it going.”
In Germany around a month ago, Lucas Coenen picked up his third GP win in a row and his fourth in his career, and once again showed that he is a serious contender for the 2024 MX2 World championship.
“It felt fantastic to get this result, especially in Germany, to be honest. I was concerned we might struggle as we did last year, but now I’ve put that behind me.
“It was a perfect weekend. In the first race, I had a great battle with my team-mate Kay (De Wolf), and in the second race, I aimed to do the same. He was ahead of me, so I pushed hard and wasn’t sure if I could get past him. Then I saw him go down in a corner, which allowed me to overtake. It was an easier race from then on, but I’m just delighted to have another great weekend.”
The French Grand Prix proved another victory for the Belgian youngster, and everyone started saying that he might be the guy to beat in the MX2 championship, despite being well behind team-mate De Wolf in the series points.
Taranaki brothers Shayne (left) and Darryll King, pictured together in the 1990s. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
“The first race I was thinking about using the outside gate start like Kay,” Lucas said. “Then on the second one I gave it a try – and it all worked out. We pulled off two great motos today and the win on Saturday, so I’m super happy with this result – especially after last weekend in Lugo.”
Despite an injury, the second Spanish Grand Prix of the season handed Lucas Coenen the second Grand Prix victory of his career and the beautiful circuit in Lugo gave him confidence that he could reel off more wins and start to pull back the large points lead by Kay De Wolf.
“The last few races had been really tough on me, I kept getting injury after injury. I was not 100% yet with my shoulder, and I’m still battling with it, but in Spain, I managed to win.
“This was a brutal weekend. In the first race, I was frustrated because I couldn’t pass anyone. Then in the second race, I just tried to focus on getting my rhythm going.
“I got into third and then into the lead, and I tried to control the gap as best as I could. I hope that now we have finally got the win, we can keep this pace up for the rest of the year and see where we end up.”
So, as the team ship their bikes off to Lombok, Indonesia, the two Belgian brothers will be training hard, testing long hours and trying to keep their run of victories alive.
It is hard to bet against them as we head to Asia, but then again, it was in Indonesia, where the whole Coenen GP winning form started.
MAIN PHOTO ABOVE: Belgian brothers Lucas Coenen (No.96) and Sacha Coenen (No.19), together setting the MX2 world alight in 2024. Photo by Ray Archer.
Words by Geoff Meyer
Main photo courtesy Ray Archer
King archive photos by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ
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2024 STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 10:
MXGP – World Championship – Top 10 Classification:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 511 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 477 p.; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 440 p.; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 339 p.; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KAW), 332 p.; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 327 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 302 p.; 8. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HON), 274 p.; 9. Brian Bogers (NED, FAN), 213 p.; 10. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 206 p.
MX2 – World Championship Classification:
1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 473 points; 2. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 425 p.; 3. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 421 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 394 p.; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 368 p.; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 314 p.; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 300 p.; 8. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 278 p.; 9. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 226 p.; 10. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KAW), 197 p.