Coppins World 2008 FIM Thread

[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]

Well done Josh! Keep at it!

[Ktmboy]

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.