In the week where Yamaha released their YZ production models for 2008, Yamaha Motocross Team’s Josh Coppins and De Carli Yamaha’s Antonio Cairoli placed the YZ450FM and YZ250F on the top steps of the MX1 and MX2 podiums respectively for the fifth time this season at Sevlievo for the Grand Prix of Bulgaria and the eighth round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship.
Coppins gained his fifth victory of the year, with results of second and first, and has extended his tally of moto triumphs to nine from sixteen, taking at least one chequered flag from seven of the eight meetings run thus far. The new member of the European Union welcomed the GP series for the fourth time this century. Winner of ‘Best Organiser’ at the FIM Off-road Awards last November the Sevlievo circuit was up to its usual high standards in terms of presentation and the facilities on offer like infrastructure, grandstands and accessibility.
The track was quick and undulating with many jumps and a hard-packed soil. The combination of the heat and several steep uphill drags put a lot of stress on machinery across the two 35 minute and 2 lap motos. Coppins was able to qualify in third position on Saturday - just two tenths of a second away from pole - after working with the Italian crew to dial-in the machine in terms of carburetion and suspension settings on the powerful YZ four-stroke.
The 30 year old had his hands full dealing with David Philippaerts in the first moto. Jonathan Barragan had already made a break with the race lead after acing the start and the New Zealander had to push hard to overtake the Italian to get up to the runner-up position. Coppins faced more opposition from Sebastien Pourcel but both the Frenchman and Philippaerts slipped off their 450s at some stage during the race. Coppins was allowed to secure his 14th appearance in the top three from 15. In the second sprint Coppins took three laps to dispose of a pursuing Ramon and then seize the lead from Mike Brown. The Kiwi, who was nursing some pain to his back and groin from a near-crash in the first race, drilled the Yamaha into the ground for several laps to establish a comfortable advantage over his Belgian rival.
Meanwhile Marc de Reuver was making a small step in the right direction with an overall position of ninth. The Dutchman, who claimed his second career victory here twelve months ago in the MX2 class, started poorly in Moto1 but applied himself well to build momentum and gain ground on the leader-board. He came through to 12th for his first points from the last two Grand Prix. In the second race he performed better and was annoyed to be robbed of eighth spot on the last lap by Brown.
The motos in Bulgaria tipped the World Championship into its second half. There are now seven Grand Prix, a total of 350 points available to win. Coppins has taken a step closer to his MX1 title dream and amassed a lead of 97 points over Steve Ramon. Previous contender Kevin Strijbos has been effectively ruled out of the chase for the 2007 crown after missing the Grand Prix this weekend because of a knee injury. De Reuver is currently twelfth and 17 points from the next slot.
Yamaha unveiled their 2008 YZ production models this week. The 450F has undergone several significant upgrades. Improved engine mapping means stronger but controllable power while mid-range and top sections of the performance have increased. The agile machine also boasts a lightweight aluminium chassis with a shorter headpipe, lighter forks, compact new front calliper, and modified rear suspension. All efforts have been directed into making the latest 450 and 250, which has received many of the same improvements, easier to ride but with a very dependable and potent basis to chisel the most competitive motorcycle of the class. Crucially the noise output of the popular YZ 450 - and platform for the most successful MX1 GP bike ever - has been reduced to 94 decibels; a volume level that applies to the whole four-stroke range
Josh Coppins, Yamaha Motocross Team: “It feels good to win here and after last week and being so strong in the second moto. I did not start that badly but battled with Steve in the first few laps and lost some time on Jonathan. He was riding really well in that moto so I had to settle for second. At one stage I was closing on him a little bit but then I made a big mistake. I over-jumped the triple step-up and landed in the berm. I hurt my back a little bit and also squashed my sensitive area on the fuel tank! So my chase was over after that. I started better in the second race and after passing Mike Brown I knew that if I could make some good laps and stay strong then I would win. Steve came into second place but I kept my head down and when the gap was ten seconds I knew I had the GP. I want to thank the team because this weekend we worked extremely hard and it was not an easy meeting but the result was very good. “
Marc de Reuver
Marc de Reuver, Yamaha Motocross Team: “In the first heat I had a good start, around sixth or seventh but a few guys passed me. I got a rhythm going and finished eleventh. In the next race the first few laps were again not so easy but I found my way and the speed improved. It was frustrating that Brown overtook me at the end. If you look at the last two GPs then this is an improvement and now we will move on from here. “
Carlo Rinaldi, Team Manager, Yamaha Motocross Team: “I’m happy because once again Josh rode very well. In the first moto it was just a little bit too late to attack Jonathan and the gap was too big. There was no point in taking any risks, but in the second moto he got a good start again and made his own race. Nobody could catch him so it was a perfect win. The temperature was changing on Saturday so we worked on the set-up and preparation of the bike. Marc’s result is not fantastic but if we look at the very low point we had in France then it was a good reaction. The fighting spirit was there again and from our perspective that is very important. I want to be optimistic for the next race. “
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