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COPPINS RIDES BRITISH:
Honda Motocross ace Josh Coppins returns to the track this weekend,
contesting a round of the British Championship at the Isle of Wight.
Continuing his comeback from serious injuries at the start of this year,
the expat Kiwi turns out for his CAS Honda team at an important home series.
It\'s Coppins\' first race since the Grand Prix of Bulgaria early this month,
which itself was just his second world championship round since his return.
\"Then I picked up a leg infection, which kept me away from the latest GP in
Austria,\" explained the 26-year-old who was runner-up in the world premier
class last year.
\"It\'s a frustrating time but I\'ve given my leg plenty of rest before coming
back for some training and bike testing this week.
\"I\'m not anywhere near peak form yet, there are still several aspects of my
riding which need to come up to speed,\" said the man who broke his back, an
ankle and both feet in a US race crash in January.
\"We\'ve now had six GPs, that\'s half the season: what I\'m concentrating on
now is getting into the top 10, then the top five and eventually onto the
podium at the front of the field,\" commented New Zealand\'s top motorcycle
racer.
\"Races like this one at the Isle of Wight are good preparation for that,
also it\'s always good to ride in front of the home crowd for my team.
Coppins and CAS Honda teammate Yoshi Atsuta (Japan) rode the southern
England island circuit at a promo day several weeks ago and the Kiwi
pronounced the track the best he had seen in the UK.
\"It\'s a bit like many New Zealand tracks, rolling across a hillside with
long green grass and good natural jumps,\" Coppins explained.
Some of his toughest opposition in Sunday\'s three races will come from his
CAS Honda teammates: Atsuta and Irishman Gordon Crockard both riding
four-stroke CRF450 machines against Coppins\' two-stroke CR250. The fourth
squad member, Finland\'s Jussi Vehvilainen, is injured but will attend the
event as a spectator.
From England Coppins and the squad head for Sweden for next weekend\'s
seventh round of the world champs.
Ian Miles
Josh\'s Manager
