Coppins World 2008 FIM Thread

[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

[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!

[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

[NZsarge]

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

[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