Coppins revs up for Nelson street race

Josh Coppins may be the Kiwi king of motocross, but tomorrow he will switch tracks to take on the locals in the Port Nelson Street Race.

The street race comes a week before Coppins flies back to Europe and the start of his new MX1 World Championship campaign with Italy's Aprilia.

He has been training hard since early December, when he returned to his Lower Moutere home, near Motueka, at the end of his final season with Yamaha.

Coppins, 32, admitted he never saw himself signing with Aprilia, and was not interested in the company's initial offer.

However, he changed his mind after riding the new MXV 450, and a visit to the Aprilia factory in Noale.

The shift signals a new era in Coppins' career, which came close to world championship status in 2007 before he injured his shoulder.

"I'm not going to win a world championship; I'm going to develop the bike," Coppins said.

"It's a change of mindset for me, and all about goals."

Last year, the bike, which was campaigned by an outside team, reached 11th in the motocross championship.

"This year, I'm going for a top-five placing and want to be the first guy to win on a V-twin – it will lift the team to a new level," he said.

"The new bike excels on some tracks and struggles on others; my goal is to make it more competitive on all tracks."

Coppins said the MXV, which is not yet available in New Zealand, was the fastest dirt bike he had ridden.

Yet it started life as a "bit of a mongrel and was slow and overweight", he said.

"They have come a long, long way in development and I think we can get a good result, although I am not expecting miracles," Coppins said.

The one-year contract, with a performance-based renewal option, will allow Coppins to race in Europe for at least another two years.

Coppins then plans to come home and spend time fishing, getting his helicopter licence and road-racing.

"I love road-racing; I am a huge fan and go to the MotoGP every year."

Coppins will ride his Suzuki RMZ450 tomorrow, a bike he plans to develop for supermotard racing. He is no stranger to a sealed circuit, having raced supermoto in Belgium's annual Mettet Proximus Superbiker races since 2005.

"Mettet is a road circuit, but Port Nelson is a lot faster and I just love the speed. I'm really looking forward to it," he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News