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An encouraging start for Kiwi motorcycle ace Josh Coppins as he switches seasons from outdoor motocross to stadium supercross.
The fast-rising star of the Suzuki works team was one of the two quickest riders at a warmup meeting in Spain today, dicing with Mike Larocco who is one of the fastest in USA, the home of supercross.
Coppins, the Motueka-born 23-year-old who recently completed a fine fourth in the world 250 outdoor motocross champs, won his heat at the Madrid supercross and took second to Larocco in the semi-final.
\"I got the holeshot and beat him to the first corner in the final, then he dived under me and took me out,\" said the expat Kiwi after the event.
\"By the time I picked myself up I was dead last, but I managed to get back up to sixth by the end of the race.\"
\"I\'m happy enough with that,\" Coppins said. \"There are no championship points at stake or anything like that, I\'m just getting back into the groove.\"
His Corona Suzuki team was impressed with the form of the young flier, in his first supercross race since an event in New Zealand last January compared with the Americans who have been competing in this specialist, spectacular form of racing all year.
With his outdoor commitments finished Coppins is now buildung up to the World Supercross Championship, a three-round series starting in France later this month.
Supercross season:
21 October World championship round one, Stade de France, Paris, France
27-29 October Paris Bercy one-off event, Paris, France
4 November World championship round two, Torino, Italy
25 November World championship round three, Leipzig, Germany
