Disappointed Sacha Coenen (KTM): “A weekend to forget”

As a reminder: at the German Grand Prix in the Talkessel (World Championship Round 7), Red Bull KTM factory rider Sacha Coenen took the red plate from the World Championship leader. This was followed by a one-two finish at Southwick (USA) whilst suffering from a broken collarbone. A week later, the Belgian lined up at Foxhills with a freshly operated collarbone and lost the World Championship lead right there. After Round 9 of the World Championship in Montevarchi, Sacha already had a 41-point lead over Guillem Farres. Despite his collarbone operation, he won the 15th round of the World Championship in Uddevalla (Sweden), thereby re-entering the title race. Ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix, he was in second place, 25 points behind the leader, Guillem Farres (Triumph).

Setbacks, bad luck and mishaps

Upon arriving in Turkey, he was struck down by stomach problems, but a second-place finish in the qualifying race behind Farres was at least enough to limit the gap to 26 points.

Sacha Coenen in der Türkei

Foto: Align Media

Problems right from the start of the first race

Sacha knew that on Sunday he had no choice but to go on the attack. The gate at the start of the first race dropped late, and Sacha reacted too early. He crashed into the gate and had to drop back, whilst the field set off without him. Furious, he raced after the pack, made up ground and was already in 8th place by the end of the first lap. A bump on the take-off for a long table catapulted him over the handlebars. He crashed heavily onto his shoulder, which had undergone surgery just a month earlier. It was a blessing in disguise: the fixation plate held firm, nothing came loose and there were no new fractures. To take the holeshot in the second race after such a crash and with pain all over his body commands the utmost respect for the Belgian. He fought on, but he had nothing left to offer against the charging Guillem Farres. As Farres overtook him, Sacha was broken and at the end of his tether. He rode straight into the pits and withdrew from the race.

Situation at the top of the standings

Although Sacha still managed to pick up 13 points due to the low number of entrants, his deficit in the World Championship standings nevertheless increased from 26 to 60 points. He also dropped from second to third in the standings. “That was a difficult day,” mused the Belgian. “I was feeling really unwell this morning, so it was hard to stay focused on the track. I’m lucky I didn’t get injured in that crash. It was a weekend to forget.”