47th annual New Zealand Motocross
Grand Prix of Woodville – January 27, 2008
Woodville GP 500 top-3
1. Josh Coppins (Motueka/Yamaha) 1-1-1
2. Daryl Hurley (Hawera/Suzuki)3-2-2
3. Cody Cooper (Mount Maunganui/Honda) 2-3-3
Woodville GP250 four-stroke top-3
1. Luke Burkhart (Hawera/Suzuki) 1-1-1
2. Damien King (Cambridge/Yamaha) 2-4-2
3. Scott Columb (Queenstown/Suzuki) 4-2-3
Woodville GP250 two-stroke top-3
1. Darryll King (Hamilton/Yamaha) 1-1-1
2. Ollie Sharp (Auckland/Suzuki) 2-2-2
3. Shannon Hewetson (Nelson/Yamaha) 3-3-3
Woodville GP125 top-3
1. Damien King (Cambridge/Yamaha) 1-1-1
2. Cameron Negus (Rotorua/Yamaha) 2-3-3
3. Shaun Fogarty (Auckland/Kawasaki) 3-4-2
Woodville International Race top-5
1. Josh Coppins (Motueka/Yamaha)
2. Daryl Hurley (Hawera/Suzuki)
3. Cody Cooper (Mount Maunganui/Honda)
4. Justin McDonald (Christchurch/Honda)
5. Scott Columb (Queenstown/Suzuki)
pic from racerxill.com
Josh Coppins unbeaten at Woodville –ozzy go- fullnoise.com.au
Josh Coppins MXLarge Interview -ozzy go-
Rinaldi Yamaha rider Josh Coppins is busy working away in the
warmth of his homeland of New Zealand. Refreshed from some
beach time and time with the family Coppins is now starting his
serious training in preperation for his challenge to Steve Ramon
and that number one plate. We caught up with Josh on a sunny
day in the middle of summer. Relaxed on his deck chair he was
about to go riding with his best mate Scotty Columb. interview on
mxlarge.com - pic from fullnoise.com.au
Josh Coppins cleans up International MX in Barrabool
The NZ vs Australia race format which sees the best Pro,
Junior and Women riders from each country battle it out
at the famous Barrabool circuit west of Melbourne, has
seen Kiwi star Josh Coppins blitz all races at the annual
event. The NZ team captain won both Pro races, the one
on-one Super Pole against former GP rival and guest
American racer Ryan Hughs, and to add the icing on the
cake, Coppins cleaned up the Pro feature race which had
the 20 top scoring Pro Lites riders trying to making their
mark against the 20 top Pro Open riders.
“I really enjoyed myself this weekend” smiled Coppins. “I
set the fastest time in practice and qualifying on Saturday
and stayed out of trouble on Sunday and managed to win
all races. The track was fast and technical which I liked
and we had good weather with some wind in the morning
making it a bit dusty.”
Despite Coppins’s full house of wins, Team NZ were still
not able to pry the trophy from a hungry Aussie team.
“NZ did well in the Pro class and in the woman’s class
with a great ride from Katherine Prumm but we really
struggled in the Junior classes which I guess is where we
lost out to Australia. I love doing this event and am going
to stay on a little longer in Oz for a bit of a holiday before
heading back home to Motueka.” added the factory
Yamaha racer. joshcoppins.com
Australia claim Oceania Motocross Championship honours -ozzy go- fullnoise.com.au
Australia has claimed the Oceania Championship for the third
year in a row on the back of a strong performance by it's Lites
and Junior riders at the iconic Barabool motocross circuit just
outside of Geelong, Victoria, over the weekend.
World Championship top runner Josh Coppins once again lead the
Kiwi charge and took out the Pro Open class in fairly easy fashion
ahead of his compatriot Daryl Hurley. American motocross legend
Ryan Hughes rounded out the Pro Open podium with third overall.
“I really enjoyed myself this weekend” smiled Coppins. “I set the
fastest time in practice and qualifying on Saturday and stayed out
of trouble on Sunday and managed to win all races. The track was
fast and technical which I liked and we had good weather with
some wind in the morning making it a bit dusty.”
Hurley, who has had a shocking run with injuries found some of
the form that has seen him at the top of the motocross tree in the
past. "Even though I didn't get great starts, my speed was good
overall today and I managed to get through and make passes in
every race. "To get second to Josh feels pretty good, especially in
the second race. He nearly won the World Championship so I'm
pretty happy to have been able torun with him and finish second
to him, today." 
Hughes was happy with his third and really enjoyed the event and
level of competition, but despite his admission that he ran out of a
bit of fitness he still lived up to his hard racing reputation and
delivered a great ride for the fans and proved to be a tough
competitor. "I've never raced in Australia before, but I've had so
many great people help bring me out here to race this weekend,
the track is great and the level of competition is so strong that I
definitely want to come back and do this event again next year,"
the American MX icon said. full story on fullnoise.com.au
Barrabool, Geelong, Victoria, Australia, October 28, 2007
2007 International Oceania Motocross Championship
Australia 722 points
New Zealand 557 points
Pro Open class
1. Josh Coppins (New Zealand/Yamaha) 1-1-1
2. Daryl Hurley (New Zealand/Suzuki) 4-2-2
3. Ryan Hughes (USA/Suzuki) 3-3-3
4. Craig Anderson (Australia/Honda) 2-4-8
5. Jay Marmont (Australia) 7-5-4
6. Daniel McCoy (Australia/Honda) 5-6-7
7. Ryan Marmont (Australia) 9-7-6
8. Peter Boyle (Australia) 8-10-5
9. Michael Addison (Australia) 6-8-17
10. Nathan Brocktrup (Australia) 12-12-9
Pro Lites class
1. Jake Moss (Australia/Yamaha) 8-2-1
2. Cameron Taylor (Australia) 7-3-2
3. Lewis Stewart (Australia) 4-4-3
4. Luke Burkhart (New Zealand/Suzuki) 15-1-4
5. Dean Ferris (Australia) 5-6-6
6. Lewis Woods (Australia) 9-5-7
7. Danny Anderson (Australia) 3-8-12
8. Michael Phillips (New Zealand) 6-7-11
9. Kirk Gibbs (Australia) 2-dnf-5
10. Todd Waters (Australia) 14-13-9
14. Luke George (Australia) 1-dnf-dnf
Junior
1. Tye Simmonds (Australia/KTM) 1-1-1
2. Ross Beaton (Australia/Yamaha) 3-3-2
3. Hamish Dobbyn (New Zealand) 4-4-3
6. Luke Arbon (Australia) 2-2-dns
Womens
1. Katherine Prumm (New Zealand/Kawasaki) 1-1-1
2. Kristy Gillespie (Australia) 2-2-2
3. Ashlea Bates (Australia/Kawasaki) 3-3-3
pics from freelancephotography.co.nz
Second place for Coppins at Weston Beach race
Josh Coppins has lined up against a field of over 1150 off road
riders for his Weston Beach Race debut this past weekend. In his
second to last event before returning home to NZ, the Kiwi battled
it out with fellow Motocross rival, Steve Ramon, chasing the
Belgian over the rutted and sandy Weston Beach dunes in what is
considered the largest off road event in the UK.
“I didn’t know what to expect at this race.” admitted Coppins. “I
have heard a lot about the Weston Beach race and now that I
have one under my belt I’m going to be back for more. I rode a
complete standard YZ450F 2008 model and was amazed how well
the bike pulled and held up in the deep sand. We ran stock
suspension and a standard fuel tank so I just had to stop more
often to re-fuel which is obviously where I lost some time.”
Perfect weather conditions made the circuit somewhat easier on
the competitors nonetheless the race was cut 30 mins short for
safety reasons which saw Coppins follow home Steve Ramon in
second place.
“I took it easy on the first lap and was around 20th position after
the start. Mike Brown and Steve Ramon were long gone but then
‘Brownie’ cooked his clutch and after the first hour I was 2
minutes off of Steve. I got a rhythm going and closed down the
gap to 50 seconds by the time the organisers red flagged the race
so I was pumped with my riding and fitness.”
Coppins returns to NZ on Tuesday only to catch a connecting
flight to Australia where he will take part in the International
Oceania Motocross Championships in Barrabool on the 27-28
October. (www.oceaniamx.com) joshcoppins.com
Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset coast, England, 10-20-2007
2007 Weston Beach Race - Main Solo Class - 1049 riders
1. Steve Ramon (Suzuki 450) 2 Hours 08 min. 45 sec.
2. Josh Coppins (Yamaha 450) +3 min. 00.92
3. Brad Anderson (Yamaha 450) +4 min. 24.06
4. Timotei Potisek (Honda 450) +6 min. 46.91
5. Ashley Greedy (Honda 250) +8 min. 29.90
6. Jamie Lewis (Honda 450) +17 min. 16.52
7. Finbarr Kneafsey (Honda 450) +19 min. 38.89
8. Rob Meek (Honda 450) +19 min. 40.71
9. Nick Life (Yamaha 450) +19 min. 54.13
10. Rick Du-Feu (Kawasaki 250) +1 Lap
11. Paul Bolton (Honda 250) +1 Lap
12. Darren Scott (Suzuki 250) +1 Lap
13. James Painton (Honda 450) +1 Lap
pics from bbc.co.uk - Weston Beach Race 2007 pictures
Josh Coppins MXLarge Interview -ozzy go-
The 2007 season is now a month over and the
Grand Prix riders can enjoy a little time off from
erious racing. Some are doing off-season events
like the Mettet Superbiker, or the Bercy Supercross.
New Zealands Josh Coppins contested the Superbiker
last weekend and we caught up with the Rinaldi
Yamaha rider and asked him a few questions about
his off-season and what is coming up for him.
interview on mxlarge.com - pic from
joshcoppins.com
Joshua Coppins cancels his entry for the last MXGP -ozzy go- fullnoise.com.au
Joshua Coppins has decided to pull out of the final round of the
2007 MX1 world championship. The recovery of the shoulder
injury he sustained at the 11th round of the championship at
Loket (Czech Republic) held on the 29th of July has not
progressed sufficiently to enable him to try and clinch back the 14
points gap on Steve Ramon. While Coppins tried with some
success to minimize the damage to his title changes at the hard
packed circuit in Donington last weekend, the prospect of the
physically demanding deep sand track of Lierop offers no hope
for him to close the point’s deficit.
Joshua’s brave attempt to race at Donington earned him just
seven points, the result of a 14th position finish in the first moto.
He retired from the second moto early on because excessive pain
prevented him from continuing. The pain remained during this
week despite trying another special treatment. A CT scan of the
shoulder revealed that the race at Donington did not aggravate
the injury, but that the healing of the bone had not progressed
any further. The only advice the doctor could give was to take
rest and wait until the bone has healed completely.
Admitting defeat is not really in Josh’s character and is even more
difficult to accept as he can be regarded as the moral winner of
this year’s championship, being the rider with the most GP wins,
despite missing three events. Before Loket Josh led the
championship supremely with 107 points and looked on his way to
win his first world title very comfortably. Yet injury is part of
motocross racing, a fact that Coppins is willing to accept;
"Obviously I’m very disappointed, more than that, it is difficult to
explain in words how I feel right now. I have been putting so much
effort into the pre-season... click on ozzy go to the full story
Coppins concedes to injury
New Zealand motorcross star Josh Coppins has revealed he's
fighting a losing battle to win his first MX1 championship.
The Motueka rider returned from a month off with a shoulder
injury for the penultimate round in England last weekend but not
only lost his championship lead but aggravated his problems.
Coppins now says he's 99 percent certain to miss the final round
in the Netherlands this weekend.
The Belgium-based rider admits he's gutted saying he was clearly
the best rider in the series until being struck down with injury.
The twice runner up in the Motor Cross World Championships
hasn't bothered to do even done the maths to see where he might
finish overall if he doesn't start this weekend. tvnz.co.nz
Coppins pain stricken at British GP
Joshua Coppins has ridden through agonizing pain in defense of
his MX1 world title aspirations at a spectacular Donington Park
circuit, close to Derby.
The tough Factory Yamaha racer qualified in 10th spot on
Saturday minimizing his laps on a jump filled track to save his
shoulder for the two 35 minute + 2 Lap motos to come on
Sunday.
Coppins’s lightening reactions saw him rocket to the hole-shot in
race 1, however Scotsman, Billy McKenzie quickly snuck past as
Coppins had to fend off a gaggle of riders biting at his heels. As
the race wore on it was visible that the Kiwi was battling with pain
as he gradually lost position after position. Coppins salvaged 14th
spot but it was clear that he had pushed his pain threshold to the
limit.
The second moto would not last long for the New Zealander as he
was bunched in at the start and appeared in 20th position on lap
one. Coppins completed 3 laps before retiring from the
unbearable pain.
“I was pretty happy with the first moto considering the pain I had.
For the first fifteen minutes I was quite good but then the pain
settled in. My lines were not good as I was focused on the pain
rather than on the riding. It’s not easy to go out and race like
that. My family is here from NZ and I wanted to go and give
100% for them and my fans and I couldn’t and that is more
frustrating than anything. I have worked so hard for this
championship and not being able to fight for it is the worst thing
of all. It is a hard pill for me to swallow right now. I’m filled with
so many emotions. I hope that this coming week will bring more
clarity as to what I will do in Lierop.” stated a distraught Coppins.
The final round of the FIM Motocross championship will take place
in Lierop in a week’s time where Coppins will have a 14 point
deficit over Belgian Steve Ramon. Having held the red leaders
plate for 14 rounds of the 15 it is unclear whether the hard
working Kiwi will be able to give it his best shot at the GP of the
Netherlands.
Yamaha wins in MX1 but looses grip on championship at British GP -ozzy go- yamaharacing.com
Yamaha Motocross Team’s Josh Coppins made a brave comeback
to the FIM Motocross World Championship despite sustaining a
two inch break to his left shoulder only four weeks ago but could
not prevent his lead in the standings being lost to rival Steve
Ramon. Meanwhile MX1 debutant Antonio Cairoli marked a new
highlight in a truly wonderful season of success as the MX2 world
champ won his first ever outing in the premier class with a 2008
production YZ450F in front of 28,000 spectators.
Coppins was back in action for the first time in two Grand Prix but
completed few fast laps and took things easy on Saturday. The
New Zealander commented that he was fighting pain in the joint
but had medical attention and took to the line on Sunday to
attempt to defend the 12 points he held in defiance of Ramon.
The many jumps and rough ruts of the track were not ideal for
the Kiwi.
The first moto at the new track inside the Donington Park MotoGP
complex started perfectly as the 30 year old holeshotted on the
YZ450FM. However he was unable to keep pace with the leaders
and tried his best to remain as high in the classification as
possible but was swamped by a group in the final laps and took
fourteenth.
With the gap down from 12 to 4 points for the second race,
Coppins tried again to fight his corner but had to pull into the pits
after one lap as the former championship runner-up had no
strength in his upper limb and could not control the bike properly.
His eighteenth position overall means that he lost the red plate for
the first time this year to Ramon and now faces a tough job at
Lierop to regain his status. The deserving champion and winner of
five Grand Prix this year will need to obtain 14 points or more
over Ramon (who is racing with a small fracture in his scaphoid)
to claim his first world title.
2007 MX2 World Champion Antonio Cairoli could not have done
a better job in the MX1 class to give Coppins support and also
assist Yamaha’s effort to retain the manufacturer’s title. The
Italian admitted that riding the production 2008 YZ450F after
steering his YZ250F to nine Grand Prix victories this year was
‘different’ and placed more... click on ozzy go to the full story
Joshua Coppins fit to defend his championship lead -ozzy go-
Yamaha Motocross Team’s Joshua Coppins will make his return
this weekend for round 14 of the MX1 world championship held
at the Donington circuit in the UK. The 30 year old Kiwi has
recovered from his shoulder injury to take up the defense of his
12 points lead over Belgian Steve Ramon. With 100 points up for
grabs the championship will most likely be decided at the last
round scheduled at Lierop (NL) the weekend straight after
Donington.
A CT scan made last Tuesday confirmed that Coppins’ shoulder
has healed very well, enabling him to compete again and
providing the confidence to start riding his YZ450FM for the first
time yesterday since his unfortunate crash at Loket on the 29th of
June. In the period off the bike Coppins made sure he retained
his strength and fitness by following an extensive training
program consisting out of swimming, cycling, mountain biking,
running and general fitness training. In fact the yesterday’s riding
exceeded his expectations; “I rode the bike four times yesterday
and apart from a bit of pain it went really well. I’m 100% in terms
of fitness and strength, just down on riding time. But in a way that
is also a positive thing because I feel really fresh now. I have
trained so hard for this season that at times I felt a bit tired, but
now after a month off the bike I feel very excited and eager to
jump on again.”
Coppins expects that the participation of Cairoli could make a
positive difference, as Antonio’s debut track at Donington will be
hard packed; “Antonio is riding incredibly well this year, so who
knows what he might be able to do, the circuit will suit his
aggressive style and ability. Yet I feel totally able to be more than
a match to Ramon, I won’t say I can win in Donington, but I’ll be
very competitive for sure.’ click on ozzy go to the full story
Coppins recovers in time to protect title -ozzy go- stuff.co.nz
Josh Coppins has been given the green light to ride in the
penultimate round of the MX1 world championship series.
The 30-year-old from Motueka has been cleared by his doctors to
compete in the British motocross grand prix at Donington Park,
Leicestershire, this weekend, having sufficiently recovered from a
small break in his shoulder blade.
Coppins suffered the injury just over three weeks ago at the
Czech Republic Grand Prix and has been forced to sit out the past
two rounds, seeing his championship lead slip from 107 points to
ust 12.
The Yamaha Rinaldi rider now has two rounds remaining to
maintain his lead and win his maiden MX1 world crown.
But he has the support of many heading into the final stages of
the championship including his former boss Harry Ainsworth from
the CAS Honda team. Ainsworth said he was not concerned if one
of his riders (CAS Honda) finished second in the championship "as
long as it's second to Josh". He said he did not want to see
Coppins finish his career as a..." click on ozzy go to the full story
Coppins fit for Donington Park - fullnoise.com.au
Yamaha's Josh Coppins has been given the all clear to ride the
next round of the World Motocross Championship at Donington
Park, England this weekend after missing the last two rounds
with a shoulder injury.
"I’m just home from DR. Claes... he gave me the green light to
ride this week and weekend! I’m really pumped!," Coppins said.
"The last few days I’ve been mountain biking which has gone
good. I’ve also been doing rock climbing and the shoulder has
held up great so I’m not expecting too many problems tomorrow
when I hit the track.
"You may have heard a lot of rumours that I was riding in Olmen
last weekend and could only do 2 laps and had to stop with the
pain... ha ha Well half it was true – I was at Olmen at the
weekend but not on the bike. It was my best friend and cousin
riding. Jamie did four laps not two and he had to stop because he
was a bit out of shape, not because of the pain... Shannon
managed a maximum of eight but they both had fun and it was
good to be back at the track even if I wasn’t riding – I just
needed to smell those fumes." Coppins maintains a 12 point
lead over Suzuki's Steve Ramon despite missing the two rounds.
World Title Shodown British Motocross GP -ozzy go- donington-park.co.uk
Five riders power into the penultimate round of the World
Motocross Championship at Donington Park on August Bank
Holiday Sunday knowing that they can secure the crown with
a strong performance in the British Motocross Grand Prix.
Kiwi Josh Coppins should have won his race against time to be
fit to defend his slender lead in the premier MX1 category – the
Yamaha rider has been nursing a shoulder injury and his absence
from the previous two rounds has enable the pack to play catch-
up on him.
Coppins knows all too well that he has to be back at this all new
event to the Leicestershire circuit to head off the growing threat
to his supremacy.
Leading the charge is the Belgian rider Steve Ramon who has
narrowed to within a dozen points, but, in a hotly competitive
series, his team-mate Kevin Strijbos, a winner last Sunday in
Northern Ireland, has closed in, together with Sebastien Pourcel
and David Philippaerts.
The course on the infield section of the parkland circuit has been
specially crafted, using some 50,000 tons of soil, to provide an
fast, high leaping and exciting challenge for the elite riders as
they go for gold – they will have two 35 minutes plus two lap
races to decide the points, and the pressure is on now in the
scramble for the title.
Pushing the title contenders all of the way will be top British riders
including Billy Mackenzie and James Noble, while in the MX2
category, which also has two races, each of 35 minutes plus two
laps duration, Tommy Searle is gunning for double top to secure
the overall runner-up position at the expense of former champion
Chris Pourcel.
There are just five points between the Frenchman and Searle,
aboard the Red Bull KTM, who ran the newly crowned champion
Antonio Cairoli close in the Northern Ireland round. He had to
settle for second best, but Searle, who bases himself in Tonge, a
couple of miles from Donington, is determined to turn the tables
on the high flying Sicillian in his home round.
Searle has checked out the course and reckons it will be both
demanding and thrilling to ride and he heads up a home challenge
that also includes the highly... click on ozzy go to full story
Coppins not looking good for Ireland
Radio New Zealand have reported that MX1 World
Championship hopeful Josh Coppins looks unlikely
to compete in Northern Ireland this weekend for
the third last round of the world championship.
The report stated that Coppins had been told by
a specialist that he can't ride the round this
weekend, which could see him lose his
championship lead.
The Yamaha rider broke his shoulder blade just
over 2 weeks ago and has already missed one
round, meaning his lead is now just 43 points...
there is a maximum of 50 points available in
each round.
Coppins says he's still confident of success and
just wants to be fully fit for the final 2 rounds.
Josh Coppins on the mend but not certain for Ireland
Kiwi Josh Coppins is no sitting idle after injuring his shoulder at the GP of Loket two
weeks ago and throwing everything he can into mending himself in an effort to resume
his place at the head of the field in the chase for the 2007 MX1 World Motocross
Championship.
"I’ve been really busy getting treatment," Coppins said. "First I was in Ipswich in England
getting laser, magnetic and oxygen chamber treatment It was three times a day for
three days but well worth it.
"From there I came back to Belgium and had the weekend at home. I started doing some
gym work Saturday and went to Namur for the GP on Sunday. I did my autograph
session for sponsors and spoke a lot with my team because the guys have been a bit
down since the crash. It was hard to watch my points lead go down and just not be out
there racing because the track looked cool, so I went home and watched Superbikes on
TV instead.
"The first I knew of the results was when a journalist phoned me for a comment on the
results.
"Since the weekend I’ve been getting more movement into the shoulder and I’ve now
started doing exercises in the swimming pool to get the movement back. I’ve also been
going to Germany a lot to visit a naturopath to help with the blood flow and healing by
getting acupuncture and massage. Yesterday I went to the hospital to see my surgeon
Dr. Claes and bought a new magnetic healing system known as an ‘ortho pulse’
machine. I sleep with it and use it 14 hours a day!
"I’m trying my best to be ready for Ireland but I won’t know how good I’ll be there until I
see Dr. Claes for another scan this Monday," Coppins concluded.
Coppins still has 43 points up his sleeve with three rounds remaining.
New Zealand announces Motocross of Nations team -ozzy go- fullnoise.com.au
It was announced today that Motueka’s Josh Coppins, Taupo’s
Ben Townley and Tauranga’s Cody Cooper will represent New
Zealand at this year’s edition of the Motocross of Nations.
After the final round of the Nokia MX Nationals this weekend Cody
Cooper will head to the USA to get ready for the MXoN
Motorcycling New Zealand debated long into the night about
which riders to send to the annual Motocross of Nations – the
international teams’ championship that is often labelled the
“Olympic Games of Motocross” – and feels confident its three
chosen representatives have the best chance of winning.
“This is the year I feel we are the most likely to succeed,” said
MNZ CEO Paul Pavletich.
“Cody is a lot stronger and more confident now than he was last
year; Ben is on fire in the United States and I expect Josh will be
world champion before the year is out. I am oozing confidence,”
he said.
This year’s Motocross of Nations will be held at Budds Creek,
near Washington DC, on the east coast of the United States, on
September 22-23. 
It was the same trio of riders who put New Zealand on the
podium -- third overall from the 31 countries that qualified -- at
last year’s edition of the great race, staged near Winchester,
south-west of London.
Third is the best New Zealand has ever achieved at this stand-
alone clash of countries – and the team did that in 1998 and
2001, as well as last year – so it is likely that the Kiwis will again
be among the favoured line-ups in the US next month.
Coppins is 43 points clear at the top of the standings in the MX1
world championships after 12 of 15 rounds and Townley currently
tops the Lites (250cc four-stroke) class in the United States after
eight of 12 rounds.
New Zealand team manager Russell Burling explained that
Hawera’s Daryl Hurley, the other contender for the No.3 spot in
the team that has again been assigned to Cooper, was
“extremely gracious” about the final decision.
“Normally Daryl would probably be our pick for the No.3 spot but
with him breaking his collarbone a few weeks ago and with Cody
riding so well in Australia at the moment, we thought that this was
the way to go. Daryl phoned me and said he’d gladly step aside in
favour of Cody,” said Burling.
Cooper will have two Honda CRF450 bikes waiting for him in the
US. At the conclusion of his Australian campaign this weekend,
Cooper heads to the US to contest the final two rounds of the
American national series as part of a build-up to the Motocross
of Nations. His bikes are being prepared for him by Pro Circuit
in California.
“It is probably wishful thinking to believe we will beat the
Americans on their home turf (the US is a record 17-time winner
at the Motocross of Nations and also won in England last season),
but I expect we will rate as the No.2 favoured team,” said Burling.
“Motorcycling New Zealand has been terrific in its support and I
believe a lot of New Zealand fans will be making the trip to cheer
the boys on too.” Fullnoise.com.au
The Motocross World Championships are suddenly on a knife-edge -ozzy go- fullnoise.com.au
Zealand’s Josh Coppins now has a huge fight on his hands to win
the motocross world championships following a crash in the Czech
Republic at the weekend.
Fingers are crossed that Coppins’ crash, at the 11th of 15 rounds
in this year’s world championships, at Loket, will be just a minor
set-back but that may be optimistic thinking after news arrived
today that his shoulder injury is more serious than first thought
and he could be out of action for up to three weeks.
That will rule him out of the Belgian GP in Namur this weekend
and possibly the one after that, in Northern Ireland on August 19,
although Coppins is confident of making it to Ireland.
With the 30-year-old from Motueka sidelined and unable to
defend his 77-point lead in the championship, and his rivals
hungrily nibbling away at the margin, it applies incredible
pressure on Coppins to be at his best again when he does return
to the race track.
Runaway championship leader Coppins suffered incredible bad
luck in the Czech Republic at the weekend.
With 50 points available at each GP, this means Coppins still has
more than one GP up his sleeve. But, with four events remaining
-- the Belgian GP (at Namur next weekend), the Irish GP, the
British GP and the Dutch GP – that means there are still 200
points available and Coppins’ advantage will quickly evaporate.
Coppins scored no points when he suffered “freak technical
problems” in both the MX1 races at the Loket circuit on Sunday,
a rock jamming in the rear... click on ozy go to the full story