Winning debut for Coppins at the Benelux GP

By TMX Archives on 1st Apr 07

Motocross

Yamaha Motocross rider Josh Coppins experienced a dream debut in blue colours by toasting overall MX1 success today in front of 25,000 fans packed into the Eurocircuit in Valkenswaard just south of the city of Eindhoven for the opening meeting of the fifteen rounds of the 2007 FIM World Championship and the first visit of two planned stops in the Netherlands this season.

The Grand Prix of Benelux occurred under very pleasant conditions. The winding Eurocircuit boasted a slower lap-time and average speed compared to past years thanks to several new corner sections and a layout that reversed the traditional direction. The brown sand churned into rutted waves of terrain that was slippery in places making it physically very demanding.

Coppins started well on the YZ450FM and was placed in the top three alongside Steve Ramon and Ken de Dycker in the first moto. The battle for the lead narrowed down to a duel with De Dycker and the New Zealander hounded the Belgian for four laps before moving through and swiftly breaking his pursuer's tow. The second half of the moto was straightforward for the 30 year old kiwi as he eased to his GP debut race success with his Yamaha.
The second race saw Coppins face slightly more adversity as he combated a mediocre start and a problem with his goggles, but he pushed through to the runner-up position. Despite an earnest attempt to slice the advantage carved by Jonathan Barragan at the front the Coppins had to be content to settle for second spot which easily delivered his maiden Yamaha victory by six points overall from the lively Spaniard.

Marc de Reuver also had a Yamaha debut to remember. The 24 year old scored sixth and third positions for fifth in the final ranking. Riding under pressure at his home GP De Reuver hit the sand on the first lap of Moto one but then embarked on a determined charge from last spot to seize a creditable sixth place by the chequered flag; in what was arguably the most eye-catching - but tiring - performance of the 40 minute fare. Later in the day a more effective getaway from the line allowed the Dutchman to forage away in third, some distance behind his team-mate.

Josh Coppins - first
"Ken is super fast but I knew he could not keep that pace for the whole race. He is a little bit wild so I held back and then attacked when Steve was coming closer to us. I put some good laps together at the end of the race and then I could pull away easily. My start was not as good in the second moto. I was spinning out of the gate and had to grab the clutch again; it was not a perfect launch. I lost some time and was quite far back. I passed many guys but had problems with my goggles and was held up in third for a little while until I could sort it out. Again I made some decent laps and took second. I looked towards Jonathan but he was riding very well and I had some cramp. I did not know who would be the main challenger this weekend and I still do not know who will be my main rival for the championship. My job is to do the best I can and if I cannot win then I will settle for second."

Marc de Reuver - fifth
"I am happy. When I crashed in the first moto I thought 'what a disaster' but I picked up the bike and my pace. I kept looking at my board and rode my own race. The lap-times were pretty good and consistent, I passed a lot of guys but it also cost me a lot of energy. In the second moto it was much traffic the first few laps. I managed to get to third place but I was quite tired. The bike is working well although we need to practice more on our starts. It wasn't a bad first GP for me in MX1. I thought MX2 was aggressive in the first laps and believed that MX1 would be different but it is pretty similar actually"

Carlo Rinaldi, Team Manager:
"It was a perfect start today. Josh was smart enough to make a good start and not lose any ground in the first laps. He was under pressure and it was easy to make a mistake, but he didn't. He was steady and this consistency helped him win the GP; this was the best we could have expected from him. I am very happy with Marc. He never gave up despite that bad start. He looked very motivated and to come back from last to sixth place was very encouraging. He was pretty tired though and this showed in the second moto but we are satisfied. I have, and had, absolutely no doubt in the capabilities of the bike. It worked well this weekend and we have a very good machine in our hands for the season."

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