Bellpuig MX GP marred by rain

The second round of the FIM Motocross championship has been marred by rain and treacherous conditions at a muddy Bellpuig circuit in Spain. Factory Yamaha Monster rider, Josh Coppins posted a first moto 4th place before the second moto was cancelled due to impossible riding conditions.

As the riders dashed for the crucial hole-shot in moto 1, Coppins nearly lost the front end when he hit a blanket of water going into the first turn. He saved the crash and positioned himself comfortably in third spot behind Barragan and Ramon. After passing Barragan for second and then setting after Ramon, Coppins got stuck before the infamous uphill step section. It took the Kiwi over half a minute to free his motorcycle from the quagmire and re-attempt the hill successfully. With the race now a lottery, Coppins focused on staying on the bike and settled for fourth spot just behind the Belgian, Ken De Dycker.

With the MX2 class not able to complete their second moto it was inevitable that a decision would be made not to race the second MX1 moto. The GP overall was then decided by the first moto result which saw Coppins miss out on the podium. The Yamaha Monster racer has now climbed to fourth in the championship standings and trails leader de Dycker by 23 points.

“I’m still trying to get faster, trying to get better” explained Coppins. “I have lost two points on the lead and that for me is important at the moment. I am not focused on which position I am in the championship, or even the result this weekend – more important is to minimize the deficit from the lead until I am 100% and can start winning some races and pull back those points.”

“I was happy with my riding and even set the fastest lap in the first moto in these tricky conditions. I made a crucial mistake going up the hill step section and that cost me the win but I was also lucky that it didn’t turn out worse because it was a lottery out there. It’s still a long season and I’m pretty happy with the result.”

The GP riders and teams will trek West to Portugal and the 3rd round of the championship to be held in Agueda next weekend, hopefully under better weather and racing conditions.

www.joshcoppins.com

Image: CDS

Race results:

MX1 Race 1

1 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki

2 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha

3 de Dycker, Ken BEL Suzuki

4 Coppins, Joshua NZL Yamaha

5 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki

6 Strijbos, Kevin BEL Kawasaki

7 Church, Tom GBR Kawasaki

8 Mackenzie, Billy GBR Honda

9 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki

10 Freibergs, Lauris LAT Yamaha

11 Salvini, Alex ITA Suzuki

12 Nemeth, Kornel HUN KTM

13 Chiodi, Alessio ITA TM

14 Noble, James GBR KTM

15 Priem, Manuel BEL Kawasaki

MX1 Race 2

CANCELLED

MX1 Championship standings:

1 de Dycker, Ken BEL 70

2 Ramon, Steve BEL 63

3 Philippaerts, D. ITA 55

4 Coppins, J. NZL 47

5 Mackenzie, B. GBR 46

6 Nagl, M. GER 40

7 Strijbos, K. BEL 36

8 Priem, Manuel BEL 35

9 Nemeth, Kornel HUN 33

10 Leok, Tanel EST 26

11 Desalle, C. BEL 22

12 Barragan, J. ESP 20

13 Church, Tom GBR 20

14 Leok, Aigar EST 20

15 Freibergs, L. LAT 16