While it was an MX2-only affair for the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing Team in Argentina – due to MXGP rider Mattia Guadagnini having to sit out round one due to injuries sustained during pre-season training – Kay de Wolf and Lucas Coenen both put on incredible performances for the team in South America.
In the opening moto, Lucas Coenen looked set to take the field by storm, having secured P1 and the red plate during qualifying on Saturday. However, it was heartbreak on the first lap for the Belgian rider, as he folded the front and crashed heavily. Coenen bravely rode for a few more laps before retiring due to the pain from his wrist.
Meanwhile, Kay de Wolf charged ahead from 5th, putting in a near unchallenged ride for 17 laps. It wasn’t until drama in the top three opened the opportunity for de Wolf to leapfrog into third and then second with a series of inch-perfect overtakes. The Dutch rider crossed the line a mere 0.3 seconds ahead of Thibault Benistant to secure 22 points.
In the second moto, Lucas Coenen truly showed his grit by riding through the pain to battle for the podium. In fact, Coenen nearly took the race win by over 4 seconds until an uncharacteristic error, just 200m from the finish line on the last lap, saw him slip to third. Challenging his teammate for the ride of the day, Kay de Wolf put in a stunning performance to race from 4th through to the podium.
Chasing hard on the last lap, de Wolf launched into the inside line on the tricky uphill hairpin in sector 4 to take the lead. The move secured de Wolf’s 14th podium and second Grand Prix victory. That’s not all, however, with the Dutch rider taking the red plate into the second round of the year.
Next up is the MXGP of Spain at Intu Xanadú – Arroyomolinos on the 24th of March.
#96 – Lucas Coenen: “So the weekend didn’t go as planned, that’s for sure. On Saturday, I was P2 in free practice and then secured pole in the timed practice. Overall, I had good speed. In the first moto, the start was good – I was in P3 and managed to take the lead. But before even half a lap had passed, in the blink of an eye, the front washed away in a corner. I felt like I hurt my wrist really badly – and although I tried to continue, the pain was really bad. I pulled out of the race and worked with the physio to get it fixed. I told myself that if I wanted to be a title contender, I needed to do the second moto regardless of the pain. Unfortunately, three corners before the end, the bike slid away from me again. With the speed I had, I could have been P1, but I will put this behind me and focus on the rest of the season.”
#74 – Kay de Wolf: “It’s really nice to have the red plate on my bike at this stage of the season – even though it maybe doesn’t mean much, with so many races to go with 19 rounds, but I’m really happy with that. I was struggling in the beginning of the weekend, but I kept improving – which is something that we focused on during winter training; doing long motos and then going for a sprint in the end. Overall it was a positive weekend, and all the hard work paid off. Winning a GP is amazing of course and now I’m looking forward to heading to Spain now and battling for more wins.”
