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Motocross ace Josh Coppins looks to get his world championship campaign back on the rails this weekend, at the sixth round in Belgium.
Dogged by bad luck through the previous events, the plucky Kiwi expat has slipped to fifth equal in the championship in which he is determined to better last year’s fourth spot.
But heading to the motocross GP track especially constructed alongside the famous Spa-Francorchamps F1 car circuit, the Motueka-born Coppins is in confident mood.
“It’s a home grand prix for our Suzuki team and I did OK there last year even though the track was in poor shape then.
“It’s terrain that suits my style and I’m happy that I’m riding well enough to be at the front … I just need a bit of luck with the bike and other riders who keep knocking me off.”
The Corona beer-backed Suzuki factory outfit has been burning the midnight oil after the RM250 bike, noted for its reliability, broke down at the last GP in Germany a fortnight ago.
“It’s just one of those things,” Coppins said. “A gear chipped a tooth and it gradually just broke up.
“I start wondering what I have to do when my teammate (Mickael Pichon) has a perfect run and is leading the championship by a country mile.
“I led from the start of that race and I was dicing with Pichon until the gear selectors started playing up,” said the Kiwi ace whose mood was one of resignation as he headed his motorhome west from the Teutschenthal circuit in the old iron curtain sector of Germany.
“To make it worse the championship is getting shorter with a couple of rounds being cancelled ... we’re back to 13 or 14 now and shortly I’ll be running out of time.
“But I’m not going to panic, I just need one good result to put the campaign back on track.”
Also looking for a recovery at round six is youngster Ben Townley, the Taupo-born 16-year-old in his first season in the 125 class.
After exceeding all expectations by qualifying for his first four events, the Phase Suzuki rider slipped in Germany and sat out Sunday’s GP.
“That was the hardest race I’ve ever had to watch,” commented the fledgling expat.
“But I’ve learned a few things about qualifying tactics through the experience and I want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Townley, who has already scored points so is guaranteed a championship placing in his first year, carries a painful injury to Spa - he fell in a non-championship race last weekend and has a nasty exhaust burn on his butt.
Qualifying will be held on Saturday with the GP races Sunday afternoon (overnight Sunday / Monday New Zealand time) at Spa, the legendary circuit nestled deep in the forests of the Ardennes in eastern Belgium near the German border.
World 250 Championship points after five events: Pichon 120, Gordon Crockard (Ireland) Honda 76, Yves Demaria (France) Yamaha 54, Claudio Federici (Italy) Yamaha 51, Coppins and Pit Beirer (Germany) Yamaha 43.
