Foxhill: Lucas Coenen crashes, Ruben Fernandez (HRC) starts from pole

MXGP qualifying race for the Grand Prix of Great Britain at Foxhill: The big question still hanging over the hills of Foxhill is the condition of World Championship leader Lucas Coenen following his crash in the USA. In qualifying, the Belgian showed good pace, qualifying in third place and thus securing a decent starting position for the race. However, whilst the Belgian is usually found at the front of the field after the start, this time he found himself much further back. As is well known, that’s where the traffic and jostling are, and so fate took its course.

Lucas Coenen’s heavy crash on the first lap

Lucas Coenen collided with Maxime Renaux, went off the track, rode over the barrier to the right of the track, lost control of his bike in the process and rolled over. Fortunately, he wasn’t hit with full force whilst on the ground, but was still struck by his bike. He was lucky that the riders behind him were able to swerve out of the way and didn’t run over him. By the time Lucas had got back to his feet, the entire field had already raced off. Coenen headed for the pits and withdrew from the race. The Belgian will therefore have to start tomorrow’s races from the worst possible grid position.

Lucas Coenen stürzte im Qualifikationsrennen

Foto: MXGP-TV

Vialle takes the holeshot, Herlings crashes

HRC works rider Tom Vialle (Honda) took the holeshot and was able to pull a few metres clear of Ruben Fernandez (Honda) and the rest of the field right from the start. Behind him, Jeffrey Herlings (Honda) and Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) battled for third place. The ruts left by Herlings and Febvre converged into a single gully. Febvre held his line firmly, and Herlings’ front wheel made contact with the rear of Febvre’s Kawasaki, causing Herlings to go down. He, too, fell far behind and, seething with anger, had to begin a comeback from outside the top 20.

Herlings stages a strong comeback

The Dutchman had already reached the top 10 after just four laps. On the final lap, he even managed to edge out Tim Gajser (Yamaha), who had set the fastest time in qualifying and had also clocked the fastest lap in this race. The Slovenian had been in fourth place for four laps, but a crash dropped him back to fifth. In the end, Herlings even went on the attack against his team-mate Tom Vialle, but it wasn’t enough to overtake him: Herlings finished fourth ahead of Tim Gajser and the in-form Kevin Horgmo.

Ruben Fernandez got the better of Tom Vialle

On lap 6, Ruben Fernandez managed to get the better of his HRC team-mate Tom Vialle at the front, take the lead and ride to his first race win of the 2026 season. The Spaniard won with a 2-second lead over Romain Febvre. “Today was the first time I’ve raced without painkillers,” explained Fernandez after the race. “I felt good and was finally able to ride freely again and really go on the attack.”

Herlings made a strong impression

With Sunday’s races in mind, Jeffrey Herlings made the strongest impression today. Following Lucas Coenen’s early retirement, it is almost impossible to assess his chances after today’s Saturday action.

Jeremy Seewer in 15th place

MXGP returnee Jeremy Seewer (KTM) started in the top 10 and finished the race in 15th place. Switzerland’s Kevin Brumann (Husqvarna) crossed the line in 16th place and Germany’s Cato Nickel (Honda) in 23rd.

Situation at the top of the standings

Despite his retirement and zero points, the damage to Lucas Coenen’s title hopes was limited because his closest rival, Jeffrey Herlings, who finished fourth, was only able to make up seven points. In a points-scoring race, a similar incident would have had far more serious consequences. So Coenen was lucky in his misfortune today. Herlings reduced his deficit from 68 to 61 points.

MXGP Qualifying Race, Foxhills:

1. Rubén Fernández (E), Honda, 25:30.408

2. Romain Febvre (F), Kawasaki, +2.086

3. Tom Vialle (F), Honda, +12.364

4. Jeffrey Herlings (NL), Honda, +12.842

5. Tim Gajser (SLO), Yamaha, +14.699

6. Kevin Horgmo (N), Honda, +22.191

7. Maxime Renaux (F), Yamaha, +36.916

8. Oriol Oliver (E), KTM, +38.488

9. Calvin Vlaanderen (NL), Ducati, +39.864

10. Pauls Jonass (LV), Kawasaki, +40.801

11. Jan Pancar (SLO), KTM, +43.947

12. Andrea Adamo (I), KTM, +46.277

13. Ben Watson (GB), Triumph, +49.487

14. Brent van Doninck (B), Fantic, +52.677

15. Jeremy Seewer (CH), KTM, +53.482

World Championship standings:

1. Lucas Coenen (B), KTM, 566 points

2. Jeffrey Herlings (NL), Honda, 505 (-61)

3. Romain Febvre (F), Kawasaki, 452 (-114)

4. Tim Gajser (SLO), Yamaha, 410 (-156)

5. Maxime Renaux (F), Yamaha, 368 (-198)

6. Andrea Adamo (I), KTM, 343 (-223)