New Zealand’s Josh
Coppins is ready to turn his career onto a new path next season. The man
from Motueka has spent the past 15 years based in Europe as he’s
chased motocross world championship glory and what a roller-coaster of a
ride it has been.
As a teenager he first tasted the
world championship scene, at the Australian GP in 1993, but 1995 was his
first full season on the GP circuit. On two occasions he finished
runner-up in the premiere category, in 2002 and 2005, and twice finished
the season with a world ranking of No.3, in 2004 and 2007.
A world title has eluded him but he
came agonisingly close to winning the MX1 crown in 2007, until a tragic and
heartbreaking crash left him on the sidelines and forced to settle for
third. Finally, at the weekend’s Dutch GP, Coppins announced to
the world that he would be retiring from all world championship racing at
the end of this 2010 season.
“I will be returning to New
Zealand and racing for Yamaha,” he said. “I am excited to
be racing for Yamaha once again. I have always wanted to come home and race
Downunder and it seemed only natural to do it with Yamaha after having so
much success on Yamaha in the world championships. I am looking
forward to a long and successful relationship again with lots of race wins
and championships. Yamaha New Zealand’s Peter Payne said he was
“naturally thrilled to welcome Josh home”.
“It is an honour for us
to have a rider of Josh Coppins’ calibre and character riding for us
in this part of the world. I know young riders look up to Josh and
I’m sure he will be only too keen to pass on some of his vast wealth
of international experience to some of our young rising
stars.”
Coppins’ first appearance for
Yamaha in New Zealand will be at the Yamaha Summercross event at Whakatane
just after Christmas. He will then race at the annual New Zealand Motocross
Grand Prix at Woodville and throughout the New Zealand Motocross
Championships before crossing the Tasman to join the Craig Dack Racing
Rockstar Yamaha team in Australia.
He will make trips back and forth
from his Motueka base as he contests the Australian Motocross Championships
in 2011.
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