Josh Coppins back on top of MX1 podium

Yamaha factory racer, Joshua Coppins, has won the French
Motocross GP in front of a sellout partisan crowd in St Jean
d’Angely. The New Zealander won the first moto convincingly
and a steady runner up spot in the second has seen the Kiwi
extend his MX1 championship to an astounding 90 points by
the halfway point in the championship.

A magnificent hole-shot aboard his factory YZ450FM saw Coppins
come out with guns blazing in the first MX1 moto. “Lizzard”
controlled the race and his rhythm perfectly as he set consistent
lap times around the hilly St Jean d’ Angely circuit. Unchallenged,
Coppins raced to victory in front of Italian, David Philippaerts,
and Belgian, Steve Ramon, gaining important points in the MX1
championship as championship rival Kevin Strijbos failed to score
any points due to an ongoing knee injury.

Coppins took advantage of another great hole-shot in moto 2
however it was short lived as Billy Mac Kenzie stole the lead just
a turn later. Crowd favourite, Sebastien Pourcel, snuck by as well
but Coppins kept his composure and struck back on the third lap.
Five minutes later he attacked Scotsman Mac Kenzie and took
over the lead. A fast moving Ramon managed to latch onto
Coppins and capitalized on a series of mistakes to pass the Kiwi
with just over ten minutes left on the clock. Coppins settled for
second choosing not to risk anything by chasing after the Belgian.

“I feel sorry for Kevin Strijbos,” explained Coppins after the
Belgian had failed to start the second moto. “I have also had my
fair share of knee problems in the past so I know how he feels.
He is a very good rider and I’m sure he will come back strong.
It is a shame for the championship as people would like it to be
much closer but at the same time I am happy with the lead.
My choice of lines let me down in the second moto and I used
too much energy on them. I finally found some good lines after
Steve passed me but he was riding well and deserved the win.
The championship is looking good for me and I just want to try
and win some more GP’s. Of course it would have been great to
win both heats but it’s winning the GP that counts.” affirmed
Coppins.

As the FIM Motocross GP series passes the halfway mark,
Coppins heads to round eight of fifteen in Sevlievo, Bulgaria next
weekend. (16-17 June). story&photos from joshcoppins.com