We have been saying for weeks now that the 250 class in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship is searching for its next breakout star. With Haiden Deegan moving up to the 450 ranks, it left a spot open at the top, that every rider was desperate to fill. It's clear that Levi Kitchen, Seth Hammaker, Cole Davies, Jo Shimoda and even Julien Beaumer, all came into this championship prepared to assert themselves as the top 250 rider. But crashes, injuries and inconsistency have stopped them all from being downright dominant (though Davies has been the closest).
Davies won three motos in a row recently, but Shimoda caught and passed him late at RedBud. The 250 class is just so closely matched, it is hard to tell week in and week out who will win.
Enter Sacha Coenen who is leading MX2 points in the FIM Motocross World Championship series at the moment. But it has always been Sacha and his twin brother Lucas’ dreams to come and race in America. After crashing multiple times in moto 1 at Thunder Valley, Sacha was dominant in moto two. Round two for Sacha was Southwick and he continued his dominant ways, much to the delight of the fans.
This is not like the 1990’s when Jean-Michel Bayle was beating Jeff Stanton and the American fans hated it. JMB was first in foreigner to come over and win after AMA Supercross had become the "it" series in America, and it was a jarring occasion, at times. But those times have changed. Ken Roczen, of Germany, is the current AMA Supercross Champion, and the fans love Ken and his story as much as anyone from the U.S.
Enter these next two. Sacha and his brother, both very humble, have a deep appreciation for American racing. And of course, it's hard to deny Sacha rides with a lot of heart. Two things American fans love.
Sacha spoke on coming here to race before Southwick, “Let’s say we’re just loving it. Coming over here, it's a dream. And yeah, it's amazing, everything is good over here and we are having a lot of fun. Really looking forward to the future, how everything is going to happen, I’d say.”
After logging the fastest qualifier, Sacha narrowly missed out on pulling the holeshot in moto 1 but got around Davies quickly. That first lap had it all. Incredible speed and probably six near-crashes from Sacha. He saved them all. The fans loved it, and from there he started logging laps that were nearly three seconds a lap faster than everyone else. He opened up a 33 second lead over Kitchen by the end of the moto. And on the podium, he made it known to the fans the feeling was mutual.
“Yeah, for sure, I had a good start, that was the key I would say in the moto. I just pulled away, made some good riding. I was riding good, I think. So having fun out there and I love the American fans.”
The last lap of that first moto was a full-on celebration, the hearty Southwick fans at the fences cheering, and Sacha waving back to them.
Moto 2, and Sacha gave the fans everything they could hope for. First, he did not pull the holeshot, but started fourth and had to work his way up. It took him nearly half the race to get around Cole Davies. Once he did though, he was able to put 14 seconds on him. He displayed the intense speed he is known for in MXGP and then he displayed a spectacular crash with three minutes to go. It's like if someone had to describe a typical Sacha Coenen race, they would describe the second moto at Southwick. High speeds and gnarly crashes.
Amazingly, Sacha got up still ahead of Davies, and even after tossing his goggles was not only able to keep his lead but put more time on Davies. The kid is all heart. Then upon crossing the finish, when everyone was expecting a celebration after an incredible ride, Sacha handed off his motorcycle exclaiming he broke his collarbone in the crash.
Imagine the grit it takes to get back on the bike and not just finish on the toughest track on the AMA circuit, but pull back away from second place. With a broken collarbone! If 250 motocross needs a hero, I think we just found him. Heck, the last 250 Pro Motocross Champion, known for his own "send it" style, is now a fan.
"I was like watching it and I was like, 'I see a lot of myself in him,'" said Haiden Deegan on The Weege Show. "Then I thought, maybe he was a little too sendy! But that's what I want to watch. You heard the crowd!"
"Hey earned my respect today," said Brian Deegan. "He makes it look hard and gnarly and that's exciting! He's a stud!"
As if his speed and humble demeaner were not enough, American fans will always remember the heart it took to finish that moto and still win. It’s not just Sacha Coenen’s dream for him to come here and race in 2027, but every American motocross fan's dream as well.
![Stark contrast between moto 1 finish line...]()
Stark contrast between moto 1 finish line... Align Media ![and moto 2.]()
and moto 2. Align Media
