Team Belgium secured their first victory at the FIM Motocross of Nations since 2013, triumphing in front of a record-breaking crowd of 105,000 spectators at the Ernée circuit in northern France. Red Bull KTM riders Lucas Coenen and Sacha Coenen played pivotal roles in Belgium’s gold medal performance at the 79th edition of the prestigious event.
The Belgian squad’s victory came ahead of Team Spain, who achieved their first-ever podium finish in second place, propelled by Jorge Prado’s dominant MXGP class victory aboard his KTM 450 SX-F. The reigning SMX champion went 2-2 on the day to claim the MXGP honours and help Spain make history.
Lucas Coenen finished third overall in the MXGP class in his first race since wildcarding at the Southwick National in July. The 19-year-old delivered crucial 3-5 finishes despite limited preparation, having managed just one full moto in training on the Tuesday before the event. His twin brother Sacha Coenen recovered from a first moto crash to finish 12th, then rode to seventh in the second moto aboard his KTM 250 SX-F to secure third in the MX2 classification.
“I cannot thank these guys enough. It’s unbelievable,” said Lucas Coenen. “Last week I could barely do 10 minutes but we kept working. Belgium is back on top and I love it.”
Prado’s performance headlined Spain’s breakthrough result. After winning Saturday’s MXGP qualification race, the Spanish ace went 2-2 in Sunday’s motos to top the MXGP standings. “With the whole team we put Spain on the box. We have never achieved a podium and to take second place is amazing,” Prado commented.
Red Bull KTM fielded five athletes across four nations at Ernée. Andrea Adamo showed strong pace for Team Italy, finishing second in the Open class’s second moto before a crash caused radiator damage that forced his retirement from the final race. Italy finished sixth overall.
Julien Beaumer made his debut with Team USA on the KTM 450 SX-F, posting 10-17 finishes in the MXGP class as the Americans took fifth overall. Beaumer finished seventh in the MXGP classification.
The event marked the fourth time Ernée has hosted the Motocross of Nations in the past two decades, with the steep, hardpacked circuit west of Le Mans providing a spectacular amphitheatre setting for the world’s premier motocross team competition.
The 2027 Motocross of Nations is scheduled for 9-10 October at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands.
Photo: KTM Media
