Lucas Coenen

Lucas Coenen was born on November 9, 2006 — making him 19 years old in 2026 and already the most exciting rider in the MXGP World Championship. He turned professional in 2022, racing the EMX250 series as a teenager, and by 2025 was competing in the premier MXGP class as a rookie. He won six races in that debut season — becoming the youngest-ever premier-class GP winner in history — and finished runner-up in the championship to Romain Febvre. In 2026, he holds the red plate as points leader after three rounds.

The Belgian prodigy is one half of motocross's most exciting family story. His twin brother Sacha Coenen races in the MX2 class, also on Red Bull KTM, making them the first twins to simultaneously compete at World Championship level in their respective classes. The Coenen family represents a new generation of Belgian motocross dominance — a country that produced Stefan Everts and Joel Smets now sending twin teenagers to the top of the world rankings.

The Youngest Winner in MXGP History

When Coenen won his first MXGP race in 2025 at Sardegna — the Riola Sardo event, the deep-sand circuit he made his own — he became the youngest rider ever to win a premier-class Grand Prix in MXGP history. He was 18 years old. The record that had stood for decades fell to a Belgian teenager who had been racing the 450 for only a handful of rounds. The sand at Riola Sardo, where his natural aggression and technical precision produce a devastating combination, remains his home track on the world circuit.

The 2026 Title Fight

Through four rounds in 2026 — Argentina, Andalucia, Switzerland, and Sardegna — Coenen leads the championship with 192 points. His rivals include Jeffrey Herlings (now on Honda), Tim Gajser (now on Yamaha), Tom Vialle (back from America), and defending champion Romain Febvre. Every one of them is a world champion or former champion. Coenen is 19. This is the greatest premier-class field in years, and the teenage Belgian is at the front of it.