Citadel in Namur sees Coppins on the podium
By TMX Archives on 7th Aug 06
The infamous Citadel circuit in Namur, Belgium, has seen CAS Honda rider, Josh Coppins, finish on the second step of the podium The Kiwi flanked newly crowned world champion , Stefan Everts in both moto's to overcome a treacherous and technical circuit.
An unusual mid pack start had Coppins picking his way through the field and making up lost ground to the leaders. The CAS Honda moved into third behind Ramon and succeeded in closing down the Belgian around the halfway point. No counter challenge was made as Coppins slipped into second. Everts controlled his lead while Coppins was pleased to come home in second.
The stage for the second moto was set from the word go as Everts managed to sneak up the inside of Coppins to take the lead. He kept the Belgian at close range for a while but a few mistakes let Everts slip away to claim victory with Coppins once again runner-up.
" We struggled with the clutch this weekend and had to use a new system I have never used before which meant I didn't get the best start in the first moto. After passing a lot of riders on the first lap I settled into the rhythm, got by Melotte and Ramon but by that time the race was done. The second moto I started much better but got pushed a little bit wide and was second behind Stefan and tried to keep a rhythm. He pulled away a little every lap and then I started to come back a bit and tried to push harder but then I had two scary moments so I backed it down and took second place. This track deserves a lot of respect and a lot of guys got injured yesterday and today because they didn't show it respect. I tried to keep smart and stay on the bike and finish the race,” commented the Kiwi.
Coppins then went on to pay tribute to Everts. "I just want to congratulate Stefan for his unbelievable achievement today and over his entire career. I am honoured to have raced with such a legend!”
Coppins has broken the top ten in the championship standings and with three GP's remaining the determined Kiwi is set to climb a few more positions on the ladder.
Race results:
MX 1 Race 1
1 Everts, Stefan BEL Yamaha
2 Coppins, Joshua NZL Honda
3 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki
4 Melotte, Cedric BEL Yamaha
5 de Dycker, Ken BEL Honda
6 Crockard, Gordon IRL Honda
7 Leuret, Pascal FRA Honda
8 Strijbos, Kevin BEL Suzuki
9 Garcia Vico, Francisco SPA Honda
10 Avis, Wyatt RSA KTM
11 Noble, James GBR Honda
12 Theybers, Danny BEL Suzuki
13 Priem, Manuel BEL Yamaha
14 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki
15 Coulon, Cyril FRA Suzuki
MX 1 Race 2
1 Everts, Stefan BEL Yamaha
2 Coppins, Joshua NZL Honda
3 Ramon, Steve BEL Suzuki
4 Strijbos, Kevin BEL Suzuki
5 Melotte, Cedric BEL Yamaha
6 Noble, James GBR Honda
7 Leuret, Pascal FRA Honda
8 Priem, Manuel BEL Yamaha
9 Garcia Vico, Francisco SPA Honda
10 Avis, Wyatt RSA KTM
11 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki
12 Theybers, Danny BEL Suzuki
13 Beggi, Cristian ITA Honda
14 Verhoeven, Bas NED Kawasaki
15 Pyrhonen, Antti FIN TM
MX 1 World championship standings:
1 Everts, Stefan BEL 592
2 Strijbos, K. BEL 424
3 Ramon, Steve BEL 408
4 de Dycker, Ken BEL 372
5 Leok, Tanel EST 365
6 Barragan, J. SPA 273
7 Leuret, Pascal FRA 230
8 Melotte, C. BEL 224
9 Priem, Manuel BEL 210
10 Coppins, J. NZL 202
11 Garcia Vico, F. SPA 196
12 Noble, James GBR 186
13 Bill, J. SUI 167
14 Pyrhonen, A. FIN 138
15 Crockard, G. IRL 137