New Zealander Josh Coppins has returned from serious injury to get back into the motocross world championship, and into the points at the Italian Grand Prix.
In his comeback ride yesterday from major spinal and foot surgery, the CAS Honda team member went to 15th place and bagged six points in
the world's premier racing category, Motocross GP.
Runner-up last year in what was then the 250 class, the 26-year-old beat several big names on his two-stroke CR250R at Montevarchi in Tuscany.
Coppins' former team-mate and rival French rider Mickael Pichon was placed fourth yesterday behind the four-stroke bikes of Belgians Stefan Everts and Joel Smets and local rider Claudio Federici, but still holds a slender seven-point lead in the world championship.
