Tenth place earned in qualification helped Joshua Coppins notch a decent result at Campo Grande for the Grand Prix of Brazil and he ended the thirteenth round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship with seventh position overall.
With a typically energetic performance the New Zealander was able to attack the rough and jumpy layout of red soil near the Mato Grosso do Sol capital and could fully utilise the performance and potential of the works MXV.
Race day could have begun in better circumstances as a small incident in the morning left the Kiwi nursing a sore left ankle after catching it in a rut. “In the first part of the opening moto my foot was pretty painful and I needed some time to get used to it and build up my speed,” he said. “After a while I could get going and made it to 9th by the flag.”
“I had a mid-pack start in the second race but my rhythm was good and I could gain ground and positions,” he continued. “I made some decent moves and found my way to 7th and took the same place in the overall. It is our best result of the season and my feeling now with the twin cylinder is very good. With a few small alterations to the set-up we had a very workable configuration for this track and I could be competitive and really mix it up with the other guys.”
The penultimate round of the series will take place in the Dutch sand of Lierop on the 5th of September and should see second Aprilia rider Manuel Priem back in action.
Mx Gp Brasile - MX1 Ranking
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 47 p.; 2. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 47 p.; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 32 p.; 5. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), 29 p.; 7. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Aprilia), 26 p.; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), 24 p.; 9. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 24 p.; 10. Jimmy Albertson (USA, Honda), 23 p.; 11. Antonio Balbi (BRA, Kawasaki), 20 p.; 12. Joao Paulino (BRA, Honda), 17 p.; 13. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 15 p.; 14. Roberto Castro (CRC, Kawasaki), 14 p.; 15. Jose Gerardo Felipe (ARG, Kawasaki), 13 p.; 16. Rafael Zenni (BRA, Honda), 13 p.; 17. Wellington Garcia (BRA, Honda), 7 p.; 18. Ariel Müller (BRA, Kawasaki), 6 p.; 19. Marcello Lima (BRA, Kawasaki), 6 p.; 20. Agustin Cerdena Fearne (URG, Kawasaki), 4 p.
Champiuonship ranking
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 578 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 471 p.; 3. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 441 p.; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 420 p.; 5. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 408 p.; 6. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), 314 p.; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Yamaha), 309 p.; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 291 p.; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 270 p.; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), 242 p.; 11. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Aprilia), 210 p.; 12. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 208 p.; 13. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 201 p.; 14. Gareth Swanepoel (RSA, Honda), 182 p.; 15. Anthony Boissiere (FRA, TM), 145 p.; 16. Jimmy Albertson (USA, Honda), 113 p.; 17. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 106 p.; 18. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), 78 p.; 19. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Kawasaki), 70 p.; 20. Cedric Soubeyras (FRA, KTM), 59 p.
