When we arrive at the beautiful Crossodrome Ciclamino this weekend, set on the foot of the dolomite mountain range, many questions need to be answered and many riders sit behind those questions.

The first question that maybe needs to be answered, can Lucas Coenen win there? In the form of his life and if we are honest, the fastest in MXGP and not just by a little. This 19 year old is showing signs of not only winning this years championship, but becoming if not the fastest man on the planet, then very close to it.

In his Grand Prix rookie season, the young Belgian made his first appearance at Trentino in 2023, as a 16-year-old and his finished eight overall, with very solid 7-9 scores. Despite having to fight through the pack due to average starts, he showed strong pace during the weekend in Italy.

The following season, he finished 10th overall, with 10-9 scores, but those results were more to do with a previous injury, than the speed he can show at this rock-hard circuit. Coenen faced a formidable challenge before the first start gate of the weekend; riding with a shoulder injury picked up in a crash just days before.

Struggling in qualifying due to his injury, Coenen started the first race in 13th position but showcased his grit by climbing into the top ten to finish tenth. His tenacity was on full display, as he managed to ride through the pain, preserving his strength and securing crucial points.

The second race saw Lucas improve his start, quickly moving up to ninth by the third lap. Despite a late crash, he recovered to finish ninth, showing his determination under pressure once again. Each lap was a testament to Lucas's effort in gritting his teeth, as he tackled the track's tricky conditions head-on.

“The weekend did not go as I had hoped. On Tuesday, I had a crash during training and injured my right shoulder. I came into the weekend still in pain from this injury and really just tried my best. During qualifying, I got off to a good start—I was around sixth, but the pain was too intense, and I could not manage to hold on, so I DNF'd.”

“I actually said then that I would not race on Sunday, but somehow, I managed to motivate myself to push through the pain. The first moto was pretty difficult; my shoulder was bothering me, but we still managed to secure some important points. Then in the second moto, I had a good start but was completely on the outside, which made it difficult. I finished P9 and got P10 overall, so it is positive, all things considered."

Last year, Coenen had his best result at the circuit, with fourth overall in his debut year in MXGP. The Belgian teenager went 3rd and 6th for 4th overall in MXGP. On the Saturday, Coenen finished 11th and his continued poor performances at this circuit were obvious.

Sunday provided wet and cloudy conditions but the venue at Arco di Trento was busy with fans packed into the compact spectator zones. Fast starts were critical for early moto pace and in the first race Coenen surged into the top four and rode consistently to secure 3rd.

Later in the afternoon Coenen was tussling for 2nd place deep into the second moto but a tumble dropped him out of play for the podium and down to a lonely 6th; meaning 4th on the day.

“I did not feel so good on Saturday and the incident with the gate in the Heat race meant I had to ride from last to 11th. I knew I needed good starts today but could not turn to the inside as much as I wanted. 3rd was good in the first moto though and then I was chasing for 2nd in the next race and thought I saw my opportunity. I made a small mistake and had to pick up for 6th. I am mad…but we’ll get over it.”

So, despite his excellent form of late, there will be questions asked of Coenen around this tight, technical circuit and you just know names like Tim Gajser and Jeffrey Herlings, who have both won at Trentino on a number of occasions will want to take the series leader down a notch.

If Coenen wins in Trentino this coming weekend, well, its going to make thing difficult for the others, because going by his previous races at the Crossodrome Ciclamino, there is nothing to say he will be confident of victory come Sunday night. A victory for Coenen and his competition will be hoping the rumours of him moving to America in 2027 are true.