Coppins World 2008 FIM Thread

[paturoa]

Thread for Josh's campaign.

In this first post I'l keep the results etc as the year progresses.

MX1 calendar 2008

Results at the end of each day are moto1 place, moto 2 place, points for the day, points overall and position overall.

Sunday, 6 April 2008 Netherlands Valkenswaard                 6, 7, 29, 29, 6th=
Sunday, 20 April 2008 Spain Bellpuig                                    4, cancelled, 18, 47, 4th (only 23 points behind de Dycker)
Sunday, 27 April 2008 Portugal Agueda                                5, 3, 36, 83, 3rd (19 points behind)
Sunday, 11 May 2008 Bulgaria Sevlievo                                4, 7, 32, 115, 3rd (34 points behind)
Sunday, 18 May 2008 Italy Mantova                                        4, 5, 34, 149, 3rd (38 points behind)
Sunday, 1 June 2008 Great Britain Mallory Park                   11,12, 19, 168, 4th (55 points behind)
Sunday, 15 June 2008 France St Jean d'Angely                   2, 2, 44, 212, 3rd (19 points off the lead)
Sunday, 29 June 2008 Germany Teutschenthal                     1, 1, 50, 262, 2nd (4 points off the lead)
Sunday, 6 July 2008 Sweden Uddevalla                                 13, 5, 24, 286, 3rd (16 points behind)
Sunday, 20 July 2008 Republic of South Africa Nelspruit      9, 4, 30, 316, 3rd (23 points behind)
Sunday, 3 August 2008 Belgium Lommel                               5, 8, 29, 345, 3rd (17 points behind)
Sunday, 10 August 2008 Czech Republic Loket
Sunday, 31 August 2008 Republic of Ireland Dublin
Sunday, 7 September 2008 Benelux Lierop
Sunday, 14 September 2008 Citta di Faenza Faenza

Red Bull Moto Cross of Nations
28 Sep 2008 Great Britain Donington Park

Online resources
http://www.youthstream.org
http://www.youthstream.org/LiveResFrame.aspx
http://www.mediazonemoto.com/fim_motocross_schedule.php
http://www.joshcoppins.com/

[paturoa]

Just having a look around the net and he cleaned up 2 weekends ago at a meet in France that had quite a few top names.


The New Zealander won the popular French event for the second year in succession and took holeshots in two of the three motos, enjoying small battles with Sebastien Pourcel, Julian Bill and Ramon across the race programme to mark his perfect score-card. It was the second time that the 30 year old (31 next month) walked the top step of the rostrum after his proficiency last Sunday at Montevarchi in Italy and in spite of discomfort in his left shoulder than he aggravated at Mantova.

[MIXONE]

Go Josh.:corn:

[clmintie]

This is shaping up to be a pretty cool "spectator" year... Little 'ol NZ has some gifted MX'ers out there..... If I was 35 years younger...... Oh, no wait, I was and I was hopeless.. :baby: .......... Hope they don't mind me living vicariously through them......:rolleyes:

[cheese]

Will sky have coverage??

[arj127]

Question is, can he do it? I had a thread asking this last year, and unfortunately he didn't win the WMX championship. I've always had my doubts, and last year there were some awesome new riders moving into the MX1 class that i felt would test Josh. I really hope he does win the championship, but those new riders from last year will be even better now.
Hope it all works out for him, he deserves the title

[ali-s]

those new riders from last year will be even better now.
rumour has it that josh had some say in keeping cairioli in mx2 this year, rinaldi said ok but win us the mx1 this year because antonio will def. be with the big boys 09. This is his big year no doubt.
:first:

[paturoa]

Will sky have coverage??

I hope so - last years was too "highlight-ish". I just went to their web site and emailed them.


The reference number for your question is '080305-000042'.

You should receive a response by email from our customer service centre within the next two business days.

... so well see

[cheese]

Well we should all email them so they think twice about fobing us off. YOu get sick of just fucking rugby and golf on sky.

[Goonrider]

I just wish they have better coverage this year. That last commentator was so boring. AMA is way better coverage.

[Pierce]

Fingers crossed he can take it this year. Sadly he's not getting any younger and most likely his time in the sun is nearing an end (who knows tho I guess).

He's a top rider and has been a great rider to represent us in his years of riding. Definately deserves a title this year.

[DrewBroadley]

I'll be in Europe for two of the rounds, hopefully the wifie lets me go see one!

[paturoa]

I'll be in Europe for two of the rounds, hopefully the wifie lets me go see one!

If she doesn't want to go just PM me, I'll go!

(as long as you don't take the wifie replacement thing too far - there are limits)

[paturoa]

Don't hold your breath for sky.....



Hello Handsome,

Thank you for your email.

Although our Sports Department has advised we are currently re-negotiating rights to the AMA, we will unfortunately not have any coverage of the Motorcross MX1 or the Women's Championship.

Regards

MARIA MOKOFISI | PROGRAMMING LIAISON OFFICER | SKY TELEVISION | TEL: 0800 759 759 | PO BOX 9059, NEWMARKET | 16 LEONARD RD, MT WELLINGTON, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

So please get emailing.....

[Danger]

Thats why I don't bother having Sky. Delayed coverage is usually available on the free to air networks but unfortunately its always on when I'm out riding.

[Quicker_with_age]

Don't hold your breath for sky.....

That sucks!!!
I would gladly give up half the bloody rugby coverage we get to watch the World Motocross Champs which there is a good chance a Newzealander will win unlike the rugby........

[paturoa]

More from the Thor website


Coppins unstoppable in Valence 02-23-2008
2.26.2008

Josh Coppins swept all three races at the Valence International meeting in southern France; beating a host of world championship peers including 2007 number one Steve Ramon.

The New Zealander won the popular French event for the second year in succession and took holeshots in two of the three motos, enjoying small battles with Sebastien Pourcel, Julian Bill and Ramon across the race programme to mark his perfect score-card. It was the second time that the 30 year old (31 next month) walked the top step of the rostrum after his proficiency last Sunday at Montevarchi in Italy and in spite of discomfort in his left shoulder than he aggravated at Mantova.

It was an enjoyable race because the weather was good for once and the track offered near Grand Prix conditions which meant that I could really go for it, said the YZ450FM rider. I cannot complain with the build-up I've had. We have been using the race-bike for three weeks now and I am coming to grips with it. My shoulder is not 100% and I will go for a scan tomorrow. It has become better since Mantova but gave me some trouble on the long and rough down-hills at Valence. I will find out this week what I have to do, whether it be physio or rest, and there is plenty of time before the first Grand Prix to get back to normal. I am in great shape, so my confidence is good.

[paturoa]

And Harold has some news about Katherine too

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/4/story.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10497794

[paturoa]

check this out http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=69992

[paturoa]

It gets worse!


Yamaha Monster Motocross Team’s Joshua Coppins is facing a rush to be fully fit for the opening round of the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship in two weeks after an incident while training Saturday morning (22nd March) caused the New Zealander to break two toes on his right foot and undergo immediate surgery.

here http://www.mxlarge.com/detail.php?classtodisplay=homepage&idtodisplay=1247

[arj127]

He'll be sweet, its only a couple of broken toes, could be worse.

[paturoa]

He'll be sweet, its only a couple of broken toes, could be worse.

Yeah - like a broken shoulder blade - oh that was last year.

[arj127]

Nup, not like a broken shoulder blade. Its his right foot, he really only needs it to stand on the peg with the arch of his foot. Not like its his gear shifting foot. Pump some drugs into him and he'll be sweet. Depends on how much he really wants that championship i think

[paturoa]

"I cannot believe my luck, this is the third injury in a row that I have had that was not my fault, Valkenswaard is 50-50 at the moment. My foot has to heal naturally and we might run out of time; I'm not too sure how things will go at the moment. We will have to assess things over the next few days. I am trying to stay positive but clearly this was not what I wanted. It is a long season though and we have to keep looking ahead."

from here - http://www.dirtrider.com/features/141_0803_joshua_coppins_injured/index.html

[paturoa]

As you may know I crashed in France last Saturday injuring my toes. On some web sites it’s been reported that it was my small toes - I wish it was but it was the big one and the one beside that. The break is not really the problem though. I stubbed them so hard the bones came through the skin and the end of my toes mostly came of. Dr. Claes treated me and I can’t thank him enough for doing his best to get me ready for GP1.

I was thankful to be wearing Alpinestar boots. Without these it would have been a lot worse. So from here I’m just trying to heal up and I see Dr. Claes most days to follow the progress. At this time Valkenswaard is still doubtful but I can promise you I will try my best to be there. To speed things up I’ve been doing some physio and today I started back at the gym as I was going crazy sitting round the house!

ooooowwwww!

[paturoa]

Just listened to a radio interview of JC where he said he would be riding this weekend.

[Gravel911]

That would be great news if Josh is fit for this weekend.

Found this footage of the MX Valkenswaard 2007.

Some crasy riding going on.

Go Josh!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMzk4qr5mkU&feature=related

[Gravel911]

Latest news interview ex Alpine Stars

02.04.2008

On the Ropes: 5 Minutes with Josh Coppins

Last spring at the giant sandbox-like Eurocircuit in Valkenswaard, Holland, Josh Coppins handily rode to victory in the curtain-raising Grand Prix of the 2007 World Motocross Championship Series. Aboard a full-on works Rinaldi Yamaha, it was to be Coppins year. So long the bridesmaid on the global stage, Coppins had everything he needed to finally win the FIM MX1 Gold Medal he so desperately sought. And proved that by trouncing the competition so soundly once the series spooled up, that he was leading the World Championship by 107 points before destroying his shoulder at round eleven of the series at Loket, Czechoslovakia. Signed up on the potent Monster Energy Yamaha Rinaldi team and in possession of a mighty Yamaha 450FM, all was set for 2008 until a recent practice crash broke two toes on his right foot. Coppins and company went right into damage control mode and now have the 31 year-old New Zealander patched up and ready to ride in this Sunday’s season-opening Grand prix, once again poised to be held in the deep, hot chocolate brown sand of Valkenswaard. Is Coppins ready? Can he overcome the pain, misfortune and, once again, bad luck that has plagued him? Today, we spoke at length to the friendly, talented and fiercely determined racer.

Josh, I spoke to your business manager Glen Dempsey. He told me your toes are okay to race with, but it's the pain threshold you'll have to deal with that is concerning. How will you deal with this on Sunday at Valkenswaard? Are there any precautions you can take? And at what percentage do you think you'll compete at?
Well, I’m not sure how bad it will be. As I sit here right now, to be honest, I don’t think it will be too bad. I have a doctor who will be at the race to give me some medication if need it as well as to re-dress the wound each time I ride. I can have an injection for the races to numb the end of the toe, but I hope it doesn’t come to that. The broken toes are one thing, but the major problem is the wound itself as it was a compound fracture. It has not healed up yet and I have to be careful for infection.

Do you have a plan or a strategy just to be able to get through Valkenswaard?
Not yet. A lot of guys have worked hard towards GP1 and are pushing hard but to be honest I just want to make as many points as I can and look to start winning as soon as I’m healthy. I doubt I’ll be attacking. I’d say I’ll just be smart. As we know, it’s a long season. I’ll know more when I get on the bike.

Do you like the Valkenswaard circuit?
Yes I do – it’s not deep sand, but it gets rough. Valkenswaard has cool jumps, and overall, it’s a fun track. And I won there last year!

Upon leaving Valkenswaard on Sunday evening, what type of result would make you happy?
A top 10. That sounds pretty lame, I know, but 10 days ago I was looking at my toe sticking out the end of my boot and I thought the season was over! So to be lining up this weekend is a bonus. Don’t get me wrong: I want this title and I think that with a steady start I can still get it.

Will the additional time between Holland and the Grand Prix at Belpuig, Spain — Belpuig set to be run a fortnight later — help matters a lot?
For sure it will. I hope to not do too much damage racing GP1 in Holland and then rest a week after the race. Then I hope I can train again and get my fitness, feeling and riding back to where it needs to be.

If you had to guess - and if all goes well - when do you feel you'll be back to 100%?
By the third Grand Prix in Portugal. But if it goes well in Holland, I’m not ruling out a good result at the second GP in Spain.

Josh, just how did you hurt the toes?
I was training at a heavy sand track in Dunkirk on the French coast. A rider fell over a jump and was on the blind side. I didn’t know and landed on his bike. My toes hit his footpeg.

What went through your mind when you got to your feet and knew you were injured?
I was like: Not now! Not again! And not like this!

Was 2008 to be your year? Can is still be your year?
Ummmmm... Well, I thought 2007 was my year... You know Ricky Carmichael says he believes you make your own luck and I used to agree with him, but not anymore. The last two Injuries there wasn’t a lot I could do and it was really out of my hands. I can still make this year my year. There’s a long way to go. The Monster Yamaha [Rinaldi] team is great and the bike is awesome. I’m confident I can make it happen. This is just a kink in the road.

How long did it take to shake off the disapointment of 2007?
About a week. I laid around at home feeling sorry for myself and then I thought: “You know what? It’s shit, but Im still one of the luckiest guys in the world. I get to do what I love every day of the year and get paid for it.” So from that day on I got on with it.

You're about do some good luck, aren't you?
Yes I am! I don’t need luck, though. I just don’t need bad luck.

Will you keep going until you win the title?
I’m not sure. I believe I’ll win this year. As for my future, it’s up in the air. I guess Yamaha and I will have to make some decisions soon. I see Joe Gibbs racing is looking for an outdoor rider! Shame I haven’t got the title already otherwise I could be riding outdoors in the U.S. this year.

How are things within the Monster Yamaha Rinaldi team? Is the bike good?
The factory Yamaha 450 is awesome. I think everyone knows that the Yamaha 450 is a lot better in 2008. My team is really good and professional. I’m very happy there.

Can you tell me a little about each of these riders I’m about to list and how do you think they'll fare in 2008?
Sure.

Steve Ramon.
He is very consistent and is technically a good rider, but lacks the X factor. I think he’ll win some races in 2008, maybe even this weekend, but not the title. He got lucky last year and he needs to be better and fight a lot harder if he wants it in 2008. He is a top three guy.

Kevin Strijbos.
Kevin is a good guy and also technically very good. He is on a new team (Note: Kawasaki) and has had a few problems adapting to the new environment. He’ll win some races and is a top three guy, but I think it will take him a bit to get going.

Sebastien Pourcel.
He is fast, but not that often. He also isn’t too fit. However, he is getting better all the. I rate him as a top five guy.

Ken De Dycker.
He is really fast, but not for long. He will be good early season, but not later in the season. Condition is his problem.

Mike Brown.
Mike is an awesome starter. He likes the hot races. Mike is fun to race with! I see “Brownie” as a top 10 guy.

Billy Mackenzie.
I’m not too sure about Billy Mac. I think he’ll be better in 2008. Consistency has been his problem. Maybe he can get into the top five in 2008.

Marc de Reuver.
Sand races he can win, but he struggles to keep his concentration all season. I think he’ll be much better this year than last year.

Josh, what's your goal for the 2008 season?
World champ.

Will it be a highly competitive year?
I think it will be more than last year. A lot of the riders you mentioned are in their 2nd year of MX1 so they will be stronger. I think it will be like last year: Many different winners but consistent good results will win the title.

Would you ever hope to race here in the U.S.?
Yes, that would be great. I’d love to do outdoors and see more of your country, but it’s a matter of doing it for the right team and the right reasons. So at the moment, it’s only a dream, which I love to make come true.

I ran into you at the 2007 Motocross of Nations at Budds Creek. What did you make of the event and of the U.S.-based racers?
The event went off well, I thought. Sure there were some minor issues, but mostly because of how big it was! The U.S. based riders were mostly a big step ahead of the Europeans. To be honest, we are dragging the chain a bit over here at the moment. You have so many good kids coming through here in the U.S. that want it bad. And “Want” is the key word. I’m not sure it’s like that as much over here in Europe anymore.

[clmintie]

Just got this email from Josh's web site.........sounds promising....Go Josh... :first:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there,

Just a quick note to let you know that I went riding today. I was a little nervous and wasn’t really sure what to expect of the toes but it went better than expected. Of course it’s not 100% but I am sure I can have a respectable result this weekend and not lose too many points in the championship.

Alpinestars sent me a pair of Tech 8’s which my trainer, Stefan was able to modify and it worked pretty well. I’m off to see Dr. Claes for a final check before the weekend, but as you can tell I’m pretty happy after today.

See you in Valkenswaard!

Josh.

[MIXONE]

Shit I know motocrossers are a tough bunch but fuck they breed em real steel in Mot!!
Makes all other sports look like a bunch of pussies.The only one I can put in the same boat is Colin Meads playing the Boks in a test back in the 60's one week after breaking his arm and remember this was pre camera days so hard/dirty play was the norm.,

[scott411]

heard from some mates in europe today, he will be thier, don;t expect a win, but he ready

[paturoa]

Shit I know motocrossers are a tough bunch but fuck they breed em real steel in Mot!!

Not only in mx.

Here is a question (slightly off topic but bare with me). Which New Zealander competed in and won a round of a world series event less than a month after having his spleen removed after a big arsed crash?

[denill]

Not only in mx.

Here is a question (slightly off topic but bare with me). Which New Zealander competed in and won a round of a world series event less than a month after having his spleen removed after a big arsed crash?

Stefan Merriman. But hey, isn't he an Aussie?? Lol :beer:

[paturoa]

Correct!

Puts my complaining about my old back into perspective, when you consider Josh's having his toe bones sticking out of the top of his foot just a few days ago.

[NordieBoy]

Or a certain yank who lost a bollock to a footpeg...

[paturoa]

http://www.youthstream.org/ is dead for me - anyone else got a live feed link?

edit 19:02 just started working
edit 19:04 just stopped again
edit 19:32 they are playing with it - live results have just appeared, disappeard and now seem to be working....
edit 19:39 this is funny - now they've added colour - leaving their run a little late!

[paturoa]

Or a certain yank who lost a bollock to a footpeg...

haven't heard that one - more details please (I think?)

Edit: would make you stand up ya think!

[NordieBoy]

haven't heard that one - more details please (I think?)

Edit: would make you stand up ya think!

Mike Metzger failing to land a backflip in Dec 2004.

[paturoa]

Just googled that, and found a page with the title "Mike Metzger in Near Tragic Crash"

Must have been a chick who wrote that!

[NordieBoy]

Josh is 14th after the end of free practice 1...

[paturoa]

And now 8th, after timed practice, 3 secs off the practice pace.

http://www.youthstream.org/reslistsnew.aspx?ct=1&c=6

And interestingly Strijbos, Barragan and Pourcel are behind Josh....

Given what Josh said his strategy was this sounds good.

[NordieBoy]

They're into the warm-up now...

[paturoa]

warm up finished, but times don't count.

JC 6th fastest and 4 secs off de Revuer

Edit race 1 starts at about 11:10 nz time

[paturoa]

He was quoted as wanting a top 10 result, so with 6th in moto1 and 7th in moto2, gave him 29 points for the day. That has him 6th equal overall.

Only 11 points off the lead too.

[NordieBoy]

. :woohoo:

[denill]

Press release:

Josh Coppins shows heart at 2008 FIM GP Motocross debut.

The 2008 FIM Motocross world championship kicked off at a demanding Valkenswaard sand circuit in the Netherlands this weekend. Factory Yamaha Monster racer, Josh Coppins, showed true courage by posting a 6-7 result, only two weeks after recent surgery to repair two broken toes . The injury sustained while practicing , threatened to put the New Zealander out of contention however Coppins put the pain and discomfort aside and salvaged valuable championship points in his quest for the MX1 world title.

Having qualified 8th in the Saturday timed session, Coppins had a reasonable pick at the start gate and used that to his advantage as the first heat of the Sunday program got underway. ‘Lizzard’ just missed out on the all important ‘hole-shot’ but emerged 5th on the first lap. He set consistent lap times and moved into a podium spot when team-mate David Philippaerts miscalculated a passing move, putting Coppins down in the dirt with only a few minutes left on the clock. Coppins quickly restarted his machine to finish 6th after a gutsy performance.


A well executed jump and start in the second moto had Coppins entering the first turn in front of the pack however a small slip saw the Kiwi having to give away the lead. With track conditions deteriorating lap by lap, Coppins settled into 7th and rode his own pace to finish the grueling 35 minute moto safely.


“All in all this has been a pretty good weekend under the circumstances. Qualifying went well with 8th place. My starts were good in both motos however I went a bit wide in the first one and slid out in the second but was up there. This weekend was just damage control really and I rode the best I could within the pain, trying not to damage the foot at all. I haven’t been able to do the work to be best prepared for this race. I am quite happy with the result which is a relief after what I have gone through in the last two weeks. I’m sitting in 6th overall now whereas two weeks ago I was looking at the bones sticking out of my toes so I’m happy with the position I am in. I have the stitches removed from my toes tomorrow and then I plan to get some more time on the bike later in the week. We’ll head to France for some guaranteed better weather and hopefully with that time in the saddle I’ll be able to build back some strength for Spain and aim to be strong in Portugal.”


There will be a week break before round 2 takes place at the spectacular hard-pack circuit of Bellpuig in Spain on the 19-20 April.

Race results:

MX1 Race 1

1 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

2 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

3 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

4 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

5 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

6 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

7 Strijbos, Kevin BEL Kawasaki

8 de Reuver, Marc NED Honda

9 Nemeth, Kornel HUN KTM

10 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

11 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

12 Leok, Aigar EST Yamaha

13 Verhoeven, Bas NED Kawasaki

14 van Daele, Marvin BEL Suzuki

15 Brown, Mike USA Honda

MX1 Race 2

1 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

2 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

3 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

4 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

5 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

6 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

7 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

8 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

9 Nemeth, Kornel HUN KTM

10 Leok, Aigar EST Yamaha

11 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

12 Schiffer, Marcus GER KTM

13 Brown, Mike USA Honda

14 Strijbos, Kevin BEL Kawasaki

15 Church, Tom GBR Kawasaki

MX1 World championship standings:

1 de Dycker, Ken BEL 50

2 Nagl, M. GER 38

3 Ramon, Steve BEL 38

4 Mackenzie, B. GBR 33

5 Philippaerts, D. ITA 33

6 Priem, Manuel BEL 29

7 Coppins, J. NZL 29

8 Nemeth, Kornel HUN 24

9 Strijbos, K. BEL 21

10 Barragan, J. ESP 20

11 Leok, Aigar EST 20

12 Brown, Mike USA 14

13 de Reuver, M. NED 13

14 Schiffer, M. GER 11

15 Leok, Tanel EST 10

[NZsarge]

Yeah, that's some valuable points for sure, I just hope that it's not too long before he gets his strength and fitness back particularly when the likes of de Dycker took maximum points. Very well done though.

[NordieBoy]

Billy Mac did well to podium the 2nd race.

[paturoa]

Interesting interview here..

http://www.drivesouth.co.nz/news/5494/putting-time-in-the-saddle-coppins-talks-about-healing-up-pics

[Gravel911]

Here a couple of shots of Josh's Bike.

Looks very cool.

Yep bring on the red plate!!!

[arj127]

yeya, got to say i love that black, and check those disc brakes out!

come on Josh, lets bring the trophy home this year.

[paturoa]

What is the extra sausage bit welded into the header pipe?

[mattwood]

What is the extra sausage bit welded into the header pipe?


pretty sure its a 'power bomb' kinda like an expansion chamber for a 4 stroke. i think, or i could be completely wrong! :done:

[ArcherWC]

you be right

[paturoa]

...so that creates a resonance at a certain frequency and distance from the prot and the presssure waves do what?

Do they provide a low pressure point at some exhaust open time or something?

[mattwood]

no idea what it does, just know wot its called because a friend of mine has 1 on his WR250f. They looks cool anyway :niceone:

[Gravel911]

Yep you are right it is called a "Power Bomb"

This is the theory.

Increased performance and flow is achieved through the expansion and contraction of exhaust sonics through the system. Result is a flow increase Thru the exhaust system.
They also lower the bikes sound output by providing more sound absorbing surface area for the sound medium (exhaust gases). The inside has a perforated core.

[Buddy L]

i wounder how the ones on the SX250F works then factoury bike in MX2 their "power bomb" looks way out of wack.

[Gravel911]

Is this the can like thing attached to the header.

I think these mainly reduce noise and give a slightly better response at the bottom end.

[UP-SHIFT]

Hey guys, newbie here! Just moved to Dunedin in Jan. Here's a podcast interview that Steve Matthes did with Coppins before the Valkenswaard opener.

http://www.racerxcanada.com/news/4535/somewhat-live-and-uncensored-no-12/

[NordieBoy]

Is this the can like thing attached to the header.

I think these mainly reduce noise and give a slightly better response at the bottom end.

Nah, it's like the FMF power-bomb, in-line in the header.
It is ment to give the torque of a longer header with the top end power of a shorter header.

[paturoa]

Hey guys, newbie here! Just moved to Dunedin in Jan. Here's a podcast interview that Steve Matthes did with Coppins before the Valkenswaard opener.

http://www.racerxcanada.com/news/4535/somewhat-live-and-uncensored-no-12/

Welcome,

That is a really good interview!!!

You all should listen to it.

[paturoa]

Racing again this weekend and it looks like he has had a lot of bike time too.

http://www.fullnoise.com.au/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_full&news_id=4285

[paturoa]

Josh was 8th fastest in the final timed practice session.

I don't know what happened in the first session as he 36th?

Oh well it wasn't until the 4th GP last year before he was on pole.

Tony Cooksley was 12th in the vets

[arj127]

Looks like Josh has finished in fourth in race 1

[NordieBoy]

...with the fastest lap by almost a second.

[Danger]

Second race was cancelled due to the conditions.

[scott411]

Josh was second until he got stuck on an uphill!!!! sounds like it was a mess

Cooksley got 20 and 23rd byt he looks in the Vets,

[UP-SHIFT]

Good ride for Coppins! Too bad about gettting stuck on that uphill, he was hauling before that. Lost a full minute getting out and turning around.

[denill]

Date: 20 March 2008
Press release:

Bellpuig MX GP marred by rain.

The second round of the FIM Motocross championship has been marred by rain and treacherous conditions at a muddy Bellpuig circuit in Spain. Factory Yamaha Monster rider, Josh Coppins posted a first moto 4th place before the second moto was cancelled due to impossible riding conditions.

As the riders dashed for the crucial hole-shot in moto 1, Coppins nearly lost the front end when he hit a blanket of water going into the first turn. He saved the crash and positioned himself comfortably in third spot behind Barragan and Ramon. After passing Barragan for second and then setting after Ramon, Coppins got stuck before the infamous uphill step section. It took the Kiwi over half a minute to free his motorcycle from the quagmire and re-attempt the hill successfully. With the race now a lottery, Coppins focused on staying on the bike and settled for fourth spot just behind the Belgian, Ken De Dycker.

With the MX2 class not able to complete their second moto it was inevitable that a decision would be made not to race the second MX1 moto. The GP overall was then decided by the first moto result which saw Coppins miss out on the podium. The Yamaha Monster racer has now climbed to fourth in the championship standings and trails leader de Dycker by 23 points.

“I’m still trying to get faster, trying to get better” explained Coppins. “I have lost two points on the lead and that for me is important at the moment. I am not focused on which position I am in the championship, or even the result this weekend – more important is to minimize the deficit from the lead until I am 100% and can start winning some races and pull back those points.”

“I was happy with my riding and even set the fastest lap in the first moto in these tricky conditions. I made a crucial mistake going up the hill step section and that cost me the win but I was also lucky that it didn’t turn out worse because it was a lottery out there. It’s still a long season and I’m pretty happy with the result.”

The GP riders and teams will trek West to Portugal and the 3rd round of the championship to be held in Agueda next weekend, hopefully under better weather and racing conditions.

Race results:

MX1 Race 1

1 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

2 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

3 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

4 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

5 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

6 Strijbos, Kevin BEL Kawasaki

7 Church, Tom GBR Kawasaki

8 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

9 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

10 Freibergs, Lauris LAT Yamaha

11 Salvini, Alex ITA Suzuki

12 Nemeth, Kornel HUN KTM

13 Chiodi, Alessio ITA TM

14 Noble, James GBR KTM

15 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

MX1 Race 2

CANCELLED


MX1 Championship standings:

1 de Dycker, Ken BEL 70

2 Ramon, Steve BEL 63

3 Philippaerts, D. ITA 55

4 Coppins, J. NZL 47

5 Mackenzie, B. GBR 46

6 Nagl, M. GER 40

7 Strijbos, K. BEL 36

8 Priem, Manuel BEL 35

9 Nemeth, Kornel HUN 33

10 Leok, Tanel EST 26

11 Desalle, C. BEL 22

12 Barragan, J. ESP 20

13 Church, Tom GBR 20

14 Leok, Aigar EST 20

15 Freibergs, L. LAT 16

[paturoa]

That must have been BIG rain!


BELLPUIG (SPAIN), 20 April 2008 – Today the Spanish Grand Prix was one of the toughest races ever seen by the Motocross circus; it started to rain in the middle of the night and it carried on during the entire day, making the competition even tougher than it would have been.

On a very wet and muddy course, Steve Ramon took his first career MX1 class victory while Davide Guarneri sealed his second MX2 GP win. A strong Toine van Dijk won the opening round of the FIM Veterans Motocross World Cup.

MX1 Defending MX1 World Champion Steve Ramon of Teka Suzuki WMX1 took his maiden MX1 overall win at the end of an extremely hard first moto; the second moto was cancelled after the Event Management’s decision due to the weather conditions. Yamaha Monster Motocross’ David Philippaerts was second on today’s podium, stepping on the rostrum for the first time since he mounted on the factory Yamaha machine. The podium was completed by current series leader Ken de Dycker of Teka Suzuki WMX1, while Yamaha Motocross’ Josh Coppins and Kawasaki Racing’s Tanel Leok completed the top five.

[Gravel911]

Here are a couple of links

I have never seen so much water on a track before.....unreal.

MX1 race 1

http://www.motocrossplanet.nl/films/spain10.wmv


MX2 Race 2

This is unbeliveable.
The guy that got the hole shot just gets ejected at the first turn when he hits the water.
You can see why they pulled the pin.

http://www.motocrossplanet.nl/films/spain10.wmv

[paturoa]

thats not a race that is stupidity - good vid gravel!

[mattwood]

the dude who got the whole shot and fell off was lucky he didnt drown! :shit:

[Danger]

Just saw some of the action on TV. There were a half dozen riders stuck on one hill unable to get moving.

[Pierce]

Bloody coppin's is damaged good and still ride's like the man.

Got the FIM MX1 07 DVD and he is miles ahead of the rest of the riders in the tournament aye. Fingers crossed injury won't stunt his chances of taking the MX1 championship this year!

[telliman]

WTF!!! where would they be without transponders. so do all points get scratched from the first race or do they stand?

[paturoa]

They keep the points from race one.

[paturoa]

Josh was 7th fastest qual.

[paturoa]

Getting better each race,

5th in race 1 for 16 points, and 3rd in race 2 for 20 points.

So that was 36 points for the day and he is now 3rd overall on 83 points with Philippaerts taking the overall lead on 102 points.

[oldguy]

thats good news, cheers Paturoa,
just downloading the racing from Media Zone will watch to night

[denill]

Yamaha Press Release: 27/04/2008

Philippaerts new series leader after double podium in Portugal

A sun-blessed and roasting Grand Prix of Portugal at the stunning Agueda circuit was the perfect remedy for the FIM Motocross World Championship after the sea of rain and mud that washed out the Spanish visit last weekend. The splendid stage for round three of fifteen, south of the city of Porto, witnessed the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team score a double podium result with David Philippaerts finishing second and Josh Coppins third on the works YZ450FMs.

Philippaerts won a moto and was second in the other race, while Coppins seized his first silverware of the season after a thrilling move past champion Steve Ramon for third spot on the final corner of the last lap. On the podium Philippaerts picked up the red-plate to signify his new status as MX1-GP championship leader for the first time. He is also the first Italian to sit at the top of the points table since the inception of the MX1-GP class in 2004.

The dry circuit provided a technical test for the riders with the combinations of jumps and alternate line options meaning that the 'perfect' lap was tough to find and mistakes were heavily punished by the high pace.

Philippaerts suffered a fast crash on Saturday that left the Italian with a sore back and lack of sensation in his arms during the qualification practice. He was still a bit stiff Sunday morning but put aside any discomfort to remain one of the protagonists in the first moto. After hunting down Billy Mackenzie and taking the lead on the seventh lap of twenty-one the 24 year old kept a good rhythm to retain control of the race until the chequered flag. It was his first moto success for the team and his first set of '25' points since the Grand Prix of Belgium last August.

Coppins on form

In Moto2 the Italian did not have the best first lap and had to work hard from fifth position to take advantage of another error by Mackenzie and also a crash by Jonathan Barragan to rise to second place. Although he tied on points with overall winner Sebastien Pourcel, the second moto ranking determined the final standing. It was the second consecutive runner-up position for Philippaerts.

Josh Coppins tried a new rear suspension set-up on Saturday as well as some experimentation with different Pirelli tyres. The New Zealander was unable to match the pace of his peers at the start of both motos (even though he exited the gate in the top five both times) but was easily one of the strongest riders at the end of the races. In the first he pushed Mackenzie hard to take fifth but it was his determination and dogged pursuit of the lagging Ramon in the final two laps of the second sprint that really gave an indication of the Kiwi's 'steel'.
Closing down some four seconds to the back of the Belgian, Coppins took the fight for third right to the last corner where he cut tighter and snatched the position - and the last podium spot - by four tenths of a second. The result was a message but the manner in which he delivered it was equally devastating, that Coppins - who missed five weeks of riding through two broken twos on his right foot prior to the start of the campaign - is hungry for the title.

The red plate

The championship standings now make good reading for the team. Philippaerts holds a 6 point gap over Ramon while Coppins is third and just 19 behind. Yamaha are second in the manufacturer's standings by 6 points.

The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team now travel back to their Italian base near Parma for several days and a free weekend before packing up and heading east across to Europe to the impressive Sevlievo circuit and the Grand Prix of Bulgaria. The meeting will precede the squad's home round at Mantova seven days later.

David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team: 2nd

"I am really happy to have the red plate because this is the first time for me. The first moto was unbelievable. My start was pretty average but I passed Mackenzie and Barragan and found some effective lines. When Sebastien came near in the last moments I looked to pull another second on him and controlled it until the end. I started well in the second moto but on the second corner my line meant that I had to be careful and lost some time, which let Sebastien and Mackenzie escape. It was a long race so I did not want to go crazy at the beginning and also the track was not easy. I knew the others would slow their pace by the end so I wanted to be strong the whole distance. My aim now is to try and stay in the top five each GP and this will be good for the championship."

Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team: 3rd

"It was an exciting end to the Grand Prix and one that even I did not expect. I could see that Steve was fading and, of course, after last year I always like to pass Steve, so I put in that extra effort. He went wide in the last corner and I could not believe that. My eyes lit-up and I made the pass.
We tried a new rear shock during Saturday which was a bit softer and suited me better. We also tested some tyres with a different compound moose and also sliced some of the nobs on the rubber. I think we had a pretty good set-up so I was happy with the bike. The extra options the team provided made things even better, which I was surprised about.
It was finally nice to have a real race; a race where the best rider wins instead of the terrain being good for some or just being a lottery. Today it was Pourcel but it was a GP where the degree of racing fitness and skill comes into it and that was really positive.
It has been a tough season for me so far with a few 'downs'. I don't quite have the speed at the moment, especially at the start of the race; all I have is the consistency in the laps I make. I have to be patient, which is hard because I am not a patient person! With sixth, fourth and third things have gone well but you always want better. Everyone around me has been really supportive and I am sure I will get up to a higher level very soon. I was one of the strongest out there at the end, and this makes me proud."

Mino Raspanti, Racing Manager, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team:

"I really great Grand Prix for us; to have both riders on the podium is really good. They continue to work hard and perform well. David's win was deserved I am very happy for Josh also. These are some difficult moments for him but he is trying so hard. David and Josh are both happy with the bikes and Josh more so after we made a small change with the shock. We will work now and look ahead to Bulgaria, and Mantova the week after."

Crowd: 18,000
Weather: Sunny

2008 GP of Portugal, Agueda 27/04/2008
Race 1 - 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time

1 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 38'56.063
2 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'4.287
3 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 0'12.368
4 Billy MacKenzie Honda GBR 0'16.139
5 Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 0'17.169
6 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'34.548
7 Marc De Reuver Honda NED 0'40.307
8 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 0'41.921
9 Mike Brown Honda USA 0'44.229
10 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0'46.637
11 Julien Bill Honda CHE 1'3.842
12 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 1'6.481
13 Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 1'9.133
14 Ken De Dycker Suzuki BEL 1'11.582
15 James Noble KTM GBR 1'12.339
16 Alex Salvini Suzuki ITA 1'13.578
17 Manuel Priem Kawasaki BEL 1'16.105
18 Kornel Nemeth KTM HUN 1'18.885
19 Alessio Chiodi TM ITA 1'26.162
20 Pierre A. Renet Suzuki FRA 1'28.134

Race 2 - 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time

1 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 39'42.975
2 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0'8.473
3 Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 0'11.360
4 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'11.774
5 Mike Brown Honda USA 0'16.237
6 Billy MacKenzie Honda GBR 0'22.697
7 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 0'29.193
8 Marc De Reuver Honda NED 0'35.176
9 Kornel Nemeth KTM HUN 0'39.940
10 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 0'48.334
11 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0'50.370
12 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0'52.219
13 Carlos Campano Yamaha ESP 1'2.410
14 James Noble KTM GBR 1'14.846
15 Pierre A. Renet Suzuki FRA 1'22.129
16 Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 1'31.529
17 Paulo Goncalves Honda POR 1'38.142
18 Alex Salvini Suzuki ITA 1'44.695
19 Marvin Van Daele Suzuki BEL 1'48.894
20 Manuel Priem Kawasaki BEL 1'51.571

Rider Standings 27/04/2008
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points

1. David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 102
2. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 96
3. Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 83
4. Billy MacKenzie Honda GBR 79
5. Ken De Dycker Suzuki BEL 77
6. Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 58
7. Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 54
8. Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 52
9. Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 50
10. Kornel Nemeth KTM HUN 48
11. Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 43
12. Mike Brown Honda USA 42
13. Marc De Reuver Honda NED 40
14. Manuel Priem Kawasaki BEL 40
15. Kevin Strijbos Kawasaki BEL 36
16. Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 27
17. James Noble KTM GBR 20
18. Tom Church Kawasaki GBR 20
19. Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 20
20. Alex Salvini Suzuki ITA 19
28. Carlos Campano Yamaha ESP 8

[Nicola W]

:D Well done Josh! Keep at it!

[Ktmboy]

:D Well done Josh! Keep at it!

Hey Nicola, Your here!!
Welcome to motorbike heaven.

How about an update on the last few months as I'm sure we'd all like to hear your initial observations.

[Gravel911]

Ex Josh's Web Site

05.05.08

Hi there,

It’s been a while! But here I am with news of the past weeks and what I’ve been up to… I’m back in Belgium as I write this but after GP 1 I hit the road to find some good weather and put in time in the saddle. First I headed to Parma, Italy to the workshop where I rode for a week with Fabio my mechanic. From there we headed west to Biarritz France to work with Jacky Vimond for the week and then down to Spain. While in France the weather was great, and Biarritz is a surfing town! I really wanted to hit the water but my toes were still not healed up completely so I had to watch from the shore…

I rode three different tracks working on speed and like I keep saying just trying to catch up after the forced lay of. Spain was wet as you probably know. My race was ok but I put too much pressure on my self to win. I had the speed and put myself in a good position but I pushed it too hard and ended up crashing and losing a lot of time stuck at the bottom of a hill. After the race I couldn’t get out of there fast enough! We went to a friend of Jacky’s near Lisbon. They looked after us well and even did our washing – 5 rubbish bags full! I rode twice in that week at a track near Lisbon. The name of the track has slipped my mind but they have a Portuguese championship there. It was great and I felt better going into the GP.

Finally we had a dry race and so far there have been 3 different winners at 3 GP’s! I got on the podium and moved into third in the championship. I should be happy after the hectic start I have had to the season but like most racers I am impatient and want to win now! I understand I missed a lot of time and have to build back up and that’s exactly what I have been doing here in Belgium since I got home. To be honest there hasn’t been a lot else going on other than hard work, but Jamie my cousin got a Nintendo wii for his birthday so we have been playing a bit of that, and the weather is coming good so soon well get the jet ski out.

That’s it for now. Thanks to everyone for your support and I hope to see you at a race soon.

Cheers,

JC

[paturoa]

Racing this weekend!

[paturoa]

Josh was 6th fastest in qualifying but only 1.5 seconds off the best time.

There were 9 riders in within 2 seconds of the best time. That is the closet I've seen in some time.

Josh is a stayer so a couple of full length motos should change that.

[paturoa]

I suspect he has his race face full on!! - fastest in warm up and did 9 laps, only one other did 9 laps.

It would be quite some time since he had the fastest warm up time.

[NordieBoy]

4th in race 1

2.5sec covering 2nd-4th.

[paturoa]

gutted - only 7th in race 2.
Thats 32 points for the day, so he stays at 3rd overall after 4 rounds, and is now 34 points off the lead.

[denill]

Date: 11 May 2008.

Press release:

Coppins frustrated with Bulgarian MX GP result.

Factory Yamaha Monster racer, Josh Coppins, was dissatisfied with his performance at the fourth round of the FIM Motocross World champs held in Sevlievo, Bulgaria. With scattered showers mixing up the track conditions, Coppins battled with starts in both motos which consequently lost the New Zealander valuable points in the MX1 title chase.

Coppins was the fastest rider in the Sunday warm up session and felt confident for a good race result however a bad start in moto 1 ruined the Kiwi’s chances of challenging for the moto win. Coppins progressed up the rankings during the 35 minute moto and shut down the leading pack of fellow team-mate Philippaerts, Barragan, and De Reuver with minutes left on the clock. A last lap charge had Coppins breathing all over De Reuver but to no avail has he crossed the line in fourth, only eight seconds adrift of winner, Philippaerts.

A rain shower between moto’s would make for a wet second race. Coppins had a mammoth task ahead as he hit a rider going down the start straight and was pushed back in the pack. Fallen riders on the first lap held Coppins up again as he was left outside the top ten with tons of work to do. 7th spot was the best the Kiwi could produce as the checkered flag was waved for the end to a tough GP.

“I’m quite frustrated at the moment,” admitted Coppins. “I was pleased with my qualifying yesterday and this morning I was fastest in warm up which put me in a good mindset. I didn’t get the starts I needed today and in the first moto I took too long to get going. After the 10th lap I stepped it up and closed down the front pack but too late to gain some vital positions. The second moto start was a disaster and I was way back in the pack which, with the track being really fast and one-lined after the rain, meant that it would be difficult to make up lost ground. I have to say my starts and not being fast enough in the opening laps let me down this weekend and this is something I have to work on for the next GP.”

Coppins still occupies third in the MX1 championship standings and is 34 points adrift of fellow Yamaha Monster team-mate, David Philippaerts who leads.

Scott Columb was 24th

With no time to rest, the Factory Yamaha Monster rider will head to Mantova in Italy for round 5, next weekend. (17-18 May)

Race results:

MX1 Race 1

1 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

2 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

3 de Reuver, Marc NED Honda

4 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

5 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

6 Bill, Julien SUI Honda

7 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

8 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

9 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

10 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

11 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

12 Brown, Mike USA Honda

13 Nemeth, Kornel HUN KTM

14 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

15 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda



MX1 Race 2

1 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

2 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

3 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

4 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

5 de Reuver, Marc NED Honda

6 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

7 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

8 Bill, Julien SUI Honda

9 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

10 Brown, Mike USA Honda

11 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

12 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

13 Schiffer, Marcus GER KTM

14 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

15 Nemeth, Kornel HUN KTM



MX1 World championship standings:

1 Philippaerts, D. ITA 149

2 Ramon, Steve BEL 132

3 Coppins, J. NZL 115

4 Mackenzie, B. GBR 100

5 de Dycker, Ken BEL 98

6 Barragan, J. ESP 94

7 Pourcel, S. FRA 90

8 Nagl, M. GER 80

9 de Reuver, M. NED 76

10 Leok, Tanel EST 71

11 Brown, Mike USA 62

12 Nemeth, Kornel HUN 62

13 Priem, Manuel BEL 56

14 Desalle, C. BEL 55

15 Schiffer, M. GER 40

[paturoa]

oops

12th in FP1
16th in FP2

and 16th in timed practice

Something is wrong???

[arj127]

4th in first race, 5th in second. Come on Josh

[paturoa]

I was expecting him to regularly be on the podium by now????


"I think everyone knows that I have had a hard couple of weeks and I am not riding as well as I would like, so I think we did a good job in the motos; I believe fourth and fifth was not too bad," Coppins said. "I am looking forward to England now; that is like a home GP for me. I like to think I have a chance to win there.”

[arj127]

Like i said last year, he's got some pretty tough competition now. Phillipaerts being the main worry i think, could see he was good when he was piloting 250f's

[denill]

Date: 18 May 2008
Press release:

Tough day for Coppins in Mantova

Josh Coppins has experienced a tough weekend at the fifth round of the Italian MX GP in Mantova. The Factory Yamaha Monster racer battled with his speed all weekend on a track he has openly admitted he dislikes.

With bad weather conditions adding to the tricky stadium style track, Coppins went into the first moto with a wide gate pick. He jumped well but was pushed out by German, Maxi Nagl. After settling into 5th position, Coppins began to ride his own pace but came under pressure from Steve Ramon who he kept at bay for most of the 35 minute moto. Team-mate Philippaerts charged through the pack to slot in behind Coppins with two laps to go however the Kiwi finished strongly to secure 4th spot.

A perfectly timed jump to the start of the second moto saw Coppins take the hole-shot and early advantage. Maxi Nagl again threw a spanner in the works when he snuck past by the end of the opening lap as Coppins essentially lost his rhythm and concentration. A further four valuable positions were lost in succession with Coppins settling down in fifth until he crossed the checkered flag.

"It is quite close at the front of the championship and we saw another new winner this weekend. I am the only guy from the first few in the standings who has not won yet, but it will come. I think everyone knows that I have had a hard couple of weeks and I am not riding as well as I would like, so I think we did a good job in the motos; I believe fourth and fifth was not too bad. I closed some points to Ramon and pulled away from Mackenzie. I was pleased with my starts today even if I did ride badly in the first ten minutes of both motos; I was just too slow. In the last ten minutes I am as fast as the leader but I am too stiff and not relaxed in the first moments of the races. My confidence is getting better though. I don't like this track and it is the only one of the fifteen that I struggle with, so that's another reason why I am pleased with the result. I am looking forward to England now; that is like a home GP for me. I like to think I have a chance to win there." stated Coppins.

Coppins will take a weekend off in order to prepare for the 6th round of the FIM MX series which visits a new venue in Malory Park in Great Britain on the 1st of June.

Race results:
MX1 Race 1

1 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

2 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

3 de Reuver, Marc NED Honda

4 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

5 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

6 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

7 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

8 Leok, Aigar EST Yamaha

9 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

10 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

11 Schiffer, Marcus GER KTM

12 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

13 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

14 Nemeth, Kornel HUN KTM

15 Noble, James GBR KTM

MX1 Race 2

1 Nagl, Maximilian KTM

2 Philippaerts, David Yamaha

3 de Reuver, Marc Honda

4 Mackenzie, Billy Honda

5 Coppins, Joshua Yamaha

6 de Dycker, Ken Suzuki

7 Pourcel, Sebastien Kawasaki

8 Leok, Tanel Kawasaki

9 Ramon, Steve Suzuki

10 Priem, Manuel Kawasaki

11 Desalle, Clement Suzuki

12 Schiffer, Marcus KTM

13 Church, Tom Kawasaki

14 Anderson, Bradley Suzuki

15 Brown, Mike Honda

MX1 World championship standings:

1 Philippaerts, D. ITA 187

2 Ramon, Steve BEL 159

3 Coppins, J. NZL 149

4 de Dycker, Ken BEL 135

5 Mackenzie, B. GBR 130

6 Pourcel, S. FRA 129

7 de Reuver, M. NED 116

8 Nagl, M. GER 114

9 Barragan, J. ESP 105

10 Leok, Tanel EST 98

11 Nemeth, Kornel HUN 74

12 Desalle, C. BEL 73

13 Brown, Mike USA 70

14 Priem, Manuel BEL 67

15 Schiffer, M. GER 59

[scott411]

good to see Scotty Columb scored his first point of the season to,

[camchain]

Worried that Josh's misfortunes are getting the better of him. Taped and watched the race Philippaerts barged him. Rewound and viewed incident several times and it seemed to me he (Josh) might have changed his line a bit rather than get into argy bargy (easy to say - I know).

When things go wrong, your subconcious can magnetise scenarios which bring even more woe. Read recent Everts interview and he rated Ramon's chances again this year. I'd dearly love to see Josh do it but wondering now if he might do a DK.

[Danger]

A year is a long time in top level sport. The competition all want to win too and also have a year to build on last years efforts. Last year they saw Ramon win the Championship without ever winning a race (as I remember). The top guys all believe they are in with a chance. Josh has lost the jump he had on everyone from the previous year where everyone expected him to win. I'm sure he can turn it around tho, as long as he shifts his mind set and does not think its his to win by right. I'm sure he will have reached that point by now. It should be a more interesting season than last year in my opinion.
Go Josh!

[camchain]

Good points, and well put Danger. Seem to remember hearing/reading recently that Josh has an autobiography just out now (?? Is this right??). Kind of strange I thought. Seems like it might have a the most important chapter missing - hopefully.

Thanks for the thread upkeep paturoa.

[denill]

<a href=http://www.harpercollins.co.nz/fmi/xsl/nz/book_details.xsl?isbn13=9781869506209>Josh - Flying Kiwi:</A>

[Danger]

<a href=http://www.harpercollins.co.nz/fmi/xsl/nz/book_details.xsl?isbn13=9781869506209>Josh - Flying Kiwi:</A>

I get the feeling that book was penned to be released with Josh's winning of the World Championship last year. :pinch:

Bit like Murray Deaker's book on the World Champion All Blacks last year.:spanking: Just had to write or re write the last chapter!:blank:

[denill]

I get the feeling that book was penned to be released with Josh's winning of the World Championship last year. :pinch:

Bit like Murray Deaker's book on the World Champion All Blacks last year.:spanking: Just had to write or re write the last chapter!:blank:

Yeah, good point Danger. The book had been written over a long period. And expectations were high.
It's "Don't count yer chickens untill they're hatched'! :rolleyes:

[NordieBoy]

Just finished watching the races.
Josh just didn't seem to run the lines and flow as well as he usually does.

[denill]

Date: 1 June 2008
Press release:

Mallory Park GP a struggle for Coppins.

As the FIM Motocross world championship completes the 6th round of the15 round series, Josh Coppins of the Factory Yamaha Monster team has lost ground in the MX1 title hunt after a luckless Mallory Park GP in the UK.

The Kiwi suffered first lap crashes in two motos which inevitably saw him have to fight his way from stone last in both races. Coppins had a further setback in moto 1 as he was recovering from his first spill he hit the dirt again after pushing hard through the pack. Once he settled into a race rhythm he managed to claw his way back to 11th spot on an extremely fast but technical Mallory Park circuit.

Trying to focus on a better start in moto 2 the first turn became a free for all with riders bumping elbows. Coppins lost some ground and then ran into a stalled rider and went down. After getting back on the track he had to stop again to remove a damaged fork guard before he could give chase to the pack. With the track conditions deteriorating, Coppins had a mammoth task to first catch the pack and then work his way as far up the field in the allotted 35 minutes. By the time the checkered flag was waved he had worked his way back to 12th.

“I’m happier with my riding and with my speed however I’m disappointed with my starts and how the races went. In the second moto I tried to work on getting a better start which I did but I got pushed wide in the first turn and then hit a stalled rider. It was mentally tough to have to come from behind again but I did the best I could and made as many points as possible. I’m a little happier with my riding now than with the past races but disappointed because the result doesn’t show it. I’m going to Italy at the end of the week to work with team so we can improve on some speed and some other settings and then I’m looking forward to going to France for GP7.” commented Coppins.

The spectacular circuit of St Jean d’Angely will welcome the next round of the MX GP series on the 14-15 of June.

Race results:

MX1 Race 1

1 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

2 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

3 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

4 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

5 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

6 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

7 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

8 Leok, Aigar EST Yamaha

9 de Reuver, Marc NED Honda

10 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

11 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

12 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

13 Noble, James GBR KTM

14 Schiffer, Marcus GER KTM

15 Nemeth, Kornel HUN KTM

16 Brown, Mike USA Honda

26 Freibergs, Lauris LAT Yamaha

MX1 Race 2

1 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

2 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

3 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

4 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

5 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

6 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

7 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

8 Bill, Julien SUI Honda

9 Brown, Mike USA Honda

10 Noble, James GBR KTM

11 de Reuver, Marc NED Honda

12 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

13 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

14 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

15 Leok, Aigar EST Yamaha

MX1 World championship standings:

1 Philippaerts, D. ITA 223

2 Ramon, Steve BEL 195

3 de Dycker, Ken BEL 175

4 Coppins, J. NZL 168

5 Mackenzie, B. GBR 159

6 Pourcel, S. FRA 151

7 Barragan, J. ESP 150

8 de Reuver, M. NED 138

9 Nagl, M. GER 132

10 Leok, Tanel EST 129

11 Desalle, C. BEL 95

12 Brown, Mike USA 87

13 Priem, Manuel BEL 83

14 Nemeth, Kornel HUN 80

15 Schiffer, M. GER 71

[NordieBoy]

Bum :(

That's the track where Josh should'a dominated.

[Nicola W]

What's happening Josh? :(

A friend of mine who went to Mallory got this photo for me. This was taken on Saturday - I was hoping he would be smiling on Sunday. :(

[paturoa]

Heads up - France this weekend

[DrewBroadley]

Germany is on while I'm in europe, but the wife has pulled the choker chain :(

[scott411]

JOsh needs to win this weekend, this is wear he started winning in 05, i hope he can do it again this weekend,

[paturoa]

6th in practice last night.

That isn't as bad as it sounds because the top nine qualifiers were within 1 second of each other.

And Scott was 27th qual.

[paturoa]

2nd and 2nd !!!

44 points for the days work - 2nd on Podium

Back up to 3rd on the table and now only 19 points behind:clap:

Pourcel looks to be the main competition now. His first 2 rounds were crap but has picked up big points since then and is only 11 points behind Josh now.

Scott was 18th and 20th for another solid result.

[denill]

Date: 15 June 2008
Press release:

Coppins back in the hunt at French MX GP.

As the FIM MX GP series nears the halfway mark, Josh Coppins, of the Yamaha Monster team has clawed his way back into the MX1 championship hunt after an impressive performance in St Jean d’Angely, France.


The New Zealander looked to have a shot at the first moto victory when he was leading in front of crowd favorite, Sebastien Pourcel. Coppins ran a little wide before the whoop section, only ten minutes into the moto, and collected track side bunting which effected his rear brake. Pourcel took advantage and gained the lead with five laps to go while Coppins chased him to the flag to save second spot.


The second and deciding moto, saw Pourcel take control of the moto from the first lap. With Ramon and Coppins in tow, the French spectators were in for a great race. The trio matched each other lap after lap but with two laps to go Coppins made his move on Ramon as the Belgian started to tire. Pourcel held on for a clean sweep with Coppins finishing closely behind in second.


“I think I rode better this weekend than I have at all the other GP’s. I need to keep working with the team and the bike and focus on being even better at the next races. My time will come. I know that every single point counts so I have to fight and as you see today the championship is now wide open. To be sitting in this position after a bad start to the season is quite good and it can only get better from here. I think I picked a good time of the year to start to improve. I don’t need to think of the points but just want to focus race per race and try to be on the podium all the time.” Explained an elated Coppins.


With Coppins now down to 19 points from team-mate Philippaerts, who still leads, the Kiwi is confident that with the sand circuits that are still to come the championship is still up for grabs.


Round 8 will take place at the Talkessel circuit in Teutschenthal Germany in two weeks time.


Race results:

MX1 Race 1

1 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

2 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

3 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

4 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

5 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

6 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

7 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

8 Nemeth, Kornel HUN KTM

9 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

10 Bill, Julien SUI Honda

11 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

12 Brown, Mike USA Honda

13 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

14 Vanni, Julien FRA KTM

15 Boniface, Steve FRA Yamaha


MX1 Race 2

1 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

2 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

3 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

4 de Reuver, Marc NED Honda

5 Boniface, Steve FRA Yamaha

6 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

7 Bill, Julien SUI Honda

8 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

9 Noble, James GBR KTM

10 Brown, Mike USA Honda

11 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

12 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

13 Coulon, Cyrille FRA Yamaha

14 Anderson, Bradley GBR Suzuki

15 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

MX1 World championship standings:

1 Philippaerts, D. ITA 231

2 Ramon, Steve BEL 225

3 Coppins, J. NZL 212

4 Pourcel, S. FRA 201

5 de Dycker, Ken BEL 200

6 Barragan, J. ESP 185

7 Nagl, M. GER 161

8 Mackenzie, B. GBR 159

9 de Reuver, M. NED 156

10 Leok, Tanel EST 151

11 Desalle, C. BEL 115

12 Brown, Mike USA 107

13 Priem, Manuel BEL 104

14 Nemeth, Kornel HUN 95

15 Bill, J. SUI 76

[NordieBoy]

Good result :D

What's happening to Philippaerts?

[Danger]

Good result :D

What's happening to Philippaerts?

Must off swapped bikes with Coppins! ;)

[charles23]

dats more like it.

[dino3310]

:woohoo: go kiwi :wari: go kiwi :wari: go kiwi :wari: go kiwi :wari:

[Katoomer]

Good result at last. He'll be rapped to gain so many points on the leaders too.

Cody had a solid ride to get 8th overall this morning 10-7 to be 9th in standings
1 200 J. Stewart
2 155 M. Alessi
3 150 D. Millsaps
4 150 T. Ferry
5 103 A. Short
6 99 M. Byrne
7 95 I. Tedesco
8 86 N. Wey
9 82 C. Cooper
10 75 S. Hamblin
11 73 J. Alessi
12 53 J. Hill
13 49 S. Boniface
14 42 B. Townley

[NordieBoy]

Josh got the win!

But...
How does 3rd + 1st beat 1st + 2nd?

[green machine]

Josh got the win!

But...
How does 3rd + 1st beat 1st + 2nd?

Josh got 3rd 1st 1st..........Ramon 1st 3rd 3rd

[denill]

Date: 22 June 2008

Press Release:

Coppins on form in Kester.

Josh Coppins has taken a convincing victory at the second round of the United Telecom Belgian MX champs at the former GP circuit in Kester. The factory Yamaha Monster rider, powered his way to the overall victory with a 3-1-1 score against a top international field.

It has been more than 7 years since the Kiwi has raced on the ‘Kesterheide’ circuit, but Coppins mastered the technical track in a strong performance that has put the 31-year-old in a good mindset for the German GP in Teutschenthal next weekend.

“It’s great to be back in Kester again,” commented the New Zealander “I’m really pumped with how things went today. The bike was awesome and I felt really good in all 3 motos. I’m also pleased for my new sponsor, Hyundai Belgium, as I missed the first round due to injury so this was a great way to introduce them to MX. This victory is for sure going to give me plenty of confidence going into the German GP. The Yamaha Monster team and I have been working hard to gain that extra advantage and it is definitely showing.”


Race results:
Round 2 - Kester

1. Josh Coppins (NZL-Yamaha)
2. Steve Ramon (BEL-Suzuki)
3. Marc Dereuver (NED-Honda)
4. Ken De Dycker (BEL-Suzuki)
5. Manuel Priem (BEL-Kawasaki)
6. Julien Bill (ZWI-Honda)
7. Sven Breugelmans (BEL-KTM)
8. Patrick Caps (BEL -Kawasaki)
9. Danny Theybers (BEL-Suzuki)
10. Scotty Columb (NZL-Suzuki)

[NordieBoy]

Josh got 3rd 1st 1st..........Ramon 1st 3rd 3rd
Josh 3-1-1
Steve 1-2-2

"New Zealander Josh Coppins has won the latest round of the Belgian championship with 3-1-1 results. The Monster Yamaha rider proved once again that his best form is coming back after looking very strong in Kester, Belgium today. Second overall was World MX1 champion Steve Ramon (Teka Suzuki) with 1-2-2 and third was the flying dutchman Marc De Reuver of the Martin Honda team with 4-3-3."

Looking good for Germany.

[green machine]

Josh 3-1-1
Steve 1-2-2

"New Zealander Josh Coppins has won the latest round of the Belgian championship with 3-1-1 results. The Monster Yamaha rider proved once again that his best form is coming back after looking very strong in Kester, Belgium today. Second overall was World MX1 champion Steve Ramon (Teka Suzuki) with 1-2-2 and third was the flying dutchman Marc De Reuver of the Martin Honda team with 4-3-3."

Looking good for Germany.

ooops i cocked that up......well i am getting old:rolleyes:

[paturoa]

heads up racing this weekend



A month ago many thought that New Zealander Josh Coppins was finished as a contender for a World Motocross championship. The likeable Rinaldi Yamaha rider has lost the advantage he had held over his rivals, and he sat in third place in the World MX1 championship points, some 50 points behind series leader David Philippaerts.

So disappointed with the way things were going Coppins even thought about retirement, stopping racing and ending his 15 year love affair with the Grand Prix series. A series that has made him a wealthy man back home in New Zealand.

It was at the moment that Coppins decided to retire that his form changed.

"I decided that I want to continue racing in 2009, my future is still as a racer and that is important. There was never a moment I thought I was out of the championship, there was never a thought that I was done as a racer. There were times I thought, do I want to be here, is this my last year in Spain, is this my last race in Mantova, is this my last race for Yamaha. I started thinking all these things, but I never thought I didn't have a chance in this championship.

[paturoa]

Josh was 4th fastest qualifier at only .25 seconds off the pole.

[denill]

Date: 29 June 2008
Press Release:

Coppins triumphs with double victory in German MX GP.

Yamaha Monster racer, Josh Coppins, has taken a stellar victory at the 8th round of the FIM Motocross championship in Teutschenthal, Germany. The New Zealander powered his factory YZ450FM to two impressive race wins and has closed to within 4 points of the MX1 championship lead at the halfway mark.

With 34.000 spectators turning out at the ‘Talkessel’ circuit under perfect weather conditions, Coppins lined up 3rd on the starting line for the first moto. The Kiwi exploded out the gate and seemed to have the hole-shot but German, Maxi Nagl, unexpectedly came around the outside of Coppins which allowed Billy MacKenzie to take the lead on lap 1. Coppins quickly moved past Nagl and then put MacKenzie under pressure for the lead. The Scotsman made a mistake a few laps later with Coppins capitalizing and taking control of the race. He rode consistently to the checkered flag to gain his first moto win of the season.

The second moto would see fitness play a big role for the riders as the track conditions had deteriorated, making the circuit rough and demanding. Coppins once again had a great jump out the gate but lost out in the second turn to MacKenzie and Pourcel. The Frenchman would go missing on lap 3 and Coppins soon moved past MacKenzie to gain the lead. He rode a faultless race to take a double victory and his first GP overall of the season.

“I just want to thank all the people who have supported me. Obviously the results at the start of the season were not what I expected or what the team expected but we knuckled down and worked even harder and knew that the results would come. The step for me never came in the races but in my training, working with my mechanic, riding on the right tracks and working on the bike. Even though the result in Mallory Park was not good on paper, I felt there that my riding was improving and that with the hard work we were putting in that it would bring us to the top step of the podium.” commented a delighted Coppins.

The double victory has rocketed Coppins to second in the championship, a mere four points behind fellow Yamaha Monster team-mate, David Philippaerts. The 9th of 15 rounds will take Coppins to the picturesque circuit of Uddevalla in Sweden next week.

Race results:

MX1 Race 1

1 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

2 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

3 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

4 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

5 Bill, Julien SUI Honda

6 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

7 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

8 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

9 Leok, Aigar EST Yamaha

10 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

11 Nemeth, Kornel HUN KTM

12 Salvini, Alex ITA Suzuki

13 Correira, Luis POR Yamaha

14 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

15 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

Mx1 Race 2

1 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

2 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

3 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

4 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

5 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

6 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

7 Bill, Julien SUI Honda

8 Leok, Aigar EST Yamaha

9 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

10 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

11 Campano, Carlos ESP Yamaha

12 Salvini, Alex ITA Suzuki

13 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

14 Anderson, Bradley GBR Suzuki

15 Schiffer, Marcus GER KTM

MX1 World championship standings:

1 Philippaerts, D. ITA 266

2 Coppins, J. NZL 262

3 Ramon, Steve BEL 250

4 de Dycker, Ken BEL 240

5 Pourcel, S. FRA 231

6 Barragan, J. ESP 192

7 Leok, Tanel EST 186

8 Nagl, M. GER 179

9 Mackenzie, B. GBR 176

10 de Reuver, M. NED 156

11 Desalle, C. BEL 134

12 Priem, Manuel BEL 129

13 Brown, Mike USA 107

14 Bill, J. SUI 106

15 Nemeth, Kornel HUN 106

[Danger]

Obviously the results at the start of the season were not what I expected or what the team expected but we knuckled down and worked even harder and knew that the results would come. The step for me never came in the races but in my training, working with my mechanic, riding on the right tracks and working on the bike.


And thats what needed to happen. Instead of expecting to win which I felt was the case after last year. It takes a mind shift and for everyone to go the extra mile because all the other teams are trying hard too. Now lets hope Josh's team get on a roll from here.
Well done!:niceone:

[merv]

Pleased to hear it, good one Josh.

[Katoomer]

Good stuff .Only 4 points behind his team mate who took him out in the first round.
Scott Columb was 16th in 2nd race so is in 30th with 10 points.

Pity Cody had 2 DNFs in AMA MX

[NordieBoy]

Go The Josh!

Finally hitting his straps :D

[NZsarge]

Great to hear he right on form, long may it stay that way. :niceone:

[paturoa]

woo hoo

Nobody is allowed to say Macbeth OK!

[denill]

And what Yamaha said:

RACE REPORT 29/06/2008

Circuit Length: 1780
Crowd: 34,000
Weather: Sunny

Fantastic Coppins win sees Yamaha 1-2 in MX1-GP series

Yamaha Monster Motocross Team's Josh Coppins emphatically aced his first victory of the 2008 MX1-GP World Championship with a double moto sweep at a sun-drenched and packed Talkessel circuit in Teutschenthal for the Grand Prix of Germany. The eighth round of fifteen in the series saw the Kiwi take his first spoils since Bulgaria 2007 and his first double since Mantova 14 months ago; rising to second position in the standings as a consequence. David Philippaerts was fourth and keeps the championship lead, meaning both YZ450FM riders are now 'one and two' and Yamaha head the manufacturer's table by 19 points.

The old Talkessel layout provided its usual mix of elevation changes and cambered turns. The majority of the soil of the fast course had been ripped and prepared and grew rougher in places but the grey hard-pack dirt remained slippery and stony in others. 34,000 spectators enjoyed some excellent weather.

Philippaerts and Coppins were both on the pace throughout practice. The championship leader even posting the quickest time in the second Free session. For Timed Practice the two YZ450FMs were constantly among the leading group with Coppins eventually sealing fourth place and Philippaerts in seventh, just over half a second away from the pole position time.

Coppins started well in both motos and ran in the top three in the formative stages both times. The 31 year old pursued Billy Mackenzie as the Scot broke free twice but the leader tired with after recently recovering from a shoulder injury. Coppins, who finished as runner-up at the previous round in France, bided his time to seize control in Moto1 and Moto2 and comfortably maintained his advantage once ahead. Local favourite Max Nagl was close to within two seconds in the second sprint but the former world championship runner-up was peerless; a new exhaust pipe proving a useful assistance on the speedy curves.

Philippaerts

Philippaerts had a complicated set of races. The first moto saw an average start that meant he had to work hard to overtake riders in the bottom half of the top ten. Thanks to the mistakes of several others and his improving lap-times he arrived to third place and was pressurising Steve Ramon for second in the last two circulations. A slow start once again in Moto2 was a small handicap but the Italian also had another problem in that a damaged rib from his fall in France two weeks ago worsened and left him struggling for breath. Sixth position meant that he just missed the top three but scaled the podium for the sixth time this season to collect his red-plate. A crash and 18th place finish by Steve Ramon was also positive for the title chase.

Aigar Leok

Yamaha Van Beers' Aigar Leok scored his best result of the year with 7th position overall courtesy of 9th and 8th slots in the races.

UTag Yamaha.com's Kenneth Gundersen has begun cycling and light training after recovering from an operation on the knee injury sustained in practice for the opening round in April. The Norwegian could possibly return to action before the end of the season.

With Philippaerts leading the championship by 4 points from Coppins, and Ramon 16 points behind in third, the series now moves to Uddevalla for the Grand Prix of Sweden and round nine next week.

Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 1st:

"There is a lot of emotion for me with this win and I am very happy today. I would like to thank all the people who have supported me. The results were not what we all expected and there have been some hard times. We knuckled down to work and I knew the results would come; I promised them to the team in fact. My last double was at Mantova in 2007 but to be honest even my last victory feels like a long time ago. It is nice to get that feeling back again and it makes the training tomorrow a lot easier. The championship now looks a lot different. I think only two races ago I was 54 points behind.
The important step I made was in my training and approach; working closely with my mechanic, doing the right training at the right tracks. About today, they watered the track a lot and it was really slippery, even dangerous in fact. Billy Mackenzie went into the lead but I knew he did not have the condition after his injury to run that pace the whole time. Sebastien was there also but I thought I could deal with him. My main concern was Max, because he had not done the first moto and it was pretty hot out there; the crowd were obviously with him also. I was thinking about my own race and things went well. We had a new pipe this weekend with a bit more power, which I was happy about."

David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 4th:

"The track was difficult, certainly for passing, and it was also very hot so I am quite pleased with the result. I started the first moto too slowly but got a lot better and was riding well. I pushed hard to get Ramon but it was too tricky to overtake. I had a similar start in the second moto but after two or three laps I had a lot of pain in my rib. I think it might be a fracture or something from the crash in France. I had some discomfort before this GP but I think I made it worse in the race and need to see if I can get some treatment. Pourcel was a little too fast and I settled for the points because I knew I could not increase my speed. Josh is now up to second in the championship and feeling 100%. He will be very competitive now but we still have a lot of races and points to go. It is great for Yamaha and the team that we are both up there. I really like the bike and for sure it is one of the best out there because it is so easy to ride it fast. Yamaha have helped me so much and I feel very happy where I am right now."

Mino Raspanti, Racing Manager:

"A great win for Josh this weekend and of course to be first and second in the championship is fantastic for the team, we don't mind which order for either Josh or David but we are happy to be there! Josh continued his improvement from France and I am really happy for him because he has continued to work really hard. David struggled in the beginning to pass other riders because it was not easy but then he made the best lap-time and to finish third was very good. In the second moto he had another start that was not the best and he felt a little tired and had some pain in his rib. The result was not bad and he still leads the championship. We tried a new pipe this weekend to give more power and the response from the riders was positive."

[Gravel911]

That's great news for Josh to make a clean sweep this weekend.
Needed to happen but with all the bad luck our riders have been having lately I've been hold my breath.

Just really hope to see him keep it up and put the pressure on the other riders.

Go Josh

[arj127]

I think Josh could be peaking at the right time this year.

Go hard

[NordieBoy]

Mininova has the Germany torrent up :D

[paturoa]

Josh was 9th in Timed Practice (1 second only) and Scott was 21st.

[paturoa]

Race 1 13th 8 pts
Race 2 5th 16 pts

overall 24 for the day

Now 3rd overall on 286 points, 14 pts off the lead.

Interesting part is that both Philipparts and Ramon (now 1st & 2nd) had patchy results too, though a 3, 3 by Ramon being the best.

Scott was 22nd & 19th for 2 points and is now 30th overall.

[denill]

Date: 6 July 2008
Press release:

Tough Swedish MX GP for Coppins.

Mixed weather conditions have seen Yamaha Monster racer, Josh Coppins, fight to stay in the MX1 championship hunt. The New Zealander suffered crashes in both motos at the picturesque circuit of Uddevalla in Sweden, and with track conditions making it harder on the Kiwi to come through the pack, Coppins had to settle with 10th overall for the GP.

Scattered rain showers made the slippery underground unpredictable for the riders, and from the start of the first moto, Coppins had his work cut out for him. He spun on the startgate and exited the first turn way down the field. He could not avoid a fallen rider on the opening laps and got caught up in the mayhem and crashed. With track conditions making it difficult to pass Coppins did all he could to limit the loss of points and pushed up to 13th spot by the end of a difficult race.

Knowing that the start would be detrimental for a good result, Coppins had a great jump but was cut off by Spaniard Jonathan Barragan in full speed down the start straight. A few turns later Coppins was down in the dirt and once again had a mammoth task ahead. He fought for every position and passed Billy MacKenzie on the last lap to secure 5th spot.

“It’s been a tough day at the office.” admitted Coppins. “I missed my start when I spun off the gate and then ran into the back of Loic Leonce when he crashed in front of me on the second lap. I re-started more or less last and worked my way through the field. It was hard to pass, one lined and really tricky. I improved on my start in the second moto but then got pushed wide and lost some places. I pushed too hard to get to the front too quickly and went down in the fourth turn. I’m pretty disappointed because my riding was good, I knew the starts would be tough on the gravel behind the gate. You need a little bit of luck and there is no technique involved in it. I lost a lot points and I just need to focus on the next race and not think about the championship. When I had the bad starts I was thinking about trying to win and not thinking about having a good race. That’s something I need to change for next time.”

With a welcomed week’s break in the 15 round series, the GP teams and riders will head to the continent of Africa for the South African GP in Nelspruit for round 9 on the 20th July.

Race results:

MX 1 Race 1

1 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

2 de Reuver, Marc NED Honda

3 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

4 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

5 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

6 Boniface, Steve FRA Honda

7 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

8 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

9 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

10 Bill, Julien SUI Honda

11 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

12 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

13 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

14 Leok, Aigar EST Yamaha

15 Noble, James GBR KTM

MX1 Race 2

1 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

2 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

3 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

4 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

5 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

6 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

7 Bill, Julien SUI Honda

8 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

9 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

10 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

11 Boniface, Steve FRA Honda

12 Nemeth, Kornel HUN KTM

13 Noble, James GBR KTM

14 Church, Tom GBR Kawasaki

15 Correira, Luis POR Suzuki

MX1 World championship standings:

1 Philippaerts, D. ITA 302

2 Ramon, Steve BEL 290

3 Coppins, J. NZL 286

4 de Dycker, Ken BEL 266

5 Pourcel, S. FRA 241

6 Barragan, J. ESP 239

7 Nagl, M. GER 213

8 Leok, Tanel EST 209

9 Mackenzie, B. GBR 205

10 de Reuver, M. NED 178

11 Desalle, C. BEL 162

12 Priem, Manuel BEL 137

13 Bill, J. SUI 131

14 Nemeth, Kornel HUN 115

15 Brown, Mike USA 107

[denill]

Yamaha Press Release: 16/07/2008

Coppins-Yamaha collaboration enters third term

Former double world championship runner-up Josh Coppins will enter a third year with Yamaha and the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team after putting pen to paper to extend his current deal this week.

The popular New Zealander, who presently sits third in the 2008 FIM MX-1 series as the calendar reaches its tenth stop this weekend in South Africa, has won six Grand Prix in a potent combination with the YZ450FM, including a memorable debut success at Valkenswaard for the opening round of 2007 and almost clinching the ’07 title before an unfortunate injury halted his progress deep into the season.

The 31 year old has walked the podium 12 times and won 11 motos in the space of a year and a half and 21 Grand Prix with the factory team. His alliance with the YZ has proved incredibly effective and he topped charts of: Moto wins, Grand Prix wins, Podiums accumulated and rounds led (13) in 2007.

He dominated the Grand Prix of Germany several weeks ago and is just 16 points behind team-mate David Philippaerts. Thanks to his efforts and that of the Italian alongside him – who is already confirmed for 2009 - Yamaha lead the Manufacturers’ standings and retain a realistic and viable chance of world championship success this year.

Josh Coppins: “Once I had made the decision I wanted to race another season and another world championship there was no other option in my mind than to continue with Yamaha,” said the Kiwi. “We have had success in a short period of time and that is partly due to the excellent way the team work. The world championship was so close for us last year and we are right there for the 2008 title. I know that the team and Yamaha are right behind me and I could not wish for a more professional set-up. Signing the new deal was pretty quick, I’m glad to get things sorted out early so we can push on with doing the business this season.”

“For Yamaha it is a very logical decision to continue with David and Josh next year as we are very happy with the current rider line up,” said Yamaha Motor Europe’s Racing Division Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. “Josh is a very experienced rider with an amazing fighting spirit and dedication for the sport and that is very valuable for Yamaha. I am confident that he will be a title contender both this year and the next. The aim for 2008 and for 2009 is to win the Rider and Manufacturer’s title, and have both riders at the top of the ranking..”

[NordieBoy]

Sweet .

[camchain]

Like the sound of that. Totally focussed on job at hand now. Go Lizzard.

[paturoa]

Racing this weekend - all quiet on the news front today.

[paturoa]

Josh 6th in timed practice, is Scott not racing this weekend?

[arj127]

Ramon is on pole, Coppins was three seconds of the pace of the front runners.

Wins are what he needs now - go Josh

[paturoa]

hhmmmmm

9th and 4th for 30 points

That leaves him in 3rd overall now on 316, 23 off the lead.

[Pierce]

hhmmmmm

9th and 4th for 30 points

That leaves him in 3rd overall now on 316, 23 off the lead.


Not looking that great at the moment is it:weep:

[denill]

Date: 20 July 2008

Press release:

Unsuccessful South African MX GP for Coppins.

A change of scenery has seen the 10th round of the FIM MX World championship move to South Africa and the city of Nelspruit situated in the Mpumalanga Province.

Yamaha Monster racer, Josh Coppins, was expecting to claw back valuable championship points after a disappointing Swedish result two weeks prior however the New Zealander was plagued once again with bad starts and a first turn crash that forced him out of a podium spot.

With 20.000 enthusiastic spectators turning out to the well groomed Alkmaar racing circuit, Coppins was positioned well on the start line for the first MX1 moto. He didn’t get the best jump and tried to make up in the first turn but was hit from behind when Frenchman Sebastien Pourcel collided with the Kiwi. Both Coppins and Pourcel had to remount and fight their way through the 30 man field. Coppins managed to break into the top ten by the halfway mark and secured 9th spot by the end of the 35 minute + 2 lap race.

Knowing the importance of a good start for the second race, Coppins shot out the gat but was cut off by fast starter Jonathan Barragan. Coppins kept his calm and emerged in 7th on the opening lap. He quickly honed in on first race winner, Steve Ramon, and pressured the Belgian until he found a way past with ten minutes gone on the clock. Coppins carried his momentum disposing of fellow team-mate David Philippaerts with a great pass around the halfway mark. He went on to post the fastest lap of the race in trying to shut down Sebastien Pourcel, however he had to settle for fourth position.

“The two heats at the last GP in Sweden and the first heat here in South Africa I either crashed in the start or on the first lap which really put a dent in my confidence. I can’t afford to come from the back and I need to get around the first lap safe and try and pull some wins back. I had a good line over the second triple in the second race and managed to pass Steve, David and Billy there and then I worked hard on catching Pourcel. Obviously I am disappointed again, but I’m busting my butt and want to win badly – my fitness is good, my speed is good I just need to get better starts.” vowed Coppins.

The calendar allows a week’s break before the demanding sand circuit of Lommel will host round 11 in Belgium on the 3rd of August.

Race results:

MX1 Race 1

1 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

2 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

3 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

4 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

5 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

6 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

7 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

8 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

9 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

10 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

11 Bill, Julien SUI Honda

12 Schiffer, Marcus GER KTM

13 Boniface, Steve FRA Honda

14 Noble, James GBR KTM

15 Campano, Carlos ESP Yamaha

MX1 Race 2

1 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

2 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

3 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

4 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

5 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

6 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

7 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

8 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

9 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

10 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

11 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

12 Schiffer, Marcus GER KTM

13 Boniface, Steve FRA Honda

14 Noble, James GBR KTM

15 Church, Tom GBR Kawasaki

MX1 World championship standings:

1 Philippaerts, D. ITA 339

2 Ramon, Steve BEL 328

3 Coppins, J. NZL 316

4 de Dycker, Ken BEL 296

5 Barragan, J. ESP 284

6 Pourcel, S. FRA 274

7 Nagl, M. GER 253

8 Mackenzie, B. GBR 235

9 Leok, Tanel EST 234

10 de Reuver, M. NED 178

11 Desalle, C. BEL 173

12 Priem, Manuel BEL 160

13 Bill, J. SUI 141

14 Nemeth, Kornel HUN 115

15 Brown, Mike USA 107

[NordieBoy]

Not looking that great at the moment is it:weep:

Another way of looking at it is that he's only 23 points off the lead, his race pace is good and like he says, just needs to get around that 1st lap intact.

[paturoa]

Another way of looking at it is that he's only 23 points off the lead, his race pace is good and like he says, just needs to get around that 1st lap intact.

Thats a good point (I've been taking that view too - glass half empty).

Looking at the reports of his start crashes the vast majority (all) were others taking him out.

[paturoa]

shamelessly stolen from lizzard's site


It’s been ages since I last checked in! Heaps has gone on so here we go. Before the German MX GP I went to Moto GP with Lisa, Scott and Jamie. I love Moto GP and I met up with Valentino and his crew - they were all great guys. The bikes are so trick and every year I go you can visually see that they are going faster and faster. A friend of mine Falipo, works as a mechanic for Andrea Dovizioso so we had dinner with them and then left to the race in Tuetschenthal. Andrea is a cool guy and is having a great season. I want to thank Yamaha for the passes and Andrea, Falipo and his team for their hospitality.

Germany went great with a win. It’s the first time this season I have had good starts and put it all together. I was pumped with the result and happy to be close to the red plate. Since then things haven’t gone as well as expected. We seem to struggle on the soft starts like Sweden and South Africa. Yamaha and I are working on trying to fix this but its hurt me a lot as I have been either crashing on the start or on the first lap trying to come through. After the first race in Sweden I had either crashed on the start or first lap for three races in a row! I was over it and took the next start really easy and made my way up to 4th. My speed and fitness has been ok but it’s hard to make a good result coming from last. Yo be honest some of the mistakes were my own fault just trying too hard however some were just bad luck.

I had fun in South Africa. It was a good trip and we played golf and went to the gym leading up to the race. I didn’t do a safari as I’ve done 2 before. Now I’m home in Europe and getting ready for Lommel, one of the sandiest and toughest tracks in the world. It’s going good so far and the weather has been great so its all looking good.

Normally I am meant to race in Nismes this weekend at the Belgium championship but some things have come up and I cant go. My sincerest apologies to all my fans and sponsors that want to see me there but I hope to see you all at Lommel.

Go you good thing!!!

Check out this link for a Rossi & Josh mutual admiration photo.

http://www.joshcoppins.com/index2.htm

[Danger]

"Since then things haven’t gone as well as expected."

I thought by the halfway point of the season with no wins that he had finally got rid of that mind set. Don't expect to win or do well, everyone on that start line is trying hard to win. Get your whole team to leave nothing to chance and work hard as if you still had to beat Stefan Everts and you just might be on the right side of the ledger by the seasons end!:2guns:

[paturoa]

6th in timed practice.

However Ramon was 5th and Philippaerts was 11 th, so from a championship view, not too bad.

Scott was 26th

[paturoa]

Also found this which will be excellent, but not too good for my beauty sleep.



The FIM Motocross World Championship promoter Youthstream and the online broadcaster Freecaster.tv have reached an important agreement to broadcast the series for free live and delayed on www.freecaster.tv from 2009.
....

The FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship will be aired on Freecaster.tv which will cover also the MX3 and Snowcross World series, the Veterans’ World Cup and the FIM Off Road Awards.

[arj127]

freecaster - well done good find:2thumbsup

[clmintie]

Freecaster.... :niceone::niceone::niceone:

[scott411]

i think Philippaerts will struggle, Lommell is the roughest meanist sand track in the world,
i think this Gp will come down to De Ruever, Ramon and Coppins,

[arj127]

Coppins results were 5th race 1, 8th race 2. No podium for him.

Looks like Barragan took the overall with 1 & 2.
De Reuver won the second race, should be good to watch.

[paturoa]

5th & 8th for 16 & 13 points = 29 for the day. He's now on 345 in the championship, 18 points behind Ramon in 3rd place.

Philippaerts had a worse day and is now 2nd overall, but only 2 points behind Ramon.

Still 4 rounds to go with 200 points left to grab.

Scott had a 24th and DNF.

[denill]

Date : 3 August 2008
Press release :

Coppins escapes treacherous Lommel MX GP

In what has turned out to be one of the most unpredictable results in the 2008 FIM MX World championship, Yamaha Monster racer, Josh Coppins has managed to keep his title hunt alive at a treacherous Lommel sand circuit in Belgium.

The Kiwi’s hopes of victory looked grim coming into the event as Coppins had caught a bout of flu on his return from the South African GP and had to control a high fever two days before the 11th and Belgian round.

With the odds against him, Coppins fought hard in the first grueling MX1 race to finish in a well deserved 5th spot under the circumastances. He hunted down, Steve Ramon, with the Belgian championship contender well within striking distance at the flag.

Fellow Yamaha Monster team-mate, David Philippaerts, fell victim to a questionable, aggressive pass by Belgian, Ken de Dycker that saw the Italian hit the sand hard and have to ride home in 15th.

The rough conditions in moto 2 would put the riders fitness levels to the test and would determine the outcome. Coppins battled to maintain his pace throughout the 35 minute + 2 lap race but still fought for every position. With five minutes to go on the clock he came together with Billy MacKenzie with both riders going down. Coppins quickly remounted and managed not to lose too many places. With moto 1 winner, Marc De Reuver also crashing out of contention, Coppins managed to salvage one more spot to end 8th for 7th overall.

“I had a bad fever on Wednesday and Thursday and we worked hard to get rid of that so I wasn’t feeling 100% all weekend. I struggled with my race pace – I could push and then felt tired, then I could push again and then have to let up again. It’s a shame because physically this is one of the toughest races of the year and normally that’s my strong point and I just wasn’t able to use my trump card this weekend. I didn’t have any strength left after 20 minutes so it was a case of survival. I need to concentrate on being healthy for the next race and work my back from there.” explained a drained Coppins.

Coppins has still managed to claw back 6 points in the title chase and is placed third overall with four GP’s remaining. He is 17 points adrift of new red-plate holder and leader Steve Ramon. The next round will take place this weekend at the hilly Loket circuit in the Czech Republic.

Race results :

MX1 Race 1

1 de Reuver, Marc NED Honda

2 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

3 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

4 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

5 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

6 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

7 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

8 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

9 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

10 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

11 Nemeth, Kornel HUN KTM

12 Leok, Aigar EST Yamaha

13 Roos, Patrick NED KTM

14 Melotte, Cedric BEL Aprilia

15 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

MX1 Race 2

1 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

2 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

3 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

4 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

5 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

6 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

7 Nemeth, Kornel HUN KTM

8 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

9 Leok, Aigar EST Yamaha

10 de Reuver, Marc NED Honda

11 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

12 Anderson, Bradley GBR Suzuki

13 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

14 Bill, Julien SUI Honda

15 Church, Tom GBR Kawasaki

MX1 GP classification:

1 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM 47

2 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki 40

3 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM 37

4 de Reuver, Marc NED Honda 36

5 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki 34

6 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki 32

7 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha 29

8 Nemeth, Kornel HUN KTM 24

9 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda 22

10 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha 21



MX1 World championship standings:

1 Ramon, Steve BEL 362

2 Philippaerts, D. ITA 360

3 Coppins, J. NZL 345

4 de Dycker, Ken BEL 336

5 Barragan, J. ESP 331

6 Pourcel, S. FRA 306

7 Nagl, M. GER 290

8 Mackenzie, B. GBR 257

9 Leok, Tanel EST 245

10 de Reuver, M. NED 214

11 Desalle, C. BEL 190

12 Priem, Manuel BEL 173

13 Bill, J. SUI 148

14 Nemeth, Kornel HUN 139

15 Leok, Aigar EST 118

[NordieBoy]

A good result considering.

Closer to 1st place now though :D

[paturoa]

Closer to 1st place now though :D

Thats a good point, at the end of the SA round he was 23 points behind 1st and is now 17 points behind.

[paturoa]

4th in timed practice, ahead of Ramon in 5th and Philippaerts 11th.

[paturoa]

7th and 10th, for 9th on the day, 14 & 11 points putting him on 370 points still 3rd overall - JUST, by 1 point over Barragan & de Dycker who are both on 369.

Philippaerts is now back in the lead on 405 points.

[arj127]

Somethings not right if he's not on the podium each week. Has the competition improved that much from last year?

[denill]

Date: 10 August 2008

Press release:

Loket MX GP unforgiving to Coppins.

Yamaha Monster racer, Josh Coppins, has suffered a luckless outing at the 12th round of the FIM MX World championships at Loket in the Czech Rep. The unforgiving circuit does not carry any good memories for the New Zealander after a crash at last years event broke the Kiwi’s shoulder and MX1 title aspirations.

After a strong Saturday qualification, Coppins looked set on using the tricky and hilly circuit in his favour, however the first MX1 moto had only just started when Coppins was dealt a disasterous blow. A rock destroyed the pivot holding his goggle strap which meant that Coppins lost his goggles and only protection against the dangerous debris and dirt from his competitors back wheels. Coppins braved the pain and fought to keep his fifth position but with ten minutes to go he could no longer keep his pace with impaired vision and had to settle for 7th.

Going into the second moto, Coppins was at an immediate disadvantage with his eyes still weeping from the dirt and battering they had been exposed to. He had a good start and with a mistake by Barragan he then passed Belgian youngster Clement De Salle to take over third spot. Coppins was setting a good pace and with 6 laps to go he had just posted his fastest lap of the race when he hit false neutral and was flung over the bars with his bike landing on top of him. He managed to scramble from underneath and remount to join the race in 10th spot. Grazed and bruised Coppins never gave up and held on to 10th at the finish line.

“This place really doesn’t like me” admitted Coppins. “After the rock broke my goggles in the first moto I couldn’t see the lines properly with all the dirt and muck that my eyes were taking on. I couldn’t judge the braking points properly and I don’t know how I managed to hang on for forty minutes. I knew the second moto would be a battle but did not expect the bike to hit neutral and to be thrown over the bars. Of course I’m disappointed and but I’m happy to leave Loket behind - this place has not done me any favours.”

Before Coppins heads to Dublin, Ireland for round 13 on the 31st August he will take part in the Belgian champs at the former GP circuit at the ‘Keiheuvel’ this Friday.

Race results:

MX1 Race 1

1 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

2 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

3 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

4 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

5 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

6 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

7 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

8 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

9 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

10 Nemeth, Kornel HUN KTM

11 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

12 Aranda, Gregory FRA Kawasaki

13 Anderson, Bradley GBR Suzuki

14 Boniface, Steve FRA Honda

15 de Reuver, Marc NED Honda

16 Leok, Aigar EST Yamaha

MX1 Race 2

1 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

2 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

3 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

4 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

5 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

6 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

7 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

8 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

9 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

10 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

11 Aranda, Gregory FRA Kawasaki

12 Nemeth, Kornel HUN KTM

13 Leok, Aigar EST Yamaha

14 Salvini, Alex ITA Suzuki

15 Anderson, Bradley GBR Suzuki

MX1 World championship standings:

Philippaerts, D. ITA 405

2 Ramon, Steve BEL 398

3 Coppins, J. NZL 370

4 Barragan, J. ESP 369

5 de Dycker, Ken BEL 369

6 Pourcel, S. FRA 344

7 Nagl, M. GER 327

8 Leok, Tanel EST 275

9 Mackenzie, B. GBR 257

10 de Reuver, M. NED 224

11 Desalle, C. BEL 215

12 Priem, Manuel BEL 197

13 Nemeth, Kornel HUN 159

14 Bill, J. SUI 148

15 Leok, Aigar EST 131

[k14]

Gee, talk about a season to forget. I wonder if he is still gutted about last year that he may be past his best??

[denill]

Gee, talk about a season to forget. I wonder if he is still gutted about last year that he may be past his best??

I know what you're saying and I may be just being the eternal optimist - but I have for the whole season, been expecting that JC's results are going to turn around and he will march to the world title. And still do. :yes:

[camchain]

Competitor may have stashed a rock magnet on his bike (again). Always have to be careful about attributing bad result to bad luck, but this would have been very hard to take. Definitely bad luck! Still within striking distance of the title. Victory will be incredibly sweet after such a battle. I think he can do it.

[arj127]

Theres only three rounds left, chances are slim i reckon.

Hope he makes it, but......

[paturoa]

JC 10th fastest qualifier and 2 seconds off the pace, Scotty 26th.

[paturoa]

Chin up dude!

9th moto 1 for 12 points and DNF moto 2.


The final moto was quite unfortunate for Coppins who sat out of the race due to a first lap tangle that damaged the front end of his machine.

12 points for the day dropping him to 5th overall now in the championship 59 points behind the lead.

Scott was 22nd and 25th, no points this round.

[Katoomer]

2nd race he came into the pits to sort out something with his front wheel. The mechanics couldn't fix whatever it was so that was it.
Bummer for Josh but at least hes still healthy.
Maybe those front guys could have some his luck for a change

[paturoa]

Heads up, racing this weekend.

I'm off to the Cold Kiwi so will catch up on Sunday night.

[paturoa]

6th fastest in timed practice and scott 25th.

[arj127]

4th and 6th, that should move him up the ladder a bit

[denill]

Date: 7 September 2008
Press Release:

Coppins challenged in Dutch sand GP

The penultimate round of the FIM Motocross championship has seen an amazing performance by Yamaha Monster racer, Josh Coppins. The resilient Kiwi tried his best to conquer the treacherous Lierop circuit however he fell victim to the sadistic sand with one lap to go in the final moto.

After qualifying 6th in Saturday’s timed practice session, Coppins was sure of a good gate pick for Sunday’s two 35 + 2 lap motos. He managed to keep out of trouble in the start of the first moto and completed the first lap in 7th spot. After jostling for positions Coppins settled into a race rhythm and tried his best to reel in the front runners. He eventually fought his way into 4th behind fellow Yamaha team-mate David Philippaerts and finished the race strongly with some extra energy still in reserve.

Coppins displayed lightening reflexes in the second moto yet he was out-powered into the first turn by German Maxi Nagl and lost his advantage on the first lap. A crash; two laps later with Dutchman Marc De Reuver almost put an end to his outing but Coppins was far from done and rejoined the race in mid pack. While Belgian , Ken de Dycker and Philippaerts were battling out front, Coppins quickly gained momentum and started an amazing comeback. He posted lap times 4 seconds faster than the front runners and with just over 5 minutes to go he was up to 6th spot and closing fast. Within 3 laps Coppins went from 6th to second place and on the final lap was setting up de Dycker to take the lead when he hit a hay bale and went down. As some slight consolation, he managed to stay out of the track bunting and remounted to end 6th, making it 5th overall for the GP.

“I felt good enough to win here but it turned out to be another disappointing weekend. I rode steady in the first race and knew that I had plenty in the tank for the second race. I had some problems with a tear-off on the first lap which lost me a few positions and I then went down when I got caught up with Marc De Reuver. It took me a little while to get going again as I had used some energy to pick up the bike but then found my rhythm and caught up to second. I didn’t even know I was in second because the last pit signal I got said 7th place. The last lap I went to pass De Dyker by doubling round the outside like I did the lap before but I got cross rutted and hit the hay bale.” explained the New Zealander.

The final and deciding round of the 15 round series will take place next weekend in Faenza, Italy. With Coppins out of title contention he will still be looking to end off the season on a high note.

Race results:

MX1 Race 1

1 de Reuver, Marc NED Honda

2 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

3 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

4 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

5 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

6 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

7 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

8 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

9 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

10 Schiffer, Marcus GER KTM

11 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

12 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

13 Leok, Aigar EST Yamaha

14 Roos, Patrick NED KTM

15 Columb, Scott NZL Suzuki

MX1 Race 2

1 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

2 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

3 de Reuver, Marc NED Honda

4 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

5 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

6 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

7 Schiffer, Marcus GER KTM

8 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

9 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

10 Leok, Aigar EST Yamaha

11 Saris, William NED Yamaha

12 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki

13 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

14 Melotte, Cedric BEL Aprilia

15 Campano, Carlos ESP Yamaha


MX1 World championship standings:

1 Philippaerts, D. ITA 477

2 Ramon, Steve BEL 463

3 de Dycker, Ken BEL 452

4 Barragan, J. ESP 419

5 Coppins, J. NZL 415

6 Nagl, M. GER 394

7 Pourcel, S. FRA 392

8 Leok, Tanel EST 337

9 Mackenzie, B. GBR 293

10 de Reuver, M. NED 277

11 Desalle, C. BEL 263

12 Priem, Manuel BEL 245

13 Leok, Aigar EST 164

14 Bill, J. SUI 159

15 Nemeth, Kornel HUN 159

[NordieBoy]

Good speed then.
Now for some good luck...

[Nicola W]

I’m more concerned with how he'll cope with Winter in the UK :cold: although that’s confirmed his decision to continue racing in Europe.

Great news he’s going to be a Daddy in January. :D :baby:

[paturoa]

Well here we are - last round of the season.....

[NordieBoy]

And I've almost got Lierop downloaded :D

[NordieBoy]

And just watched the Oirish Round.

[paturoa]

5th in timed practice, Scott was 24th

[paturoa]

10th and 3rd for 6th on the day with 31 points

Max Nagi had a 1, 1!!!???

Anyway overall

5th for the year on 446 points (at least Ramon didn't win)

MxoN next

[denill]

Date: 14 September 2008
Press release:

Coppins concludes 2008 MX GP season in Italy.

The fifteenth and final round of the FIM Motocross World championship has come to an epic end at the hillside circuit of Faenza in Italy. Yamaha Monster racer, Josh Coppins, finished a tough and testing season with 5th in the overall in the MX1 standings.

Overnight rain threatened to make the clay based track a quagmire but riders were welcomed with partially blue skies on Sunday morning in time to dry the most of the moisture and make for perfect racing conditions. Coppins grabbed what was probably his best start of the season in moto 1 but seemed to struggle with the handling of his machine and the Kiwi hit the ground twice. He managed to put in a last minute charge to pass Steve Ramon for 10th spot but was disappointed with his result.

Once again Coppins was placed well in the start and tried to hang on to first moto winner Maxi Nagl. A revived Ramon, found a way past Coppins and went after Nagl with the New Zealander having to defend his 3rd position. The number 6 Yamaha, never faltered and managed to keep a charging Jonathan Barragan at bay to claim a podium finish.

“I had probably my best starts of the season today so I was pumped with the work that Yamaha had done in the week to give us a little bit more of an advantage. I struggled with my front suspension this weekend and couldn’t get any traction but we finally found a comfortable setting in the last race. I was happy to finish on the podium in the final moto after a really tough season. I also want to give it up to my Yamaha Monster team-mate, David Philippaerts. He rode a great season and proved to be the best. I’m happy for Yamaha and the team after last year’s disappointment and want to thank them as well as all my sponsors, THOR, PARTS UNLIMITED, AIROH, MONSTER, ALPINESTARS, SCOTT, HYUNDAI, KRM Motorhomes, for all their support. We had a solid effort this year and I look forward to working hard for next season and challenging for the title.” commented Coppins.

With the 2008 MX GP season now wrapped up, Coppins will spear-head Team New Zealand in two weeks time at the Motocross of Nations to be held in Donington Park in the UK.

Race results:

MX1 Race 1

1 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM

2 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

3 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

4 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM

5 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

6 de Reuver, Marc NED Honda

7 Bill, Julien SUI Honda

8 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

9 Schiffer, Marcus GER KTM

10 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

11 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

12 Church, Tom GBR Kawasaki

13 Michek, Martin CZE Honda

14 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

15 Correira, Luis POR Suzuki

MX1 Race 2

1 Nagl, Maximilian GER

2 Ramon, Steve BEL

3 Coppins, Joshua NZL

4 Barragan, Jonathan ESP

5 de Dycker, Ken BEL

6 Leok, Tanel EST

7 Desalle, Clement BEL

8 Campano, Carlos ESP

9 Philippaerts, David ITA

10 Mackenzie, Billy GBR

11 Bill, Julien SUI

12 Priem, Manuel BEL

13 Salvini, Alex ITA

14 Church, Tom GBR

15 Renet, Pierre A. FRA

MX1 World championship final standings:

1 Philippaerts, D. ITA 509

2 Ramon, Steve BEL 495

3 de Dycker, Ken BEL 490

4 Barragan, J. ESP 455

5 Coppins, J. NZL 446

6 Nagl, M. GER 444

7 Pourcel, S. FRA 392

8 Leok, Tanel EST 352

9 Mackenzie, B. GBR 320

10 de Reuver, M. NED 292

11 Desalle, C. BEL 290

12 Priem, Manuel BEL 261

13 Bill, J. SUI 183

14 Leok, Aigar EST 164

15 Nemeth, Kornel HUN 159