Kiwi GP stars kick off international MX season in Mantova this weekend.
The international MX season kicks off this weekend in Mantova - Italy with Kiwi GP stars, Ben Townley and Josh Coppins lining up alongside an impressive starting list of riders, all eager to get the first race of the season under their belts.

Coppins, a GP winner last year, and 2004 MX 2 World champion, Townley, have been sharing a flat in Italy for the past month and have been helping each other with pre-season training. The riding conditions and moderate Italian weather are far better at this time of year than their normal Belgian home base and the duo have lapped up every opportunity.

With former MX world champ, Corrado Madii, giving the Kiwi mates exclusive usage of his private track, BT and “Lizzard” have been building an excellent fitness base as they prepare for the 2005 MX1 world championships.

“ It’s been great training with Josh here in Italy and we have been having heaps of fun. I love the food and the weather has been great too. I’m really enjoying the factory 450cc Redbull KTM and I have been doing plenty of riding. That’s the best way to gain strength and a good base for the season. My goal for this weekend is to finish all three races in a strong position. I like the track at Mantova and I’ll be interested to see the pace of the other riders” explained an enthusiastic Townley.

Coppins, on the other hand, has not set his goals too high for the weekend and the CAS Honda star is very modest in his predictions: “Last year, I had a terrible race in Mantova so I’m not expecting too much. I don’t want to rush into the season - we have been doing a lot of riding and testing and I have been working on my speed and fitness. The CRF 450 is running great at the moment – it’s going to be great to feel that adrenalin rush again!”

The special friendship and camaraderie that the two Kiwi’s share will be put aside this weekend when the gate drops on the arena style circuit for their first international race in 2005.