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The miserable world championship season of motocross racer Josh Coppins has ended in a damp squib in Austria, a lowly sixth placing in the Grand Prix relegating him to that same position in the title chase.
Tipped a top-three title-holder, the expat Kiwi has suffered a series of misfortunes and disasters this year … and with rain falling Austria turned out no different.
In a virtual repeat of last year’s final round, the expat Kiwi’s old German rival Pit Beirer revelled in the mud to just pip Coppins for a championship position.
Finishing second to Coppins’ Corona Suzuki teammate Mickael Pichon in the Grand Prix, Beirer took fifth overall just as he stole Coppins’ third outright last year.
“There wasn’t a thing I could do,” said the 24-year-old from Motueka as he squelching away from the St Veit circuit near Klagenfurt today.
“In this mud it’s all about the start you get and when I was about eighth into the first corner it was all over.
“I spent half the race eating the mud of a slower rider and when I finally got past my arms were so heavy they were slipping off the handlebars.”
Ironically Coppins had been second only to his French teammate in yesterday’s dry practice and seemed on target to at least salvage fifth from the year.
Pichon, who had already secured the world title, gave everyone a lesson today in mud riding as he mastered the brand new 1.79km circuit.
There was more New Zealand tragedy in the 125 class for GP rookie Ben Townley who saw a top finish go up in a cloud of steam.
The 16-year-old was in a comfortable tenth place, equalling the best result of his maiden year, when the radiator cap worked loose from his Big Five Vangani KTM racebike.
“I had flicked my goggles off because of the mud and I felt this stuff in my eyes … it was steam and water boiling out of the radiator,” said the disconsolate Townley.
“I took it slowly for half a lap then zipped into the pits and got a spare cap, but by then it was all gone.”
Townley finished outside the top-15 points scorers in 21st spot but still concludes the season in 33rd overall.
World 250 championship final points:
1 Mickael Pichon (France) Suzuki 318, 2 Chad Reed (Australia) Kawasaki 190, 3 Gordon Crockard (Ireland) Honda 188, 4 Claudio Federici (Italy) Yamaha 157, 5 Pit Beirer (Germany) Yamaha 140, 6 Coppins 136, 7 Fred Bolley (France) Honda 133.
