MX1 World Championship leader Joshua Coppins likely to miss Namur
Yamaha Motocross Team’s Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha) experienced a very unlucky race weekend at Round 11 of the MX1 World Championship held at Loket (CZE). He scored two DNF’s and sustained an injury to his left shoulder when he crashed in the second moto. Although first examinations did not reveal any fractures, a MRI scan yesterday discovered a small crack in the neck of his glenoid, a part of the shoulder blade.
Coppins will travel today to the UK to get special treatment to speed up the healing of the fracture, but any hopes for his entry at Namur coming weekend (5th of August) seem unrealistic. Expectation is that Josh will be back at round 13 of the championship held in Moneyglass Demense in Northern Ireland on the 19th of August to defend his championship lead. He currently holds a 77 points advantage over runner up Steve Ramon and 123 points over third placed Sébastien Pourcel.
Yamaha Motocross Team manager Carlo Rinaldi still can’t believe the adverse luck that hit Josh in Loket: "I feel very very sorry for Josh, because both his DNF’s and resulting shoulder injury were caused by very uncommon and circumstantial problems with his rear brake. In the first moto a stone jammed his rear brake pedal solid and in the second heat the rear brake hose sustained damage causing him to loose his rear brake function completely. It happened suddenly and on the worst part of the track, at the bottom of the steep down hill section where the rear brake is crucial to shed off speed and keep the bike under control for the bumpy corner."
"It is very likely that Josh’s championship lead will be further reduced if he fails to enter for Namur, but whatever happens he will still be the championship leader entering the Irish Grand Prix. He is a very tough guy so we expect him to be able to defend his points advantage all the way home and secure his first world title."
