Over thirty thousand, motocross mad, spectators turned out to witness a world class field at the seventh round of the MX1 GP series. Josh Coppins and his English based CAS Honda team were please to come away with second overall in Matchams Park. More importantly, the 4-2 result has moved the Kiwi racer into 3rd in the points standings.
Coppins managed to avoid a first turn pile up in race one and was placed in fifth position on lap two. He then had to deal with fellow countryman, Ben Townley, who was involved in the first turn pileup and had blazed through the pack. Coppins and Townley fans were cheering over the fence as all eyes were focussed on the two Kiwi’s. For five consecutive laps, there was no love lost between the two friends as they raced around the demanding Matchams circuit. Coppins finally had to succumb to his younger house-mate however he managed to latch on as the duo moved into third and fourth respectively. By the time the chequered flag was waved, the CAS Honda had to be content with fourth.
A much better start this time saw Coppins battling with Stefan Everts for the lead. Another Belgian in the form of Joel Smets managed to sneak past into second but a few laps later he would hit the dirt. In turn Coppins’ second place was short-lived when another Coppins-Townley re-match ensued with Townley again getting the better of his mate. “Lizzard” was determined not to let Townley get away this time so he grit his teeth and chased the orange bike with determination. With five laps to go, Townley went down and Coppins was certain of second place and second overall for the British GP.
“ I wasn’t happy with my first race. I lost my goggles on lap four and got a lot of sand and mud in my eyes. I was a bit disappointed as I thought I could produce a better race but I suppose it is a bit dangerous when you can’t see anything. The second race was much better and the fans were just awesome. I have a really good following here and it was nice to get a good result in front of my fans. I have past Joel in the championship and have moved closer to Pichon. Racing with Ben was also really good. I tried to pretend it was just like training so I followed his lines and tried to relax which really helped. The organisers worked hard to make a great track and as you could see from the spectators today, motocross in the UK is really strong,” said a content Coppins.
Results MX1
Race 1
1 Everts Stefan, Bel, Yamaha, 41:10.607
2 Ramon Steve, Bel, Ktm, 41:41.441
3 Townley Ben, Nzl, Ktm, 42:16.138
4 Coppins Joshua, Nzl, Honda, 42:18.641
5 De Dijcker Ken, Bel, Honda, 42:30.028
6 Theybers Danny, Bel, Suzuki, 42:33.350
7 Smets Joel, Bel, Suzuki, 42:36.645
8 Pyrhonen Antti, Fin, Tm, 42:39.965
9 Van Daele Marvin, Bel, Honda, 43:08.266
10 Cooper Paul, Gbr, Honda, 43:18.428
11 Barragan Jonathan, Spa, Ktm, 41:18.801
12 Garcia Vico Francisco, Spa, Honda, 41:27.002
13 Pichon Mickael, Fra, Honda, 41:31.824
14 Leuret Pascal, Fra, Honda, 41:33.512
15 Hucklebridge Mark, Gbr, Honda, 41:36.474
Race 2
1 Everts Stefan, Bel, Yamaha, 39:53.543
2 Coppins Joshua, Nzl, Honda, 40:26.672
3 Smets Joël, Bel, Suzuki, 40:37.480
4 Barragan Jonathan, Spa, Ktm, 40:50.416
5 Townley Ben, Nzl, Ktm, 40:59.716
6 Van Daele Marvin, Bel, Honda, 41:02.842
7 Leok Tanel, Est, Kawasaki, 41:11.208
8 Pichon Mickael, Fra, Honda, 41:15.777
9 Ramon Steve, Bel, Ktm, 41:22.058
10 Theybers Danny, Bel, Suzuki, 41:36.803
11 De Dycker Ken, Bel, Honda, 41:51.248
12 Leuret Pascal, Fra, Honda, 41:53.469
13 Atsuta Yoshitaka, Jpn, Suzuki, 41:53.814
14 Noble James, Gbr, Honda, 40:02.380
15 Garcia Vico Javier, Spa, Honda, 40:08.723
MX1 World standings
1 Everts Stefan, Bel, Yamaha, 301 points
2 Pichon Mickael, Fra, Honda, 261 points
3 Coppins Joshua, Nzl, Honda, 243 points
4 Smets Joël, Bel, Suzuki, 238 points
5 Townley Ben, Nzl, Ktm, 204 points
6 Ramon Steve, Bel, Ktm, 183 points
7 Noble James, Gbr, Honda, 141 points
8 De Dycker Ken, Bel, Honda, 138 points
9 Jorgensen Brian, Den, Yamaha, 121 points
10 Theybers Danny, Bel, Suzuki, 113 points
11 Van Daele Marvin, Bel, Honda, 110 points
12 Cooper Paul, Gbr, Honda, 109 points
13 Leok Tanel, Est, Kawasaki, 108 points
14 Leuret Pascal, Fra, Honda, 96 points
15 Pyrhonen Antti, Fin, Tm, 96 points