SETBACK FOR COPPINS | Bikesportnz

It was a tough day at the office for New Zealand’s Josh Coppins at round two of the Italian Motocross champs, held at the picturesque city of Castiglione del Lago at the weekend.

The factory Aprilia racer suffered an injured rib after a big crash in moto 1, however Coppins still soldiered on to finish the moto after being a lap down.

He fought back to salvage 12th spot on a very tricky and demanding circuit which had seen a lot of rainfall prior to race day.

When most riders would have packed their bags for the hospital, Coppins lined up for Moto 2 in severe pain however the adrenalin was soon to take over as he rode a strong race to finish 7th for 8th overall.

“I didn’t get a good start in the first Moto and I was pushing really hard to catch the guys ahead. I had a pretty scary crash and felt a lot of pain in one of my lower ribs. I have ridden in much worse discomfort before, so I thought, “Toughen up and get out there for the second race.

“My start was way better in Moto 2 and I managed to hang with David Guarneri and Ken De Dycker for most of the moto. I am currently on my way to my specialist in Belgium to have some X-Rays to see the extent of the injury.”

Both races were won by Coppins’ former factory Yamaha team-mate David Philippaerts and he has now extended his championship lead to 23 points over Guarneri.

Coppins still holds third spot in the championship and, pending his medical check, he intends to race the next round in Cardano al Campo on March 14.

Race results:

Race 1:

1 Philippaerts,

2 Cairoli,

3 De Dycker,

4 Davide Guarneri,

5 Albertson,

6 Monni,

7 Salvini

8 Bill,

9 Soderstrom,

10 Walkner,

12 Coppins

Race 2:

1 Philippaerts,

2 Cairoli,

3 Tanel Leok,

4 Albertson,

5 De Dycker,

6 Davide Guarneri,

7 Coppins,

8 Monni,

9 Bill,

10 Priem

Race classification:

1. David Philippaerts 50 pts,

2. Tony Cairoli 44,

3. Ken De Dycker 36,

4. Jimmy Albertson 34,

5. Davide Guarneri 33,

6. Manuel Monni 28,

7. Julien Bill 25,

8. Josh Coppins 23,

9. Tanel Leok 20,

10. Alex Salvini 20,

Championship standings after two rounds:

1. David Philippaerts 100 pts,

2. Davide Guarneri 77,

3. Josh Coppins 61,

4. Tanel Leok 58,

5. Manuel Monni 51,

6. Alex Salvini 49,

7. Tony Cairoli 44,

8. Manuel Priem 42,

9. Filip Neugebauer 39,

10. Jiri Cepelak 38.

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