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COPPINS TO GERMANY:
By - Ian RJ Miles:
Motocross ace Josh Coppins goes big game hunting near Germany\'s Black
Forest this weekend. But the targets are human, as he aims to close the gap
to the world\'s top racers.
Fighting back from crippling injuries at the start of this year, the
Kiwi-born Honda rider is in the spotlight as he heads to the Grand Prix of
Deutschland at Gaildorf.
This delightful little town in south-western Germany, 80km from Stutgart,
hosts round 10 of the Motocross GP title chase. And after storming to third
spot at the most recent GP in The Netherlands, 26-year-old Coppins has
added a new dimension to a tense championship.
The Belgian pair Stefan Everts and Joel Smets on their booming 450
four-strokes saw off the 250 two-stroke threat of Frenchman Mickael Pichon
who had been their nemesis earlier in the year. But along came the expat
New Zealand on his CAS Honda CR250 out of England to share their Dutch podium.
That was enough to catch napping those riders and fans who have not noticed
Coppins\' slow but steady climb up the rankings after his professional
comeback three months ago. Suddenly he was right in their face,
extinguishing the memory of his broken back, ankle and feet from a January
crash in the USA.
\"The Dutch result was a turning point,\" explained the rider they call Lizzard.
\"It was my first podium of the season, after I managed ten straight last
year. I guess it\'s no surprise that people were not really expecting it.
\"But my riding has been improving and I knew I was getting back into some
sort of form . I still have a fair way to go and it seems frustratingly
slow at times but overall I\'m happy with things so far.
\"The issue right now has been switching from the deep sand in Holland to a
harder circuit at Gaildorf. It\'s green and hilly, like the tracks we used
to get in New Zealand,\" explained Coppins this week.
\"I went to Ireland for a minor race last weekend for some hard-track
practice and that was valuable, although a stray rock ripped out my brakes
and hindered things a bit. But I\'ve been getting some good training rides
this week and I\'m ready for Germany.\"
Deeply disappointed to lose momentum this year after finishing second to
Pichon in last year\'s glamour 250 championship, Coppins has three events
left this season to prepare for a world title bid in 2004.
\"That\'s definitely my aim,\" commented the Motueka-born star. \"By the end of
last year I was running right at the front of the field and I need to do
that from the start of \'04.
\"For now that means closing the gap on Stefan and Joel, who are both great
champions with ten world titles between them. It\'s a big ask but Germany is
a great place to start.
\"It won\'t be so easy at Gaildorf which should suit the four-strokes more,
the sand in Holland was better for my two-stroke. But I feel I\'m improving
with every race and my overall fitness is good now.\"
It will need to be: just a week after Gaildorf comes the next round of the
championship, in the Czech Republic.
Coppins is not in world championship contention this year, after his
injuries ruled him out of four of the season\'s 12 rounds. However the Dutch
result promoted him close to the top ten, a level some professional riders
never reach in their career.
Practice and qualifying for the Grand Prix of Deutschland are on Saturday,
the 40-minute race early on Sunday afternoon local time.
Championship points after nine of 12 rounds:
1 Stefan Everts (Belgium) Yamaha 200; 2 Joel Smets (Belgium) KTM 190; 3
Mickael Pichon (France) Suzuki 188 points; 4 Brian Jorgensen (Denmark)
Honda 112, 5 Kenneth Gundersen (Norway) Kawasaki 111; 6 Andrew McFarlane
(Australia) Kawasaki 105; 7 Claudio Federici (Italy) Yamaha 95; 8 Yoshitaka
Atsuta (Japan) CAS Honda 93; 9 Kevin Strijbos (Belgium) Suzuki 80;10 Gordon
Crockard (Ireland) CAS Honda 78. 13 Josh Coppins (New Zealand) CAS Honda 53.
