TWO OUT OF THREE | Bikesportnz

Two out of three titles isn’t bad for a fledgling season.

In just its first season of operation, the Josh Coppins-managed JCR Yamaha Racing team claimed two-thirds of silverware in the 2013 New Zealand Motocross Championships, and runner-up in the other category, the series wrapping up in Taupo over the Easter Weekend.

Coppins, who retired at the end of last season, soon after clinching the Australian MX1 motocross crown, turned his attentions from racing for Yamaha to conducting behind-the-scenes activity for the blue and white brand and one of his first decisions was to recruit Queenstown’s Scott Columb as his team’s MX2 class rider.

And what a fateful decision that was.

Columb had come close on several occasions to clinching motocross titles but he had always been denied, until he made his debut this season on the Adam Lithgow-prepared Yamaha YZ250F.

Columb began Sunday’s fourth and final round of the series with a solid 14-point advantage over his nearest challenger, Australian rider Brock Winston (CMR Red Bull KTM), and knew he was within reach of grabbing his first major crown.

But when columb was shunted from behind in the first corner of race one, he could feel his title hopes crumbling to dust.

“I got caught up in a first-turn incident and lost my rear brake in the accident,” said Columb.

“It took me a while to work out what had happened. I found I was starting to over-jump obstacles because I couldn’t scrub off the speed and I realised I had no rear brake. It certainly wasn’t an ideal situation.”

Columb bravely nursed his bike home in ninth spot, while Winston finished fourth.

The Kiwi’s 14-point championship lead was suddenly shaved back to just eight points and it was a nervous time as he awaited the call-up for race two.

Columb needn’t have been concerned – faith in his bike, his JCR Yamaha Racing crew and his own undeniable talent was all he would need to get the job done.

Columb won the second race, while Winston finished seventh, and his advantage was immediately bumped back out to 19 points.

“I started the last race upside down in the first turn again. But I knew what I had to do and I just rode smart. I moved up from last to ninth place and took no more risks after that.

“It was a very long 20 minutes. I was pulling in the clutch in all the corners to make sure I didn’t stall the bike.

“It’s fantastic to finally win a New Zealand motocross title.”

Meanwhile, the JCR Yamaha Racing team’s youngest member, Rotorua’s Cameron Vaughan (Yamaha YZ125), also savoured his first major motocross success this season, snatching his first national title when he won the 125cc crown ahead of fellow Yamaha rider Logan Blackburn (Bayride BikesportNZ.com YZ125).

It was a very close contest with Te Puke’s Blackburn finishing just one point behind Vaughan in the final count-up.

The only title to elude the JCR Yamaha Racing team was the MX1 class crown, the glory there going to Mount Maunganui’s Cody Cooper (Moto City Suzuki), who finished the series ahead of JCR Yamaha Racing team import Billy MacKenzie, of Scotland, with Australian Todd Waters (Motorex KTM) filling out the podium.

The JCR Yamaha Racing team is supported by Yamaha Motor New Zealand, Yamalube, GYTR, Josh Coppins Racing, Yamaha Motor Finance, Star Moving, Holland’s Collision Centre, Fox, Alpinestars, Atlas, POD, Racetech Plastics, Renthal, DID, NGK, Pirelli, Motomuck, ilabb, Factory Effex, Boyesen, Pro Circuit and Matrix.

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