Lucas Coenen of the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team just confirmed his potential aboard the FC 250, as his rookie term in the FIM Motocross World Championship beckons. Coenen ripped to a victory at the second and final round of the Internazionali d’Italia series, which was held at the hard-pack circuit of Pietramurata that so many of his peers are familiar with.
Coenen had a fairly uneventful time in the first MX2 moto – he spent the duration in the runner-up position and crossed the finish line just eight tenths from the eventual winner. The fact that he had the fastest lap time of the race also boosted his confidence entering moto two, which is a race that he dominated. ’96’ claimed the lead on lap two, sprinted to an advantage of five seconds and won in a convincing fashion. 2-1 scores meant that he was ranked in first in the overall classification.
7-7 rankings are not a true reflection of how Kay de Wolf performed on Italian soil. De Wolf was luckless, as he had to work his way from the back of the pack each time and passed more riders than anyone else. ’74’ went from seventeenth to seventh in moto one and thirty-first to seventh in moto two. The end result was seventh overall, but he was so much stronger than that would indicate and can take a lot of momentum from his Italian outing.
Lucas Coenen: “The weekend went well! I followed the leader for the whole of moto one, but it was difficult to pass on this track. It was a good confidence boost. I had another good start in the second moto and made quick moves to get into the lead. I had fun and controlled the race. This is my second pre-season victory, so everything is going well at the moment.”
Kay de Wolf: “Bad starts did not make it easy today but I had a lot of fun on the track. I felt good on my FC 250 too, so there are positives to take away. I just need to do some work on my starts and then we will be ready for Argentina!”
Unbelievably, round one of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship is just a couple of weeks away now. Everyone at the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team will continue to work hard in order to prepare for gates to fall in Patagonia-Argentina on March 12.
Results – 2023 Internazionali d’Italia, Round Two
MX2 – Overall
1. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 47pts;
2. Thibault Benistant (Yamaha) 43pts;
3. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 36pts…
7. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 28pts
MX2 – Moto One
1. Thibault Benistant (Yamaha) 30:12.853;
2. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 30:13.716;
3. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 30:36.518…
7. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 30:55.327
MX2 – Moto Two
1. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 29:13.444;
2. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 29:19.316;
3. Rick Elzinga (Yamaha) 29:21.516…
7. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 29:48.499
