Coenen Doubles Up While McLellan Lands on the Box
Photos by MXGP.
France turned the intensity up a notch this weekend as the MXGP paddock rolled into one of the roughest and most technical tracks of the season. Deep ruts, brutal braking bumps and flat-out commitment separated the heroes from the passengers. Lucas Coenen continued his charge at the front and South Africa’s Camden McLellan delivered another massive statement ride in MX2.
MXGP.
The young Belgian, Coenen absolutely hammered the field in MXGP, going 1-1 for the overall and looking more comfortable every time the gate dropped. Jeffrey Herlings pushed hard all day and grabbed a pair of second places, but Coenen simply seemed to have another gear around the French circuit.
Tim Gajser managed to sneak onto the Race 1 podium, while Kay de Wolf answered back in Race 2 with a strong third after keeping himself out of trouble in the chaos behind the leaders.
Overall, it was Coenen standing on the top step ahead of Herlings and de Wolf, with the youngster starting to look seriously difficult to catch as the championship gathers momentum
Overall Results MXGP.
MX2.
Now for the really good news.
South African rider Camden McLellan had one of his strongest weekends yet after a brilliant charge in MX2.
Guillem Farres was untouchable up front with a clean sweep of both heats, but behind him the fight was on. McLellan rode smart and aggressively all day, taking third in Heat 1 before improving to second in Heat 2 after a composed ride under pressure.
Mathis Valin was also really quick, but consistency gave McLellan the edge for second overall on the day.
Camden has shown flashes of serious speed throughout the season, but in France it looked like the weekend where it all finally clicked. No wild mistakes, no unnecessary drama, just proper solid motocross.
Watch this space, this South African youngster keeps proving that he belongs at the sharp end of MX2.
Overall Results MX2.
Looking Ahead.
Next up is Round 7 of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the Liqui Moly MXGP of Germany at Teutschenthal, where the deep ruts and brutal racing lines are guaranteed to cause fresh headaches for the paddock.
If this season has taught us anything so far, it’s that momentum changes quickly… unless your surname is Coenen right now.
Remember that round 11 rolls into SA on the 5th of July at Terra Topia… that’s going to be something!
