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Motocross ace Josh Coppins has finished third in class at the big Beaucaire International in the south of France.
The New Zealand-born Honda racer blasted his new Berni Racing CR250 machine to fast, consistent placings over three tough legs at the historic circuit near Marseilles, to serve notice for the world championships starting in a month.
Coppins, 24, was bested in the 250 class only by his own Berni Honda teammate Pit Beirer of Germany and local favourite and two-time world champion Fred Bolley (Yamaha)
\"It was close racing all day with rocks and dust flying,\" commented the laidback Kiwi expat.
\"At the end of that last race I was really thankful for my Scott goggles.
\"It\'s funny how our class so often comes down to Pit, Fred and me ...... it\'s going to be a very interesting championship season, with Pit and me on the new Honda, and ironically Fred now having switched away from Honda after winning his two titles on this brand,\" said Coppins.
With all classes racing together, the trio was headed in the overall standings by two big 500 class bikes: the KTM of legendary Belgian champion Joel Smets and the new Honda CR450 of Coppins\' Berni Racing teammate Andrea Bartolini of Italy.
\"The 500s are hard to beat around here,\" Coppins said. \"You just can\'t get the power to the ground to get past them.
\"Just the same we beat most of them, including Yves DeMaria who won here when the race was last held a couple of years ago.\"
The historic Beaucaire International event is the traditional pre-season warmup for the world championships, which this year start in The Netherlands on 24 March.
Coppins is expected to be a contender for the world title in the glamour 250 class.
Coppins qualified eighth during the morning session at Beaucaire, in his first international outing in the bright red of Berni Honda Racing, the Italian team which conscripted him to bolster its 2002 world championship bid.
