New Zealand‘s Josh Coppins was on the podium at the penultimate motocross Grand Prix of the season at the weekend but it is Tony Cairoli who is the new MX1 world champion.

Despite finishing runner-up to his former CAS Honda team-mate, Ken de Dycker, at the Dutch GP at Lierop on Sunday, Yamaha’s Coppins slipped back to sixth in the championship standings.

The man from Motueka had been level-pegging with the Belgian Suzuki rider as they headed into the weekend’s racing but with de Dycker finishing 1-1 and Coppins finishing 4-2 at the sandy Lierop track, it meant de Dycker pulled 10 points ahead of the Kiwi.

“I have been feeling really good riding in the sand so I knew I had a chance here and I like this track,” said Coppins.

“I did expect to do well but you are never sure on a circuit this difficult. I think it was a pretty good ride, not quite as decent as Latvia; in fact I am even a little disappointed that I could not push Ken that much in the second moto. I made two small crashes which meant the gap was too big.”

Italy’s new champion Cairoli was overshadowed by both Coppins and De Dycker at Lierop, managing only fifth and fourth in the two MX1 motos, but it was enough for the 23-year-old to wrap up the world title, putting him a safe 50 points ahead of Germany’s Max Nagl with just the Brazilian GP to come.

Belgian’s Clement Desalle (Honda) completed the podium at Lierop.

Nagl crashed in heat one and decided to ride safe in heat two, to at least build on his second place in the championship.

The title quest remains open in the MX2 class even as series leader Marvin Musquin wrapped up the overall ahead of the man placed second placed in the championship, Portugal’s Rui Goncalves. Germany’s Ken Roczen completed the podium as the rider third-placed in the championship, France’s Gautier Paulin, ended 20th and lost his chance to fight for the Title in the final round in Brazil.

MX1 CLASS

Yamaha Red Bull De Carli’s Cairoli wrapped up his third World Championship Title in Lierop despite a left knee issue that made it a tough outing for the Italian. Cairoli rode two brave races, finishing fifth in heat one after a mistake and fourth in heat two. Once he snatched fourth from Nagl in the final heat Cairoli had the title under his belt courtesy of a 50 point advantage in the championship standings though he tried to move past Desalle as well.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Nagl struggled as he crashed in heat one while he was holding third. The German took eighth eventually but despite the holeshot in heat two he just rode to build on his runner up spot in the Championship.

Pole man De Dycker dominated both motos by taking two first places. The Teka Suzuki World MX1 man grabbed his second season’s win ahead of Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross’ Coppins who had a dogfight with Desalle to take an eventual second in heat two. Eventually Coppins made it to his third podium of the season.

Desalle completed the podium but several crashes in the opening heat left the LS Motors Honda man disappointed to have lost valuable championship points.

Estonia’s Tanel Leok was fourth overall ahead of last year’s MX1 World Champion David Philippaerts, performing well in heat one to take second.

Spain’s Jonathan Barragan was 13th at his comeback race as last year’s Lierop winner Marc De Reuver was 16th.

MX1 Race 1 top ten:

Ken de Dycker (BEL, Suzuki), 41:21.920; ; 2. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:05.058; 3. Tanel Leok (EST, Yamaha), +0:05.641; 4. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +0:12.075; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), +0:29.008; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Honda), +0:36.742; 7. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:51.600; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:58.664; 9. Manuel Priem (BEL, Aprilia), +1:01.269; 10. Gareth Swanepoel (RSA, Kawasaki), +1:28.918;

MX1 Race 2 top ten:

1. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Suzuki), 42:25.366; ; 2. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +0:10.466; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Honda), +0:14.649; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), +0:34.631; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:38.477; 6. Tanel Leok (EST, Yamaha), +0:51.271; 7. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), +1:01.217; 8. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +1:07.894; 9. Aigar Leok (EST, TM), +1:19.044; 10. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +1:32.057;

MX1 Overall top ten:

1. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Suzuki), 50 points; 2. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), 40 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Honda), 35 p.; 4. Tanel Leok (EST, Yamaha), 35 p.; 5. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 35 p.; 6. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), 34 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 29 p.; 8. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 25 p.; 9. Aigar Leok (EST, TM), 21 p.; 10. Gareth Swanepoel (RSA, Kawasaki), 20.

MX1 Championship top ten:

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), 537 points; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 487 p.; 3. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 463 p.; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Honda), 461 p.; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Suzuki), 459 p.; 6. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), 449 p.; 7. Tanel Leok (EST, Yamaha), 382 p.; 8. Gareth Swanepoel (RSA, Kawasaki), 238 p.; 9. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), 229 p.; 10. Manuel Priem (BEL, Aprilia), 195 p.;

MX2 CLASS

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team took the first and the second spot at the Braun Grand Prix of The Netherlands with championship leader Musquin winning and runner up in the championship Goncalves ending second. The two are the sole riders left in the wrestle for the Title as a broken engine in heat one put an end to Paulin’s ambitions.

Goncalves went on to win moto one while Musquin took second. The Frenchman, who went down in the opening lap, was handed second as Belgium’s Joel Roelants crashed as well. The Belgian of the KTM Factory Junior MX2 Team was an eventual third ahead of young gun Roczen.

The latter took the holeshot in moto two but let Goncalves and Musquin go from lap two. Musquin grabbed the lead and pulled away while Goncalves crashed twice, struggling with a damaged right shoulder. Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2’s Roczen snatched second from a troubled Goncalves and made it to third on the podium.

MX2 Race 1 top ten:

1. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 40:22.468; ; 2. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), +0:29.397; 3. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), +0:55.449; 4. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), +1:05.364; 5. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +1:15.289; 6. Dennis Verbruggen (BEL, Honda), +1:29.854; 7. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Yamaha), +1:40.779; 8. Ceriel Klein Kromhof (NED, KTM), +1:44.178; 9. Loic Larrieu (FRA, Yamaha), +1:46.209; 10. Nikolai Larsen (DEN, Suzuki), +1:49.606.

MX2 Race 2 top ten:

1. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), 41:32.470; ; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), +0:27.364; 3. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:44.963; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), +0:49.788; 5. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), +1:00.876; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:03.945; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Suzuki), +1:42.665; 8. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +1:49.892; 9. Dennis Verbruggen (BEL, Honda), +1:55.531; 10. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Yamaha), +1:59.254.

MX2 Overall top ten:

1. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), 47 points; 2. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 45 p.; 3. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), 40 p.; 4. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 29 p.; 6. Dennis Verbruggen (BEL, Honda), 27 p.; 7. Ceriel Klein Kromhof (NED, KTM), 21 p.; 8. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 18 p.; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, Suzuki), 18 p.; 10. Manuel Monni (ITA, Yamaha), 18.

MX2 Championship top ten:

1. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), 490 points; 2. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 468 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 422 p.; 4. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Yamaha), 387 p.; 5. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), 346 p.; 6. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 294 p.; 7. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), 284 p.; 8. Manuel Monni (ITA, Yamaha), 263 p.; 9. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Yamaha), 256 p.; 10. Xavier Boog (FRA, Suzuki), 253.

Photos by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com