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Contributor: Ian Miles
Kiwi motocross star Josh Coppins has leapt to second in the world 250 championship with a blitz to third place in today’s French Grand Prix.
The 25-year-old Vismara Honda rider gate-crashed the party on French holiday weekend, standing on the podium with the nation’s favourite world champion sons. Sliding through mud after a heavy rain shower, expat Kiwi Coppins was bettered only by reigning title-holder Mickael Pichon and two-time champion Fred Bolley.
“It wasn’t a perfect race by any means,” said Coppins, star of the Italian-based Berni Honda outfit backed by food giant Vismara, after his 40-minute marathon. “I made a couple of quite big mistakes and one of them nearly cost me the podium when my teammate got by.”
Coppins had stalked his fellow CR250R rider Pit Beirer through the early stages and pounced on third spot when the German made an error.
“I just made a little slip with one lap to go and Pit came past, but I hung in there and got a good run on one of the big downhills so I could slip by quite easily at the bottom,” Coppins said amid celebrations in the Honda marquee.
His placing at this fourth of 12 rounds in the championship lifts the Motueka-born pro racer to 74 points, four clear of Beirer who is just a point ahead of Bolley.
Pichon’s victory in front of screaming fans takes him 14 points clear of Coppins.
“It’s still quite early in the season, but the points we’re picking up now are vital,” said Coppins, veteran of eight years on the world circuit.
“My aim is to keep pushing, taking podium places and gathering the points.
“Plus it’s about time to win a GP,” he said with half an eye to the next round at his team’s Italian home.
After heavy rain Friday but sunshine yesterday, hopes were high for a hard, fast race on the steep hills of St Jean d’Angely north of Bordeaux in the west of France.
“But it was muddy and very slippery,” Coppins explained. “My arms are aching from holding on down those hills … this was much tougher than most GPs. “But it’s all worthwhile for this,” he added, holding aloft a big trophy.
Points after four of 12 rounds:
World 250 championship: 1 Mickael Pichon (France) Suzuki, 88 points; 2, 56; 2 Josh Coppins (NZ) Vismara Honda 74; 3 Pit Beirer (Germany) Vismara Honda, 70; 4 Fred Bolley (France) Yamaha, 69; 5 Kenneth Gundersen (Norway) Kawasaki 67; 6 Paul Cooper (UK) Honda, 59; 7 Jussi Vehvilainen (Finland) Honda, 57; 8 Jamie Dobb (England) KTM 53.
Constructors: Suzuki 88, Honda 78, Yamaha 78, Kawasaki 69, KTM 59, TM 37, Husqvarna 20.
