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Contributed by: Ian Miles.
World motocross star Josh Coppins has strengthened his second place in the world 250 championship with yet another podium placing, third spot at today’s Grand Prix of Bulgaria.
Battling through 40-degree temperatures and humidity of 50 percent the New Zealand expat extended the gap in the championship over his Honda factory teammate Pit Beirer.
Coppins, 25, is the only rider in the world’s glamour championship class to stand on the podium at the past five races.
“It was the toughest race of the year for sure,” commented the star of the Italian-based Vismara team.
“By the end I was wasted … I was still going strong but there’s wasn’t much left in the tank.
“I had a really tough week building up to this, nothing went right, and I wasn’t totally focused in the early laps, so I'm delighted with another podium and more good points in the championship.”
The 40-minute race was punctuated by physical clashes between the teammates on the red Honda bikes, German Beirer physically defending third spot as Coppins powered through the field.
“I didn’t get a great start and had to come through from about eighth or tenth,” commented Motueka-born Coppins.
“That was hard work in these conditions and when I came up to Pit he was obviously keen to hang onto the place and try to get a bit closer to me in the championship points.”
After Coppins powered his CR250R past, Beirer faded to sixth and allowed the Kiwi to extend the points gap to 13.
Meanwhile Coppins’ longtime rival and former Suzuki teammate Mickael Pichon ran away with yet another GP and pulled more of a title lead.
The Frenchman, reigning world champion, now has 163 points to Coppins’ 136.
Second today went to another Frenchman, two-time world champ Fred Bolley who is now fourth equal in the title hunt after seven of 12 rounds.
The Baltic nation’s first grand prix of the modern era drew a good crowd to Sevlievo, two hours east of the capital Sofia in this impoverished but developing nation which borders the Black Sea.
Coppins was presented with a large trophy by the Prime Minister, who was king of the country before communist rule.
Points after seven of 12 rounds:
World 250 championship: 1 Mickael Pichon (France) Suzuki, 163 points; 2 Josh Coppins (NZ) Vismara Honda 136; 3 Pit Beirer (Germany) Vismara Honda, 123; 4 Kenneth Gundersen (Norway) Kawasaki 105; 5 Fred Bolley (France) Yamaha 105; 6 Jamie Dobb (England) KTM 93.
