Sacha Coenen (born 9 November 2006)[1] is a Belgian professional Motocross racer. Coenen has competed in the Motocross World Championship since 2022 in the MX2 class. He currently competes for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team.
| Sacha Coenen | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Belgian  |
| Born | 9 November 2006 Belgium |
| Motocross career | |
| Years active | 2022–present |
| Teams |
|
| Wins |
|
Coenen took his first overall Grand Prix win during the 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship by winning the MX2 class at the Latvian round.[2]
Coenen is the twin brother of Lucas Coenen, who is also a World Championship-level motocross racer.
Career
editJunior Career
editAlongside his brother, Coenen debuted in the European Motocross Championship in 2016, in the 65cc class. Returning the following year, he was able to finish tenth overall in the same class. In his first season in the 85cc class in 2018, Coenen competed on a small wheel machine for most of the year due to his size. The Coenen brothers competed around Europe in 2019, joining the Grizzly Racing Yamaha team for their second season in the 85cc class.[3] This resulted in him winning the 85cc class at the Coupe de l'Avenir event and scoring points in both the European Motocross Championship and the FIM Motocross Junior World Championship.[4] 2020 was Coenen's final year racing an 85, this time on a KTM. This saw him win the Espoirs 85cc class as part of the French Elite Motocross Championship, winning all but one race on the way to this title.[5][6]
Following his success on an 85, Coenen moved up to compete full-time in the EMX125 class of the 2021 European Motocross Championship for the Bud Racing team.[7] At the first round of the season, Coenen immediately showed his potential, qualifying second and finishing third in the opening race. By the third round in Germany, he was able to take his first European Championship-level race win. A hand injury stopped him racing in the final four rounds of the season and he eventually finished fifteenth in the final standings. In addition, Coenen finished runner-up behind his brother in the Junior 125cc of the French Elite Motocross Championship, winning three races and two overall rounds.
250 Career
editContinuing his rapid rise through the ranks Coenen, alongside his brother, moved to the Jumbo Husqvarna BT Racing Team for the EMX250 class of the 2022 European Motocross Championship.[8] The young Belgian rider showed race winning speed throughout the season, but crashes cost him notable results - such as in the second race at the German round when he was leading. This combined with two rounds missed due to injury saw him finish nineteenth in the standings. Alongside this he also made his FIM World Motocross Championship debut in the MX2 class at the Czech round.
After this single season in EMX250, Coenen was signed by the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team to compete in the MX2 class of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship.[9] At a pre-season race he picked up a dislocated shoulder which saw miss the first four rounds of the championship.[10] Upon his return, Coenen quickly proved his competitiveness with several top-ten finishes throughout the rest of the season. Sixth overall at the Swedish round was his highest result on the way to fourteenth in the final standings. The 2024 season saw Coenen continue his rapid adaption to the MX2 class, as he scored regular holeshots to lead races and contend for finishing positions in the top-six places. This went alongside multiple crashes which saw him miss some notable results, such as at the sixth round in Galicia where he crashed on the last lap of the qualifying race whilst leading. By the ninth round in Latvia, he was able to transform his speed into taking his first race win and with it his first overall grand prix victory.[11] A week later, Coenen was able to win his second grand prix overall at the Maggiora track in Italy.[12] He missed the last three rounds of the season with a leg injury, which also ruled him out of the 2024 Motocross des Nations in what would have been his debut at the event.[13]
Honours
editFrench Elite Motocross Championship
Coupe de l'Avenir
- 85cc: 2019
- 65cc: 2017
Career statistics
editFIM Motocross World Championship
editBy season
edit| Season | Class | Number | Motorcycle | Team | Race | Race Wins | Overall Wins | Race Top-3 | Overall Podium | Pts | Plcd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | MX2 | 419 | Husqvarna | Jumbo Husqvarna BT Racing Team | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2023 | MX2 | 79 | KTM | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 258 | 14th |
| 2024 | MX2 | 19 | KTM | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 34 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 456 | 8th |
| Total | 62 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 714 |
Grand Prix wins
edit| GP wins | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP-win count | Date | Grand Prix | Place | ||||||
| MX2-class | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 June 2024 | Latvia | Ķegums | ||||||
| 2 | 16 June 2024 | Italy | Maggiora | ||||||
References
edit- ^ "Sacha Coenen Bio". mxgpresults.com. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Race results: MX2 World Championship RD9 – Coenen wins at Kegums". gatedrop.com. 9 June 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Grizzly Yamaha Junior Team sluit overeenkomst met broers Coenen". motocrossmag.be. 22 December 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Palmarès". coupedelavenir.be. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Sacha Coenen pakt Franse 85cc titel!". motocrossmag.be. 19 September 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "Championnat de France 2020 Mx Espoirs 85cc" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "Coenen brothers about their switch to Bud Racing Kawasaki". mxmag.net. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "Interview: Sacha Coenen on joining BT Husqvarna – EMX250 in 2022". Andy McKinstry. gatedrop.com. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "SACHA COENEN TO MAKE FULL-TIME MX2 DEBUT WITH RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING". dirthub.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "Sacha Coenen return to action this weekend at MXGP of Agueda". Santiago Crevoisier. mx1onboard.com. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "Sacha Coenen wins for the first time in the MX2 World Championship at MXGP of Latvia". BERNARDO MATIAS. motorcyclesports.net. 10 June 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Sacha Coenen wins his second GP in Maggiora". mxvice.com. 16 June 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Sacha Coenen out for Turkiye". mxvice.com. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.