There is no doubt, Lucas Coenen sits in the same type of situation as names like Roger De Coster, Joel Robert, Stefan Everts, Antonio Cairoli, Ken Roczen, Jeffrey Herlings, Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado. He has the potential to be an all-time great.

His race craft, speed make him for me, the favourite to win the 2025 MXGP championship. He has grafted away and closed what was around a 60-point gap to series leader Romain Febvre to nine points, with five rounds remaining.

Now, we know that motocross can bite you in the ass quicker and harder than any sport in the sport and nobody knows that more than five-time World motocross champion and the greatest GP winner of all time. Jeffrey Herlings. Below is what Herlings told the world media a couple of months ago.

Jeffrey Herlings: First moto (in Germany) I was battling Lucas, and I have so much respect for him, being 18 years old to contain that pressure, last weekend from Romain and this weekend from me. To be under that pressure and not make any mistakes, he is a big champion in the making, let’s say that. First moto I was riding behind Lucas, and he wasn’t making any mistakes, second moto we had the mud, and I gave Romain a bit of a gap, because I was scared for my goggles, because I knew once I was going through my roll-offs, I was done. I was waiting for the lapped riders, because I knew if you made a good line, you could pass easily. I had one really good line, which I don’t think the other two saw (Coenen and Febvre) and I managed to pass Romain and a could of laps later Lucas. It was great to come back and win again. The two guys next to me are really good and its going to be a nice championship between those two.

I compare him (Coenen) to Prado, regarding talent. I need to watch what I say, because Jorge is kind of a friend of mine, but I feel like Lucas is even more complete. Like last year, actually, I shouldn’t say, I think they are both very talented (He turned to Febvre, who said, “I know what you mean”, and both laughed). Lucas is very young and there are the rumours about him going to US, but whatever he does, he will be very talented and somebody to look at for the next 10 to 15 years, if he stays injury free. Everyone races a bit different, with Tony (Cairoli) he was a bit sneaky, and we had lovely battles and with Jorge, he has mirrors on his bike, and he could smell where you could be coming. I have battles so many guys and everyone has their own little and you have to get used to it. I have had so many injures, and I want to race them clean and so far, they have raced me clean. I just want respect, and I give respect back.

Lucas Coenen on Battling Herlings: Oh yes, that would be a dream. Honestly, battling him in the sand, which would be the nicest thing. That would be a dream. For me, when I was watching as a kid, him racing in the sand, I could see myself behind him chasing, or him coming from the back, that already gives me goosebumps, because, when he is in form, he is a man on a mission. I would learn a lot from that also and I would take all the information and download it for experience.

JP/KTM image