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Contributor: Ian Miles.
The best motocrossers on the planet are in Italy this weekend for round five of the world championships.
Expat Kiwi Josh Coppins, second in the glamour 250 class, is on the tail of reigning champ Mickael Pichon of France.
Meanwhile rising young star Ben Townley is looking to climb back to the top of the 125 class after being tragically crashed out last grand prix.
For Coppins this weekend at Castiglione del Lago, in Perugia north of Rome, is virtually a home grand prix: his high-flying Vismara Honda team is Italian with his training base just half an hour north in Tuscany.
“It’s real Tuscan weather now, dry and hot,” commented Coppins as he prepared his Honda CR250R at the race headquarters of Fabrizio Berni’s team this week.\" “The tracks are hard-packed which suits me fine … I’ve been riding this week at our training circuit and I’m ready for Castiglione.”
The Motueka-born pro racer has already ridden the circuit once this season, at an Italian championship round, plus he contested a grand prix here last year.
“It’s a very testing track, with good jumps and some hilly sections,” he explained the 25-year-old.\"
“It can be pretty tough, depending on how it is watered or if we get a summer rainstorm.”
For Coppins the equation is simple: a top placing to score points and consolidate his tight second position in the title chase and apply some pressure to leader Pichon.
It’s the first time in his career that Coppins has held outright second place, although he rose to third two years ago before slipping one notch at the final race of the year.
Now, after a horror 2001 season in which mechanical and other problems relegated him to sixth overall, he is back on his career path to the top.
Pichon, runaway winner of three of this year’s four events, has a 14-point lead over Coppins’ tally of 74.
Vismara Honda teammate Pit Beirer, the German who Coppins pipped on the last lap to take third place in France, is four points further back with two-time world champ Fred Bolley (France) just a point adrift in fourth.
Coppins and Townley followed the French Grand Prix a fortnight ago with an international race at Brou in France last Monday, bank holiday.
With most of the top grand prix stars racing, it gave 17-year-old Townley a chance to re-focus after his terrible luck at the French GP in St Jean d’Angely.
Upended there when another rider crashed in front of him in the first turn, the talented newcomer scored no points and saw his championship placing drop from second to sixth.
“It’s not quite as bad as it looks,” said Townley, who stunned the motocross world with second position in the opening grand prix of the year\". “The points are real close at the top of the table, just 20 between me and second place. “But of course I’m disappointed after such a good start to the season and I’m determined to get back up there as fast as I can.”
Noting Townley’s jaw-dropping form on the factory-backed KTM for the Big Five Vangani team this year, few observers doubt his ability to do just that.
A third Kiwi, Darryl Atkins is also on the Italian GP entry list.
He will be desperately trying to qualify for the 250cc main event on his MJ Church Kawasaki.
Practice and qualifying in Italy are on Saturday;
Coppins races at 11am Sunday and Townley four hours later.
The sixth of 12 rounds in the season is in Austria in a fortnight.
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.
World 125 championship:
1 Mickael Maschio (France) Kawasaki, 85 points; 2 Patrick Caps (Belgium) KTM, 74; 3 Philippe Dupasquier (Switzerland) KTM, 65; 4 Steve Ramon (Belgium) KTM 63; 5 Alex Puzar (Italy) Husqvarna, 62; 6 Ben Townley (NZ) Big Five Vangani KTM 54; 7 Erik Eggens (Netherlands) KTM 51; 8 Tyla Rattray (South Africa) Big Five Vangani KTM, 48.
Constructors:
KTM 97, Kawasaki 85, Husqvarna 62, Yamaha 50, Honda 35, Suzuki 15.
