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Motocross ace Josh Coppins has celebrated Bastille weekend by storming onto the podium at the French 250 Grand Prix.
The expat Kiwi blasted his Corona Suzuki into a thrilling third spot to close right up on third in the world championship and sprayed expensive French champagne over his rivals and the crowd to celebrate.
To the final flag of the gruelling 45-minute tussle on a physically draining circuit at Ernee Coppins chased down the German who stole his third place in the championship last year, Pit Beirer.
With a total of 83 points the Motueka-born 24-year-old is now just three short of current third placeholder, Italian star Claudio Federici, whom he shut down today.
The battle for second spot at the Circuit de Vahais, south-west of Paris, kept a huge crowd hanging over the trackside fences as supremacy swapped among six riders all of whom had minor falls on a track still treacherous after heavy rain.
“I knew I would be right there at the end,” commented Coppins afterwards, weighed down by a huge trophy, bouquet of flowers and magnum of champagne.
“It was just a question of riding my own race without letting the others past.
“Towards the end I closed right up on Pit but it’s so hard to make a pass on this surface. It was just a matter of waiting for him to slip, but he managed to hold on.
After a first half-season dogged by bad luck, Coppins now blasts in the final seven grands prix with his eye back on his original goal, second or third in the championship to continue his record of climbing in the places every year since he started in GP racing seven seasons ago.
“It’s right on, I knew during the race that if I could pass Pit I was also past Federici in the points … but that’s OK, I know I can pull away from here,” said the elated antiopodean.
“The Suzuki is running perfectly now, we didn’t change a thing from practice to qualifying to the race despite all the changes in the weather.
“Next up we have three GPs on successive weekends and I’m really looking forward to that,” Coppins added.
His Corona squad teammate Mickael Pichon had the crowd screaming as he stormed away with his home grand prix, the 26-year-old unrivalled as he extended his commanding lead in the title hunt.
“Mickael was huge today,” Coppins said. “He was in a class of his own, as he has been all weekend and all year really.”
Seemingly only misfortune can now rob Pichon of the title in which was runner-up for Suzuki last year.
Reigning two-time world champion Fred Bolley, also of France, was back in sixth today after a first-lap crash and has dropped back to be equal with Beirer in his challenge for Coppins’ fourth place overall.
Championship second place holder Gordon Crockard (Ireland) scrambled through to fifth spot today and is still well clear of Federici and Coppins in the points after some good placings early in the season..
Meanwhile it was a gritty but frustrating ride in the 125 Grand Prix for 16-year-old Kiwi sensation Ben Townley.
For the second event in a row the junior from Taupo was knocked off his Suzuki RM125 on the first lap.
“At least this time I was able to get up and going again, but by then the pack was gone and I was struggling,” said the talented GP rookie who finished in 25th spot.
Despite blue skies and blazing sunshine the track was still rutted with mud for Townley’s morning ride, after a day of heavy showers.
Several top riders crashed out. One title contendor, KTM star Erik Eggens, was impaled on a fence-post and was under observation for suspected internal injuries.
The next Grand Prix is in Belgium in three weeks.
World 250 Championship points after seven events: Pichon 190, Crockard 122, Federici 86 Coppins 83, Bolley and Beirer 76, Chad Reed (Australia) Kawasaki 73, Yves Demaria (France) Yamaha 54.
French 250 Grand Prix: Pichon 1, Beirer 2, Coppins, Federici 4, Crockard 5, Bolley 6.
