24,000 spectators witnessed Yamaha Motocross Team's Josh Coppins experience the ill-fortune that motocross racing can occasionally serve at the eleventh round of fifteen in the FIM MX1 World Championship; the Grand Prix of Czech Republic held at a chilly and showery Loket circuit.
The 30 year old New Zealander failed to pick up points in either race after suffering with unpredictable brake trouble. He finished twenty-second in the first moto after a stone jammed the rear brake pedal and locked the back end solid, causing the Kiwi - who was running in third place at the time - to stop and lose almost a lap. In the second outing a similar strike of bad luck caused Josh to loose brake pressure because of a leaking rear brake hose that was a result of a small collision with another competitor. With no rear braking power he crashed at the bottom of the steep downhill. He was forced to retired with a painful shoulder.
The extent of the shoulder injury is not completely established, but luckily an x-ray proved that no bones are broken. Further medical examinations will need to give full reassurance that there is no other damage. The Yamaha Motocross Team as well as the championship leader are both concerned with the next Grand Prix just one week away, but nevertheless expect to race at the Namur Citadelle.
Loket has been a happy hunting ground for Yamaha in the past. The circuit is located some 140 kilometres west of Prague and short distance outside the idyllic spa town of Karlovy Vary. The venue has held a regular slot on the world championship calendar and was scene to at least two title celebrations for Yamaha in the 500cc and MXGP (former incarnation of MX1) during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. The course has barely altered over the years with the same steep rises and drops marking the defining features of a fast and natural layout. The mud - littered with small stones - was as slippery as always and made attacking the corners a calculated risk for the riders. Poor weather conditions with fine rain dampened race day.
Marc de Reuver, finally recovered from his injured shoulder sustained in the crash at Sweden, was able to be competitive in the first moto and took part in a mass group battle for the podium positions. The Dutchman was lacking race fitness having not completed a full distance since Bulgaria three Grand Prix ago. He dropped three places in the last laps to finish tenth. In the second sprint he started badly and had to pit and change goggles in the early stages. He could not affect the leaderboard from the latter half of the field and finished twenty-fourth.
Coppins still has some breathing room at the top of the points table. He now holds an advantage of 77 over Steve Ramon with 200 left to win. De Reuver has not contested three rounds from the eleven run so far and hovers down in fourteenth.
The quick, daunting and unique three kilometre course across the Citadelle in Namur will host the Belgian Grand Prix and round twelve on the world championship next Sunday. The series will draw to a close over the next five weeks with trips to Ireland, England and Holland filling the rest of the calendar after the Flemish race.
Josh Coppins, Yamaha Motocross Team
"The first race was going OK. I was sitting comfortably in third and looking to move forward to try and win the race but then a stone jammed in the rear brake and, well, that's part of racing and there is not much we can do about that. In the second moto I was riding OK, nothing special, and I was trying to do a smart race. Ramon was behind me so I knew I could recover a few more points. I knew I could not win the GP, so there was no point in doing something silly. I had a problem off the step-down and could not stop. I hit the banking pretty hard and now have to try and get these injuries sorted for Namur. To sum the day up all I can say is 'that's racing'. I have had good luck this season but today we had two problems that were nobody's fault but just racing incidents. The points lead is still there but now I just want to make sure my shoulder is OK for Namur."
Marc de Reuver, Yamaha Motocross Team
"The first twenty minutes of the first heat were good and I was four or five seconds from the lead but I got tired later on. I have not done any races since Bulgaria five weeks ago so I knew I would not have the condition to go all the way. I should have been seventh but I let three guys past in the last two laps which should not have happened. I had a bad start in the next moto and was roosted really bad. The film across my goggles had gone so I had to stop and get some more and from then it was over."
Carlo Rinaldi, Team Manager, Yamaha Motocross Team
"It was a very bad day, especially because we were hoping for good race from both riders and Marc was fit again and recovered. Marc did OK for the first part of the first moto but is not fit another to finish at that same level and he had to be content with tenth. In the second he had a problem with the goggles and without them it was impossible to race and he lost any chance to get points. Josh was doing well and ready to attack but a stone worked into the space between the rear brake pedal and the engine and he had to stop and lost too much time. In the second he was also well placed but because of a rear brake hose problem he went straight on down the hill and crashed. He hurt his shoulder and we will have to wait and see how he recovers for Namur."
Images - Yamaha Racing Communication
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