The sun shone on Lommel on Sunday as the fans enjoyed a stunning day of racing around one of the very toughest circuits in the world and, as usual, the MXGP of Flanders delivered epic confrontations.
There were impeccable performances produced at this 15th round of the 2025 FIM Motocross World Championships at the sandy Lommel circuit, in Belgium.
Despite the differing conditions, the overall GP winners were the same as in Saturday’s Qualifying Races, but it was nowhere near as straightforward for Lucas Coenen (pictured here), who rebounded from defeat in a first race showdown with Romain Febvre to claim overall victory at Lommel for the first time in his GP career, taking his fifth Grand Prix win in the Premier class for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Febvre was able to match the young Belgian for points today, however, with a 1-2 scorecard keeping the Championship leader’s red plate on the front of Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP machine for the next round. Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP rider Calvin Vlaanderen scored his second podium of the season in a fine display of sand riding.
The MX2 class saw complete domination from Kay de Wolf, as the reigning Champ led nearly every lap for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing to complete a perfect 1-1-1 weekend and lift himself up to second in the world championships.
Camden McLellan was again supremely strong in the sand as he posted 2-3 finishes for second overall, his second podium of the year for Monster Energy Triumph Racing, while Sacha Coenen was the top man for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing with an amazingly hard-fought third overall, his seventh podium appearance of the year.
The twists and turns of the GP were just as much of a rollercoaster as the gruelling Lommel circuit itself, and the huge crowd of hardcore Motocross enthusiasts from the nation with more world champions than any other gave the 2025 MXGP of Flanders a fantastic atmosphere to match the epic racing!
On his comeback ride for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, four-time Lommel winner Jeffrey Herlings took fastest time in the morning warm-up, with Vlaanderen second ahead of the Fantic Factory Racing MXGP duo of Brian Bogers and Andrea Bonacorsi.
Title contenders Febvre and Coenen were obviously saving themselves for the afternoon to come with fifth and seventh.
Just as he did in Saturday’s qualifying race, Isak Gifting shot out of the gate rapidly on his special Anniversary-liveried JK Racing Yamaha, but he was just out-dragged to the holeshot line by Febvre after the Frenchman pulled a perfect first corner pass.
Herlings was right there in third, ahead of the JM Racing Honda of Brent van Doninck and home hero Jago Geerts, the best-starting Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP rider. There was bad luck for Bonacorsi, however, as he was on the ground in the first corner and having to fight from the back, just behind Bogers and Honda HRC man Ruben Fernandez who had been pushed off-track.
Coenen fought past Van Doninck and Geerts in the first few corners to get into fourth, and Herlings was quickly past Gifting to chase after Febvre. At the end of the first full lap, Coenen flew high and long from the pit lane wall jump to pass Gifting for third, a move he would make use of many times through the day.
The home favourite did the same thing the very next lap on Herlings, whose was clearly not going to send it off that jump with his recently-healed collarbone, and the stage was set for the two title contenders to fight it out at the top.
Battle was joined behind them between Yamaha men Gifting and Vlaanderen, but they both moved up a position on lap seven as Herlings fell in the wooded section, dropping the Dutchman to eighth behind countryman Glenn Coldenhoff on the Fantic Factory Racing MXGP machine.
Geerts was pursuing Van Doninck for fifth, but he suffered a massive get-off over the triple jump after the Finish Line, being hit by the bike and, although he walked away, he was out of action for the rest of the day. We all wish him the best in his recovery.
While Coenen was stalking Febvre, Norwegian Hakon Fredriksen, on his private YRC Performance Yamaha, was working his way into the top 10, not far ahead of a recovering Bonacorsi, who had passed Herlings for ninth on lap 10.
Maxime Renaux, still on the path back from injury, took tenth in the race for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP, as Herlings mischievously pinched eighth back from Bonacorsi on the last lap.
Fredriksen got past Van Doninck for an amazing sixth place, only two seconds back from Coldenhoff who took fifth.
Up ahead though, all Belgian eyes were on Coenen as he marched up to Febvre’s back wheel, and used his signature wall jump move to fly into the lead at the end of lap 12.
The experience of Febvre paid benefits, however, as he knew that he had to strike back instantly on his young rival, and carved to the inside of the KTM after just four corners with enough authority to force the Belgian off the track.
On the same lap, Vlaanderen was able to dance past Gifting for third, and that’s where the Yamaha men would finish.
Coenen made one last charge to get back onto terms with Febvre, but had a massive moment on the exit of the “Lommelwood” section that forced him to throw in the towel. Febvre was able to cruise over the line and enjoy his 55th career GP race victory, and extend the championship lead to 12 points.
There was a rare sight at the start of race two, as Jeffrey Herlings claimed his first holeshot since October 2021 in France with a sweeping move around Gifting, who again held second, until Febvre cut to the inside of him at the third corner.
Simultaneously, Vlaanderen grabbed fifth from Coenen and the race seemed to be going the way of the Kawasaki man once more.
Herlings started to streak away from the pack, setting the fastest lap of the day, the only one under two minutes, to get as far ahead as eight seconds away from Febvre at the beginning.
Gifting fell halfway round the opening lap, leaving Coenen free to attack Vlaanderen.
The pair fought a thrilling back-and-forth duel for fourth which Coenen won, before passing Bonacorsi over, where else, the wall jump, at the end of lap two for third. Fernandez got a better start this time, and was sixth ahead of Coldenhoff, Renaux, and the TEM JP253 KTM Racing rider Jan Pancar, who had struggled to 16th in race one.
Vlaanderen slipped off to drop from fifth to seventh on lap four, and his overall podium chances looked under threat.
Suddenly, Herlings took a nasty-looking tumble through a waves section, and looked to be complaining of twisted steering as he passed the pit lane. He had got back up in third as Febvre and Coenen took up arms again at the front.
This time the Belgian sprung a surprise as he passed the Frenchman through “Lommelwood”, and gave his rival no chance of repeating the fightback from race one, bolting away with a series of qualifying-style laps to the cheers of his adoring fans. The war was won.
Sadly, Herlings was to crash twice more and he dropped back to eighth again at the finish, just ahead of a recovering Gifting and the MRT Racing Team Beta of Ben Watson. The Brit claimed 10th overall behind Van Doninck and Herlings.
Seventh overall, after another stellar ride in race two to take seventh behind fellow privateer hero Pancar, was an incredible career best for Fredriksen that nobody saw coming.
Pancar’s sixth was by far his best performance to date in deep sand, but Gifting took sixth overall on the day. It was a good day for the three non-factory riders.
The two factory Fantics of Bonacorsi and Coldenhoff rode brilliantly to take third and fourth in race two, a real return to form for the Italian.
They finished in the reverse order overall, with Coldenhoff fourth and Bonacorsi fifth. Vlaanderen recovered to a brilliant fifth after his early fall, enough to take his second podium in three GPs.
At the top of the tree, Coenen’s fifth GP win of the season is now the highest of anyone for the year, and it puts the gap back to just nine points between himself and Febvre.
It was the first GP win for a Belgian on home ground since Kevin Strijbos in 2016, and the first time that a rider has won three GPs in a row in his debut season in MXGP, since Tim Gajser that same year.
The young Belgian and the veteran Frenchman are giving us a fantastic championship battle in 2025, and they head to the hardpack of Sweden to duke it out once again.
© Photo Infront Moto Racing
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RESULTS & STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 15:
MXGP – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), 36:05.332; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:17.718; 3. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:44.854; 4. Isak Gifting (SWE, Yamaha), +0:47.004; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:51.803; 6. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, Yamaha), +0:53.946; 7. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Honda), +1:14.724; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +1:19.310; 9. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Fantic), +1:19.358; 10. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:25.935.
MXGP – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 36:28.928; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:11.007; 3. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Fantic), +0:37.638; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:41.082; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:56.500; 6. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), +0:59.450; 7. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, Yamaha), +1:00.643; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +1:11.177; 9. Isak Gifting (SWE, Yamaha), +1:12.078; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, Beta), +1:13.166.
MXGP Overall – Top 10 Classification:
1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 47 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 47 p.; 3. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 36 p.; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 34 p.; 5. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 32 p.; 6. Isak Gifting (SWE, YAM), 30 p.; 7. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, YAM), 29 p.; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 26 p.; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, HON), 24 p.; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, BET), 21 p.
MXGP – World Championship – Top 10 Classification:
1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 734 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 725 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 534 p.; 4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 467 p.; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 436 p.; 6. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 405 p.; 7. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 387 p.; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 353 p.; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, DUC), 331 p.; 10. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 305 p.
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 36:25.125; 2. Camden McLellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:28.751; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:44.137; 4. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:55.301; 5. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:03.792; 6. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +1:11.616; 7. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +1:19.094; 8. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), +1:39.477; 9. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, Yamaha), +1:42.278; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:46.968.
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 36:32.079; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:11.405; 3. Camden McLellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:16.539; 4. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:18.928; 5. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:21.088; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +1:07.199; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +1:14.347; 8. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +1:27.314; 9. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), +1:33.069; 10. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +1:39.189.
MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification:
1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 50 points; 2. Camden McLellan (RSA, TRI), 42 p.; 3. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 33 p.; 5. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 32 p.; 7. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, YAM), 21 p.; 9. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 18 p.; 10. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 18 p.
MX2 – World Championship Classification:
1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 704 points; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 666 p.; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 655 p.; 4. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 559 p.; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 513 p.; 6. Camden McLellan (RSA, TRI), 467 p.; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 464 p.; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 348 p.; 9. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 324 p.; 10. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 314 p.