Surgery instead of a party: Lucas Coenen undergoes surgery on his 20th birthday

9 November should actually have been a cause for celebration for the Belgian twin brothers Lucas and Sacha Coenen. They both turned 20. But whilst Sacha was able to enjoy his birthday, Lucas had to go under the knife. After months of uncertainty, the doctors had finally identified the cause of his persistent hip problems.

The Belgian’s ordeal began when he crashed out of the qualifying race at Foxhill. Since then, the KTM factory rider has been struggling with severe pain. Initially, the diagnosis was a strain and compression of the sciatic nerve. The injury affected him so severely that his hopes of winning the World Championship were dashed.

MXoN victory despite the pain

Remarkably, despite his ongoing problems, Lucas gritted his teeth and competed in the Motocross of Nations in early October. There, he fought for his home country and played a key role in Belgium’s triumph. The fact that he was still suffering from the after-effects of his injury at that point makes this achievement all the more remarkable.

Surgery instead of a birthday party

“I had a rather different sort of birthday,” Coenen explained after the operation. “The cause of the problem has finally been identified. Now it’s time to recover.” The operation should finally bring about the turnaround he’s been hoping for. But for the Belgian, the next race is already underway – this time against the clock.

Just eight weeks until the start of the season

On 9 January 2027, the new US Supercross season gets underway in Anaheim, California. There are just 61 days between the operation and the season opener. So the KTM rider doesn’t have much time left for rehabilitation. And yet 2027 was set to be a very special year for Coenen: the original plan was for the Belgian to move straight into the prestigious 450cc class. Whether this plan will still stand after the operation remains to be seen.

Rumours of a Plan B

Meanwhile, the rumour mill is in full swing. According to these rumours, Lucas could initially compete in the 250cc East Coast Championship, which doesn’t start until February. This would give the Belgian several extra weeks for his recovery. Whether KTM is actually considering such a change of course has not yet been confirmed.