The Grand Prix Motocross of Portugal took place this year on a very humid track, and in the absence of the leader of the MXGP championship, the Honda Tim Gajser pilot (number 243).
The number 243 has indeed dislodged the shoulder during the previous Grand Prix, in Switzerland (Frauenfeld, read our article). He was forced to the package for the round of Portugal, in Agueda.
Another injured, the Swiss Valentin Guillod (broken collarbone in Frauenfeld) was also absent from Portugal. The independent pilot, who participates in the world Cup without team or much support, will unfortunately have to wait before being able to return to a track.
Two Swiss were, however, present: the Zurichois Jeremy Seewer (number 91), from the Ducati factory team, and the young Kevin Brumann, of the private team MX Handel (Husvarna, number 87). We recall that it is the very first year that Ducati is in the running with cross motorcycles in a world championship. And that Jeremy obtained the first podium for this manufacturer in Frauenfeld.
In Agueda, the rain started to pour out on the land of Portugal taking the first rounds of the European championship on Saturday. When the pilots in the MXGP category started their qualifying race, it was no longer raining, but the track was filled with Gadoue.
Romain FEBVRE (Kawasaki number 3, second in the championship) took an excellent start, leading to Lucas Coenen (KTM, number 96), third in the championship and already winner at the Grand Prix of Switzerland. The number 96 surprised the Frenchman by giving him an interior, but he also made an error shortly after and thus allowed the Green Moto to regain the head of the race.
FEBVRE held it a few turns further, during the first full round, because of a fall that pushed it back to the eighth position. At this stage, Coenen was in front, followed by his teammate and multi-champion Jeffrey Herlings (number 84), as well as by the Yamaha Calvin Vlaanderen pilot (number 10).
Pauls Jonass, the former world champion MX2, FEBVRE teammate this season, was fourth when he was overwhelmed by his former rival, the Swiss Jeremy Seewer (Ducati, number 91). But the next round, Jeremy also fell and found himself much further.
Febvre, who had again resumed positions, took advantage of the incident to seize fourth place, Jonass also spanning.
Number 3 continued its march forward despite difficult driving conditions, and he defeated Vlaanderen at the start of the fifth round, in the straight line of the stands.
In the tenth round, Herlings was surprised by his KTM and found himself on the ground, on the other side of a big bump. Febvre saw it at the last moment and slowed down, but without being able to avoid hitting his competitor, nor to fall too!
Lucas Coenen crossed the line in triumph, after having managed to stay on his two wheels throughout the race. Vlaanderen followed it, more than 13 seconds behind, and Febvre took third place, even further. Pilot Kawasaki went to hear from herlings after the end of this race and apologized to him.
The Swiss Kevin Brumann, who was in the top 10 after the first laps and who took advantage of all these falls, found himself fourth at the end of the race, his best absolute result in this category!
Jeremy Seewer, very fast but having to leave from afar, finished ninth, behind Glenn Coldenhoff (Fantic, number 259), who himself was preceded by Herlings. But in front of the French and official Yamaha Maxime Renaux (number 959), exceeded by the Swiss in the last round. Renaux was not sure of being able to run at this Grand Prix of Portugal after a big fall to that of Switzerland.
The rain fell further, and not in small quantities, before the two rounds of the Grand Prix, Sunday. The departure of the first even had to be a little delayed. The conditions were therefore just as difficult as the day before.
Coenen advantage in the first round
Lucas Coenen and Romain Febvre competed at the start of the first race to pass the line of Holeshot the first, and it was the young KTM driver who won and continued in front of everyone. Ruben Fernandez (number 70), the Spanish teammate of Gajser, sixth in the qualifying race, was then third, followed closely by Calvin Vlaanderen.
Mattia Guadagnini (number 101), the other pilot of the Ducati team, was just behind, but he was surprised by the overtaking of the Fantic Brian Bogers pilot (back from injury), at the entrance to the straight line of the “waves” at the bottom of the circuit.
Following Pauls Jonass, Swiss Jeremy Seewer (7th), his compatriot Kevin Brumann, and Jeffrey Herlings.
Vlaanderen, relegated to the eleventh row during the first round, showed that he had rhythm by passing his teammate Andrea Bonacorsi, then Brumann, who had lost a position, then, in the space of only two turns in the second round, the Swiss Jeremy Seewer for the gain of eighth place and the Dutchman Herlings (was to find the opening on the Ducati).
It was no longer raining at all, and the sun was there, but it made the earth more catchy. At this stage, Brumann had unfortunately demoted to the fifteenth position.
Vlaanderen later made several mistakes and he arrived twelfth. At the head of the race, FEBVRE tried to resume orders, but he could never really worry Lucas Coenen, who finished this first round of the GP of Portugal with six seconds in advance.
-Bogers suddenly fell halfway, showing that he had a shoulder. He had just made a movement that had awakened his injury. The Dutchman returned to the stands, then, just as suddenly, he returned to the track, to finish 18th. His misadventure delivered third place to Ruben Fernandez, and the fourth to Pauls Jonass!
Bonacorsi delivered an impressive end of the round, going back from tenth to fifth position, but the lifts of Maxime Renaux, from around the twentieth place to the sixth, and still succeeding in exceeding Bonacorsi, as well as Glenn Coldenhoff (Fantic, number 259), retained at the start and finishing eighth, was even more remarkable.
Coldenhoff was too far from Kevin Horgmo (private team SR Motoblouz, Honda), and he had a sufficient lead on the ninth Mattia Guadagnini, and the tenth, Jeffrey Herlings. Seewer, 15th, collapsed a little at the end of the race, making many mistakes.
Coenen, Febvre and Fernandez in Manche 2 of Portugal GP
The start of the second round was an almost consistent copy of that of the first, Coenen passing the line of Holeshot the first, just ahead of Febvre, and Fernandez passing Vlaanderen two turns further to settle in third position and to hold it.
Behind Vlaanderen, his teammate Maxime Renaux had come a long way, ahead of the two wingers Fantic Bonacorsi and Coldenhoff, who preceded Jonass, Herlings and Bogers. Seewer was just behind, eleventh, a second in front of his teammate, Mattia Guadagnini. And Kevin Brumann was in 14th position.
Maxime Renaux fell into the first full round and lost ten places. Kevin Horgmo, who progressed from the tenth position, came out of the track (involuntarily) and his Honda was literally blocked by a not enough liquid mud basin in which he wanted to pass to reach the circuit.
His tenth place was thus taken by Mattia Guadagnini.
Just like in the first round, FEBVRE gave everything to try to join Lucas Coenen, and the latter knew a few scares but he caught up with them and held up until the end, while the Kawasaki driver almost fell into the last lap.
Fernandez did what it was necessary to keep his third place while holding Calvin Vlaanderen at just distance, but without having the pace to carry out the junction with the two leading pilots. Bonacorsi, Coldenhoff and Herlings followed, a little further. Finally Jonass and Renaux finished their solitary race, eighth and ninth.
Seewer crossed the eleventh finish line, three seconds behind his Italian teammate, and Kevin Brumann took 14th place.
Unsurprisingly, Lucas Coenen therefore won this Grand Prix of Portugal, ahead of Romain Febvre, who takes the Drouge plaque of championship leader in Tim Gajser, and Ruben Fernandez was the third man on the podium. Coenen is still third in the championship, 18 points from Gajser.
Adamo Domine in MX2
In the MX2 category, the 2023 champion Andrea Adamo (KTM, number 80), only thirteenth of the tests, took the Holeshot of the qualifying race on Saturday and he led the debates until the arrival.
Behind him, Sacha Coenen (KTM, number 19), Lucas’ brother, tried for a few laps to put pressure on, but his team calmed him, and the number 19 took second place, a few seconds in front of Liam Everts (Husqvarna, number 26).
Wolf Kay Championship leader (Husqvarna) spent the finish line more than 20 seconds later, with a good gap on the fifth, Simon Längenfelder (KTM; number 27).
Andrea Adamo still won in the first round of this Grand Prix in Portugal, the next day, taking advantage in particular from a big fall by Sacha Coenen (19th), who was then in the lead. The second place was fiercely disputed between Kay de Wolf and Simon Längenfelder, and it was the KTM driver who won, in the last laps.
Finally Adamo took a better start in the second round, with the Holeshot, and a race led from start to finish. Sacha Coenen took second place, and Kay de Wolf the third, ahead of Längenfelder.
Liam Everts, only eleventh in Channel 1, buried his Husqvarna in Manche 2 and lost big points in the championship. De Wolf, second in the Grand Prix (Längenfelder being 3rd) remains in the lead, but with only 4 points ahead of Längenfelder.
For the complete results of this Grand Prix Motocross from Portugal (in English), it’s here.
All these little people resume hostilities the following weekend (May 11) in Lugo, Spain.
Source mxgp.com
