Round one of the Italian Motocross Championship took place in Alghero and served as a preseason warmup for many of the MXGP regulars. Both Coenen brothers, Lucas and Sacha, delivered commanding performances as they swept the weekend with 1-1 scores in the MX1 and MX2 divisions. The race also marked Tim Gajser’s Yamaha debut.
MX1
In the first MX1 moto, 450 rookie Andrea Adamo took the early lead and briefly set the pace, with his KTM teammate Lucas Coenen shadowing him throughout the opening laps. Lucas Coenen quickly made his move for the lead and executed a clean pass before immediately pulling away from the field. Once in front, he built a comfortable advantage and rode unchallenged to the checkered flag. Adamo held on for second place in his first race on the 450, with Oriol Oliver completing the podium in third. Mattia Guadagnini was consistent, finishing fourth aboard his new KTM. Gajser had a poor start, and a mid-race mistake limited him to fifth, despite showing competitive speed on the Yamaha.
The second MX1 moto saw Lucas Coenen again force his way forward after starting around fifth. He passed both Adamo and Gajser within the early laps and seized control of the race. From there, Lucas Coenen steadily increased the gap and eventually won by more than 20 seconds over Gajser in second. Adamo’s race came to an end when he retired midway through the moto, bumping Alberto Forato to third place and Oriol finishing closely behind in fourth. That result moved Oriol to third overall for the day behind Lucas Coenen and Gajser. Guadagnini completed the top five, followed by Brent van Doninck, who made an impressive charge from outside the top 10. Jago Geerts recovered from a first-corner crash with Andrea Bonacorsi to fight from last to 10th.
MX2
While Lucas Coenen controlled the premier class, the MX2 division belonged to his twin brother, Sacha. The opening moto began with Sacha grabbing the holeshot but was quickly passed by Janis Reisulis in the second corner. A mistake in the same turn dropped Sacha Coenen outside the top five, allowing Reisulis to lead for much of the race. However, a late mistake by Reisulis dropped him off the podium and allowed Sacha Coenen to reclaim the lead and the moto win. Ferruccio Zanchi impressed in his debut aboard the new Ducati 250 and finished second, with Simon Laengenfelder rounding out the podium. Scott Smulders delivered a strong performance in fourth, ahead of Reisulis in fifth.
Sacha Coenen led from start to finish in the second MX2 moto and won by a margin of more than 20 seconds over defending MX2 World Champion Laengenfelder. Cas Valk rode strong for third in moto two, with Reisulis and Smulders rounding out the top five. Laengenfelder’s performance in race two earned him second overall, with Zanchi taking the final spot on the overall podium.CN
MX1 (Top 3)
- Lucas Coenen (KTM) 1-1
- Tim Gajser (Yam) 5-2
- Oliver Oriol (KTM) 3-4
MX2 (Top 3)
- Sacha Coenen (KTM) 1-1
- Simon Laengenfelder (KTM) 3-2
- Ferruccio Zanchi (Duc) 2-6
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