COPPINS 1-2-3 AS MX2 GOES TO THE WIRE
14 August 2006 - Maxxis

CAS Honda rider Josh Coppins blitzed the MX1 field once again at Wakes Colne taking two comfortable race wins and pole position in tricky conditions while Molson Kawasaki young-gun Tommy Searle charged through the field in the second MX2 race to keep his title hopes well and truly alive at the penultimate round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship near Colchester.

Heavy and consistent rain in the lead up to event left the substantially re-worked course deeply rutted and covered in a layer of greasy mud. The Halstead club organisers and track preparation specialist Johnny Douglas Hamilton worked wonders though at the historic Essex venue to keep things running smoothly. Minor re-scheduling allowed for further work to improve the track between races and this was helped by clearing skies and sunny weather in the afternoon.

Coppins on track for perfect win record as Nobles title hopes fade

Returning from injury at the Desertmartin round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship, New Zealander Josh Coppins set himself a target of a perfect win record for the remainder of the season which he seems to be achieving with some ease.

After setting the quickest qualifying time in MX1 by almost two and a half seconds from Ken De Dycker and James Noble he took the holeshot in race one and was briefly passed by CAS Honda team mate De Dycker before retaking the lead and laying down some super quick laps to make a break from the rest of the pack, eventually running out a comfortable winner.

As Coppins cleared off into the distance the real battle was between the two main MX1 championship protagonists of De Dycker and Noble who going into the Wakes Colne round were separated by 45 points. Noble saw his title hopes fade further mid-race when he fell allowing past not just Mark Jones but also a resurgent Gordon Crockard dropping him to fifth. Crockard said it took him a little while to get into the groove in the first race but he was pleased to pick up the podium position.

In the second MX1 race the crowd were treated to another Coppins masterclass as De Dycker took an early lead before being passed by Coppins on the third lap. He then powered away winning the race by 44 seconds.

With De Dycker unable to challenge his team mate he settled into his own rhythm comfortably finishing second to Team Wulfsport rider Crockard. In a repeat of race one PAR Homes Honda rider Mark Jones was fourth as Noble once again rounded out the top five.

Following the Wakes Colne round RWJ Honda’s James Noble will need a minor miracle to catch series leader De Dycker who now has extended his lead by a further 12 points with the Belgian rider needing just a couple of points at the Hawkstone finale to take the title with Crockard a fairly distant third.

Coppins who is replacing a retiring Stefan Everts with the factory GP Yamaha squad in 2007 clearly has a soft-spot for the British series and the local fans commenting that he was enjoying his season, hoping to do the odd wild-card in the Maxxis British Motocross Championship next year.

Super Searle charges through pack to take the fight to Nunn and MacKenzie

With pundits rapidly running out of superlatives to describe the performance of young Tommy Searle this season he left many in awe once again at Wakes Colne as he came from near dead last in the second MX2 race to finish third and thus take the championship down to the wire.

In qualifying, Pioneer Yamaha rider Brad Anderson was looking in good form early on picking up pole position in the sticky Essex mud with Billy MacKenzie and then Carl Nunn more than a second in arrears.

In the first race though Anderson didn’t get the best of starts rounding the first lap in fifth as the main title rivals of MacKenzie, Searle and Nunn filled the top three slots. As the race wore on MacKenzie began to fade commenting that arm-pump meant he couldn’t hold off first Nunn then Searle. Meanwhile Anderson was on a charge briefly moving upto third mid-race before dropping to seventh where he eventually finished.

Bound for the factory GP Kawasaki team next year Billy MacKenzie was clearly on a mission in the second MX2 outing taking the holeshot and then quickly opening up a 10 second plus gap on Molson Kawasaki rider Tom Church.

Meanwhile, Tommy Searle had a horror start first hitting the start gate leaving him well back going into the first corner only to get caught up in a pile-up. Virtually dead last, he carved his way through the pack snatching the final podium position from Swanepoel on the last lap.

With MacKenzie, Nunn and Searle evenly matched all season they head to the final round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship separated by just 26 points. While Bike It Yamaha UK Dixon Racing rider MacKenzie will need a lot of luck to take the title there is just four points between Nunn and Searle. With so much at stake the Hawkstone finale promises to be an absolute thriller.

Hawkstone, Season Finale

The final round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship will be at Hawkstone Park near Shrewsbury on September 10th.

RESULTS

MX1 Qualifying

1. Josh Coppins

2. Ken De Dycker

3. James Noble

MX1 Race 1

1. Josh Coppins

2. Ken De Dycker

3. Gordon Crockard

MX1 Race 2

1. Josh Coppins

2. Ken De Dycker

3. Gordon Crockard

MX1 Overall (Wales Colne)

1. Josh Coppins 60

2. Ken De Dycker 54

3. Gordon Crockard 50

MX1 Championship (7 of 8)

1. Ken De Dycker 391

2. James Noble 334

3. Gordon Crockard 279

MX2 Qualifying

1. Brad Anderson

2. Billy MacKenzie

3. Carl Nunn

MX2 Race 1

1. Carl Nunn

2. Tommy Searle

3. Billy MacKenzie

MX2 Race 2

1. Billy MacKenzie

2. Carl Nunn

3. Tommy Searle

MX2 Overall (Wakes Colne)

1. Carl Nunn 57

2. Billy MacKenzie 55

3. Tommy Searle 52

MX2 Championship (7 of 8)

1. Tommy Searle 367

2. Carl Nunn 363

3. Billy MacKenzie 341

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