Yamaha factory racer, Joshua Coppins, has won the French Motocross GP in front of a sellout partisan crowd in St Jean d’Angely. The New Zealander won the first moto convincingly and a steady runner up spot in the second has seen the Kiwi extend his MX1 championship to an astounding 90 points by the halfway point in the championship.

A magnificent hole-shot aboard his factory YZ450FM saw Coppins come out with guns blazing in the first MX1 moto. “Lizzard” controlled the race and his rhythm perfectly as he set consistent lap times around the hilly St Jean d’ Angely circuit. Unchallenged, Coppins raced to victory in front of Italian, David Philippaerts, and Belgian, Steve Ramon, gaining important points in the MX1 championship as championship rival Kevin Strijbos failed to score any points due to an ongoing knee injury.

Coppins took advantage of another great hole-shot in moto 2 however it was short lived as Billy Mac Kenzie stole the lead just a turn later. Crowd favourite, Sebastien Pourcel, snuck by as well but Coppins kept his composure and struck back on the third lap. Five minutes later he attacked Scotsman Mac Kenzie and took over the lead. A fast moving Ramon managed to latch onto Coppins and capitalized on a series of mistakes to pass the Kiwi with just over ten minutes left on the clock. Coppins settled for second choosing not to risk anything by chasing after the Belgian.

“I feel sorry for Kevin Strijbos,” explained Coppins after the Belgian had failed to start the second moto. “I have also had my fair share of knee problems in the past so I know how he feels. He is a very good rider and I’m sure he will come back strong. It is a shame for the championship as people would like it to be much closer but at the same time I am happy with the lead. My choice of lines let me down in the second moto and I used too much energy on them. I finally found some good lines after Steve passed me but he was riding well and deserved the win . The championship is looking good for me and I just want to try and win some more GP’s. Of course it would have been great to win both heats but it’s winning the GP that counts.” affirmed Coppins

As the FIM Motocross GP series passes the halfway mark, Coppins heads to round eight of fifteen in Sevlievo, Bulgaria next weekend. (16-17 June)

Race results:

MX1 Race 1
1 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha
2 Philippaerts, David ITA KTM
3 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki
4 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki
5 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Kawasaki
6 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM
7 Brown, Mike USA Honda
8 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki
9 Nagl, Maximilian GER KTM
10 Noble, James GBR Honda
11 Nemeth, Kornel HUN Suzuki
12 Priem, Manuel BEL TM
13 Crockard, Gordon IRL Honda
14 Leok, Aigar EST Yamaha
15 Bill, Julien SUI Honda

MX1 Race 2
1 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki
2 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha
3 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki
4 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Kawasaki
5 Philippaerts, David ITA KTM
6 Barragan, Jonathan ESP KTM
7 Brown, Mike USA Honda
8 Priem, Manuel BEL TM
9 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki
10 van Daele, Marvin BEL Honda
11 Bill, Julien SUI Honda
12 Nemeth, Kornel HUN Suzuki
13 Renet, Pierre A. FRA Honda
14 Leok, Aigar EST Yamaha
15 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

MX1 Championship standings:
1 Coppins, J. NZL 321
2 Ramon, Steve BEL 231
3 Strijbos, K. BEL 211
4 Philippaerts, D. ITA 186
5 Pourcel, S. FRA 184
6 Barragan, J. ESP 173
7 Brown, Mike USA 169
8 Leok, Tanel EST 159
9 Mackenzie, B. GBR 154
10 de Dycker, Ken BEL 150
11 Noble, James GBR 139
12 Priem, Manuel BEL 125
13 de Reuver, M. NED 115
14 Nagl, M. GER 107
15 Nemeth, Kornel HUN 99