Sacha Coenen in Afyon: How long could this possibly go on?

Even before the first start, it was clear that the Belgian wasn't at 100 percent. Coenen had been battling food poisoning before the weekend. Nevertheless, he lined up at the gate in Afyon – and initially even showed enough speed to work his way back into the top six in the first moto after a disastrous start.

Then came the departure via the long triple.

Coenen lost control of his KTM during the jump and crashed heavily upon landing. He later described his escape without serious injury as pure luck. "I wasn't feeling well this morning. It was difficult to concentrate and even to properly look ahead at the track. After that crash, I can be glad I wasn't hurt."

The first part of this statement is particularly striking. Anyone struggling to concentrate and anticipate what's ahead on the track is already having a pretty rough day on an MX2 at this pace. And then there was the crash from the first race.

One might have expected Coenen's Sunday to be over.

But he wasn't.

For two rounds, everything suddenly looked normal again.

Coenen lined up at the gate again for Moto2 – and grabbed the holeshot. His 15th this season. For a brief moment, it looked like a typical Sacha Coenen race again. Out at the front, clear track, and trying to build a small gap immediately.

Even KTM seemed surprised at how well it initially worked. Valentina Ragni explained to the TV crew that after the first lap they even briefly believed Coenen could finish the race despite his condition.

Then Farres took the lead. Shortly afterwards, Coenen was out.

The TV commentators subsequently suggested that the overtaking maneuver might also have been a psychological blow. This cannot be proven. And considering what Coenen had already been through, this explanation isn't really necessary.

Food poisoning, concentration problems, a violent crash in the first moto and then back to racing speed – at some point, you simply reach a point where nothing works anymore.

The fact that Coenen even competed again and immediately got the holeshot says something about how hard he tried to salvage something this weekend.

Two DNFs – but still 13 World Championship points

And indeed, contrary to expectations, Coenen didn't go home empty-handed. Although he didn't finish either race, he was credited with six points from Moto 1 and even seven from Moto 2 in the World Championship standings. That makes 13 points for a Sunday with two DNFs.

The seven points from the second race are particularly striking. Coenen completed just two laps before retiring. Whether two laps should be worth seven championship points is certainly debatable. The regulations and scoring system allowed it in Afyon, and Coenen likely had little to complain about on that Sunday.

The damage to his championship remains significant. He is currently in third place, 60 points behind the red plate.

He clearly wasn't lacking in speed in Afyon. In the first moto, despite his condition, he made it into the top six, and in the second, he already had his 15th holeshot after just a few meters. His problem this weekend was rather being able to maintain that speed physically for long enough.

Coenen himself didn't want to make a big deal out of it afterwards. "A difficult day. I can be glad I wasn't injured in the crash. One to forget, and we'll try again."

He can't completely forget Afyon, at least not in the World Championship standings. The 13 points are indeed there – even if seven of them were achieved somewhat unusually after just two laps of the race.