Lucas Coenen Tops Spanish GP

Sensational teenager, Lucas Coenen has gone 1-1 and not only wins the Spanish GP, but also goes into rounds three with the red plate and championship lead. Second overall was Jeffrey Herlings with 2-2 results, but the Dutchman couldn’t get close to the Red Bull KTM factory rider. Third overall was Tim Gajser with 6-3 scores.

Lucas Coenen: I mean yes, it was a good weekend. Good starts, Jeffrey pushed hard. I won three motos, so a perfect weekend. All the years, I cannot believe I have the red plate my first ever. We try and keep it this way. We worked hard after Argentina. First race, I mean, feeling good, the start I had trouble (they held the gate extra long), but then I locked in and took second behind Tom, but I passed him and then I got a gap and controlled it. I am not thinking about the championship, just focusing on myself and I am loving it.

Jeffrey Herlings: Just not fast enough. To be honest, I had nothing for him and he did a good job. Hopefully I can get closer in the next one. Made a mess of Saturday again. Looking forward to the next one.

Championship points are now Lucas Coenen 102pts, Jeffrey Herlings 94pts, Tom Vialle 89pts, Romain Febvre 75pts, Maxime Renaux 75pts and Tim Gajser 74 pts.

MXGP Moto Two

Spaniard, Oriol Oliver led the second MXGP moto from Adamo, Coenen, Herlings, Vlaanderen, Febvre, Fernandez, Forato, Renaux, and Vialle 10th. Gajser 11th and Watson crashed in the start straight and is last. Coenen moved past Adamo, as did Herlings.

Coenen into the lead in the waves section and you just know Herlings needs to get close, or the Belgian takes 1-1 today. Coenen stalled the bike and that allowed Oliver back onto him and Herlings also right on the leader.

Lap five and the lead by Coenen over Herlings was nine seconds. Third was Febvre as he passed Oliver, then came Oliver, Adamo, Gajser, Fernandez, Vlaanderen, Vialle and Renaux. Coenen just brilliant as the lead is now 11 seconds over Herlings, with 15 minutes remaining. Gajser into fourth place as he also passed Adamo.

Gajser caught Febvre and they continued their battles of the past for third position. Lap eight and the lead by still 11 seconds, with 13 minutes and two laps remaining. Oliver back in 8th place as the heavy hitters begin to pass him.

Gajser moved into third place as Febvre went down hard and he looks a little hurt. Febvre dropping back through the field as he laid on the track, trying to recover from the heavy hit. Top ten was now Coenen, Herlings, Gajser, Adamo, Vlaanderen, Oliver, Fernandez, de Wolf, and Renaux 10th. Febvre still down as the medics get to him. He eventually got up and walked off the track.

On lap 12 the lead was still 12 seconds, and with eight minutes and two laps remaining, hard to see Herlings get to the front. Vialle up to fifth place as he tries to get on the podium. Top ten on lap 13 was Coenen, Herlings, Gajser, Adamo, Vialle, Vlaanderen, Oliver, Fernandez, de Wolf and Renaux. Coenen wins the moto and the GP. Herlings second in the moto and second in the GP.

2026 MXGP of Andalucia

Supercross - Round 10 Birmingham

Wil Hahn on Davies’ Whoop Speed: “At 14, I Never Seen Anything Like It”

Meanwhile Wil Hahn might be the busiest man in the paddock this weekend as he has six 250SX riders competing under the tent this weekend, and two of them (Haiden Deegan and Cole Davies) hold the red plate. Add in the SMX Next riders of Kayden Minear and Landen Gordon and that makes eight 250F riders! Hahn acknowledged that the schedule is a little hectic for him this weekend but he also focused on the positives of having a big team.

The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing tent is even more full than normal this weekend.  Align Media

First, Hahn was asked what, if anything, Davies has done to achieve his speed through the whoops or if it just comes naturally.

Hahn replied, “No. At 14, I never seen anything like it. And I guess that's gotta be a tribute to Ben Townley and all the work they've done in New Zealand and to get him here. But no, it was right away at the test track at 14 and he was tiny even. He was really short and tiny and the way he'd hit whoops on a stock 250F, I was just like, 'Wow. It's unbelievable.'”

Wil continued though, commenting how having one guy on the team who excels in the whoops has helped everyone else.

“That's the beauty of, iron sharpens iron, right?" he said. "And I think everybody's seeing that. And I think with having four of our guys on the team winning races this year, I think four or five on the podium as well, all different rounds. I think we're reaping the benefits of all that, including Haiden. Like I said, iron sharpens iron, and when you're chasing everybody, it's pretty hard not to get better.”

Brandon Haas dropped the news that Max Vohland has re-signed with ClubMX for the 2027 season. Vohland hinted that he was "likely going to extend" his contract with the team while live on the Race Day Live qualifying broadcast at the Glendale SX, but now the deal is official. Haas also spoke on what it is like to have all of his riders competing this weekend, and how the team only asks of them to show what the bring during the week.

“The message across the board, and, really Chad's [Reed] carried this weight, has been, 'We're gonna show 'em on Saturday what they've been showing us during the week of training,'" Haas said. "We had a really good two weeks of really just raw scrimmaging that we normally shy away from. So, it'll be interesting to see how that translate translates. But having the two SMX Next guys, has been cool. Like, we're coming here with a full roster. All of our guys are racing. That's kinda, you know, selfishly everything you hope for, but also, I think it's a product of, again, ClubMX and the environment that they're in, trying to find this never ending balance that everybody faces with risk to reward, and that is challenging in this sport.”

Tusk Billet Fuel Pump Tap - KTM, GASGAS, Husqvarna

Details

Take away the worry of being stranded on the trail with the Tusk Billet Fuel Pump Tap. The OEM fuel pump tap is now made from plastic and poses a risk of failure in the event of a small accident. Replace the weak and brittle plastic fuel pump tap and upgrade to the billet aluminum fuel pump tap from Tusk. Look no further for quality OEM part replacements than Tusk!

• 90-degree hose fitting for easy and clean fuel-line routing.
• Made from billet aluminum.
• Available in three different anodized colors with laser etched logo.
• Includes one hose clamp.
• Reuses factory O-rings. Does NOT include necessary O-rings.

www.tuskoffroad.com

Carmichael vs Reed & Stewart

Ricky Carmichael explains his tactics racing Stewart and Reed!

Ricky Carmichael gave an interesting breakdown on how he approached racing Chad Reed and James Stewart in what was two very different ways of trying to beat two of his biggest rivals, underlining that RC was very tactical, probably more than he gets credit for!

Ricky said in a BYND podcast: “I raced scared and I never took anything for granted. i always knew I had a great chance of winning because of my preparation. But I never took anyone for granted except one time and it was one of the biggest regrets that I had. It was 2003 and I underrated Chad Reed, I got caught right there, he came out of nowhere and my mechanic had went to the WSX races and came back and said, ‘you need to keep an eye on Chad Reed, he looked really good over there. I kind of brushed him off, was more focused on Vuillemin at the time. And, yeah, he made my life miserable from that point on, he became household name. I learned another lesson to never underrate anyone.”

On how to beat Reed, Ricky said: “I knew where they were going to be, I knew what their qualities where and I knew what I could do. And, most importantly, I knew what I couldn’t do. I would position myself, whether it was bike set-up, starting position. I would make sure I would set myself up just right to take advantage of where they weren’t good. Knowing where you can’t win is part of being a great champion.

“When Stew was behind me, I knew that if I went faster he was going to go faster. So why should I ride over my head or faster than I know that I can go and then get arm pump? Then, instead of turning 20 laps of 53 second laps, why should I go 52.5 then only make it 16 laps because my arms are blown up?

“I knew when he was behind me, I am just going to cruise here, because if I go faster my arms are going to get tight and then I am going to go backwards. I need to be strong by the end of the race because most likely he is going to burn out, especially in outdoors, not as much in supercross. So that was how I approached racing James.

“When I was behind him, I never wanted to pass him! What would passing do? He is just going to follow my lines and make my life more miserable, I always wanted to be the hunter I never wanted to be the hunted. So if I was behind him I would try to run his pace and pressure him so he would fall down. I knew I couldn’t beat him on speed, majority of time, especially in Supercross. Lap for lap you would be fool to think i would be able to beat him on a fast lap, there is no shot. That was how I approached every single race, that was my game plan, pretty simply and you stick to it.

“Then Chad, his scenario and it’s why he was harder to beat, because if Chad was behind me, he was so good at picking stuff up mid-adjustment. He could be having the worst day, if he was behind me in the main event, he would instantly go from running 53s, if I was running 52.5 ,he would instantly be able to match it – he was an expert at that. Mid-race adjustments the guy was incredible.

“So, if he was behind me, I would always try to sprint over my level a little bit because I knew he wasn’t going to go into the redzone, he wasn’t going to let it swap out like I would and basically ride out of control. So I would try to get gap then settle in. I couldn’t do that with James because he could go the speed, whereas I could ride out of my comfort zone for a few laps and make a gap on Reedy.

“As far as being behind Chad, I knew he wasn’t going to get tired as easy as James was, so it was just following him and maybe make a late race pass. That was the biggest thing, not letting that guy learn from you, because if you did it was game over, he was so good at that! The thing about Chad that was very, very impressive, he didn’t do a lot of things wrong; he was great starter, great bike set-up, he was very good talking himself into being the guys and his speed was good.

“That mental capacity of being down in the dumps and the day not going right, he could reverse that. If you give that guy a crumb he is going to take the whole loaf. He didn’t really do anything bad and he was so consistent, very, very similar to McGrath. There were times I was in battles with Chad and it felt like the modern day MC…I was having flash backs of 2001 when i could finally battle with MC for 20 laps. It was like a clone, a cool experience but frightening!

McAdoo Out

Cameron McAdoo Out For East/West Showdown in Birmingham

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo announced on social media Wednesday that he will miss the upcoming East/West Showdown this Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama. 

In his heat race at the last 250SX West Division race in Seattle on February 14, McAdoo had a big crash and while he was able to compete that night and finish fifth overall in the main event, once he returned home and got scans on his shoulder it was determined he sustained a fracture to the top of his humerus bone. 

In his post, McAdoo said the injury is not super intensive and will not force him to miss the rest of the season but that he determined with team owner Mitch Payton on Tuesday night to let the injury heal further. 

McAdoo is currently sixth in 250SX West points through six rounds. After this weekend in Birmingham, this West Division is off until St. Louis on April 4, site of the second East/West Showdown in 20206.

Ferrandis Still Out...Will Miss Birmingham

Dylan Ferrandis He will also miss the tenth round of the AMA Supercross Championship in Birmingham. The Frenchman is still not fit enough to return to 450SX racing.

The problems date back to Daytona. Ferrandis injured his thumb there during the heat race. Despite the injury, he still started the main event, but crashed again and had to retire from the race.

He then skipped the race in Indianapolis and used the break and the off-weekend for recovery.

Training is not enough yet.

Ferrandis was back on his motorcycle this week, but the feedback was clear: he still doesn't have the necessary strength in his thumb to ride at a Supercross level. This is a crucial factor, especially in the 450SX class, where every lap demands maximum control.

Together with the Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing Team The decision was therefore made to also skip Birmingham. It's less about individual points and more about avoiding the risk of the situation worsening.

Return still uncertain

There is currently no concrete timetable for the comeback. The team wants to continue monitoring the healing process and only then decide when a return to play would be appropriate.

As things stand, Ferrandis will remain sidelined – until his physical condition is right again

Herlings Start Surprises MXGP

There is no doubt, many were shocked by the 1-1 performance by Jeffrey Herlings in Argentina 10 days ago. Having performanced with average results in his opening race for the team in Mantova in February, there was some concern for his ability to get used to the HRC machine quickly enough to be a contender in Argentina. Herlings himself was somewhat surprised by that result.

“I couldn't have wished for a better start to the World Championship with two race wins and the lead in the standings,” Jeffrey Herlings said. “And that while everything was new to me, from the bike to the gear. It will be quite a challenge to hold onto this, because the competition is cutthroat. But of course, I’m going to do my best.”

Leon Voskamp of omroepbrabant.nl spoke to Peter Herlings, a former Grand Prix rider of note, and the father of “The Bullet” and he is more than happy with the performances of the 31-year-old son.

“Jeffrey is already involved in the sport 24 hours a day; when I see him, I leave him alone on a sporting level. If he had finished in the top five, we as a family would have been super happy. He is riding in a new team with a new bike and that takes time. I have enormous respect for the fact that he won straight away.”

“I had to start from scratch myself. Thanks to my experience, I was able to help Jeffrey get started a bit. The whole family fought hard for it. But even so, Jeffrey had to do it himself. His drive is incredible. He always wants to ride, even as a child. The sport is central to him, and he always goes all out for it. He got that aggression and will to win from his parents.”

“We deliberately talk very little about that; he is always busy with it. He doesn't need advice; Jeffrey is mentally that strong. So, what do we talk about? Odd jobs around his house, for example, I am a sort of handyman.”

“Look at the NOS, for example, they broadcast various GPs, and that is largely thanks to Jeffrey. Before that, motocross received little publicity and was somewhat dying out. Jeffrey has really put it on the map in the Netherlands, but he is also loved abroad. He receives messages from all corners of the world.”

“This is a very positive start, something we haven't managed in recent years. Jeffrey is in excellent condition and is with a good team. But we do have to keep both feet on the ground—or on the bike. There are still eighteen GPs to ride in this World Championship, and anything can happen.”

Now we move onto Spain, and a sand circuit of note in the south of the country in a small village called Almonte. A circuit that mimics circuits like Kegums in Latvia and Valkenswaard in The Netherlands. Not deep sand, but with a hard base under ground. Perfect for Herlings to continue this sensational start to the 2026 season.

MOTOCROSS MYTH BUSTING

Press Reader - Scott Bishop

THERE IS NO MONEY TO BE MADE RACING IN AUSTRALIA!

False. I hear this one a lot lately, and I can tell you the money is as good, if not better than, it’s ever been. I think we need to define what no money means. If you are comparing the income of a top-flight US rider or anyone with the surname Lawrence, then yes, there is no money in Australia.

And while money does come and go a little bit depending on market forces — bike sales, rider market, external sponsorship — money in Australian racing has increased in recent years. Especially motocross. Why motocross? It has the most manufacturer involvement, and bike sales in that segment are consistently strong.

A top-line, potential race or round winner in the premier MX1 class now gets a base salary of over $100,000 a season. Additionally, regular podium finishes can be anywhere from $5000 to $15,000 per round, championships are over $50,000, and a rider in a successful year can earn over $300,000 per season.

An MX2 rider can earn around $200,000 a season, and now MX3 riders who have a big year can earn over $100,000 a year. So does making $100,000 as a 16-yearold kid sound like no money in racing? Comparing it to the US is pointless, but racing in Australia and consistently finishing on the podium can provide a good income for riders.

Spare a thought for a rider who fell this year and missed out on the final rounds of a championship and the bonuses coming to him if successful. That crash not only cost him time off the bike, but also about $100,000 in missed bonuses. But the reality is, more riders are currently making a living racing than ever before, and hopefully that continues to grow.

False. Of course you can. The beauty of a team bike isn’t the performance, as the availability of aftermarket parts combined with the quality of the standard bike means any well-maintained, current-model bike is good enough to be at the front of racing in motocross and supercross.

The main benefit of a team bike is that its quality remains the same all year. The bike is as fresh in round eight as it was in round one. But in terms of outright performance, a privateer with some switched-on people around them can often build a bike that is just as fast and effective as a team bike.

This also dispels the myth that your bike must arrive by truck to win. There have been several examples in recent years of production-based bikes achieving strong on-track results, including the 2025 Supercross Championship, where Hayden Mellross finished third in the SX1 class on a bike anyone could build.

True. There are times when this just has to happen. Like when you need that last-minute pre-race nervous pee and it’s either whip it out on the start line or head into the start-line thunder box.

But this needs to be avoided at all costs. If you don’t have the flexibility of an Indian rubber man and you can’t pull more facial contortions than Jim Carrey, taking a dump in a trackside long-drop should never be tackled.

The first issue is, if you are over 175cm and still in your gear, taking a seat is next to impossible — and if you can manage to get your cheeks to the toilet seat, meaning you can bend your knees at 90 degrees with braces on, you are then stuck in the sweat box because your knees are jammed against the door and you are wedged in like a human door chock, rendered helpless and with no way of escaping.

It’s then you realise that the tin box with a big hole at the bottom that smells like hell is also the hottest place on earth when the sun is beating down on it. If you could, in fact, move in that stinky sardine box, it would be like doing Bikram Yoga in full gear just metres away from the sun.

Now, I was silly enough to attempt this once and I have learned my lesson. Not only did I nearly miss my race as a I tried to fight my way out, but the energy needed meant I had become dehydrated, was simply exhausted and submerged in a wave of stench. My riding in the moto was the only thing that reeked more than I did.

Kids, be warned: no porta-loos while wearing race gear under any circumstances.

False. That dude simply doesn’t want to jump the big double. It’s easier to have a justified excuse that has no evidence to call on than to huck two piles of dirt and launch the damn thing like a rental moped at the BMX track.

If it was faster to roll doubles, triples or even tabletops, the sport of supercross wouldn’t exist. Well, it does — it’s called dirt track. So next time you think of rolling out “it’s faster to roll” to your riding buddies, take a good hard look at yourself. Stop before you say anything and just be honest with the world. Come up with a proper excuse that has some credibility.

“The bike has an intermittent bog.”“I thought the front tyre was flat.” “I left my nuts in the toolbox.” Anything is better than saying it’s faster to roll.

— Scott Bishop