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COPPINS BACK IN WORLD MOTOCROSS:
Motocross hero Josh Coppins is back!
The Kiwi-born star of the CAS Honda team in the UK has today been given the
all-clear to race this weekend, four months after breaking his back, both
feet and an ankle in a race crash.
His first outing will be a round of the British Championships at Culham
near Oxford on Sunday. A week later he returns to the World Championship,
in which he was runner-up in the premier class last year, for the Italian
Grand Prix.
\"I had a scan of my spine today, 12 weeks after it was fused in surgery,
and the doctors say it\'s now strong enough to return to racing,\" said the
laidback Coppins, 26.
\"There is still more healing to do, but basically my back can now to take
the bumps and knocks.
\"At the same time my feet have been recovering well from their surgery,\" he
said.
\"The real worry is my left ankle which was badly smashed in the fall in the
US. But I have a special brace for protection and support, plus
modifications to my racing boots and my feet have been fine in my practice
rides on the Honda.\"
Coppins, New Zealand\'s top racer, was the only world title competitor to
mix it with runaway champion Mickael Pichon (France) in the glamour 250
class last season.
All hope of a repeat in this year\'s 12-round series is now gone, with three
events passed and Coppins facing a long battle to return to peak form.
Meanwhile his race category has been strengthened with 450 four-stroke
bikes allowed to compete with the 250 two-strokes in a high-profile class
now called Motocross GP.
\"I certainly won\'t be mixing it with the guys at the front in Italy, which
is a pity because I\'m the reigning Italian champion,\" said the Motueka-born
pro racer.
\"But nonetheless I\'m delighted to be back on the bike and flying the flag
for CAS Honda who have given me great support this year.
\"My goal is to pick up the pace through the year and be back at the top
before the end of the season.\"
