Bikesport: Josh Coppins' action-packed retirement

Motueka's Josh Coppins, head of the Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team. Picture / Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

Former top motocross racer still rides to win, reports Andy McGechan

So much for retirement!

Kiwi sportsgreat Josh Coppins retired from fulltime international motocross racing at the end of 2012, immediately after winning the open class motocross championship in Australia and after racing a couple of "farewell" events in Europe.

He headed back across the Tasman to settle down in Motueka with his wife, Lisa, and their growing young family.

But, after a vigorous 17 years of racing in Europe, the United States and Australia, the multi-time New Zealand champion and two-time former world No2 was never going to simply switch off and park his bikes.

There would be little time for relaxing as his career veered off in a new direction, this time Coppins focusing his attention on working as manager of the Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team in New Zealand.

His life is probably as action-packed now as it ever has been in the past, perhaps no more busy for him than during the internationally renowned Burt Munro Challenge week in the lower South Island.

It was certainly a whirlwind week, actually eight days of high-intensity action for Coppins and two of his riders, Queenstown's Scott Columb and Australian import Jay Wilson.

Former Grand Prix motocross star Coppins briefly came out of retirement to race at the annual New Zealand Veterans' and Women's Motocross Championships near Christchurch, with Coppins winning the 35-39 years class and Columb winning the 30-35 years class.

Then, just four days later, the Altherm Yamaha men backed that up by winning another national title, this time at the annual New Zealand Supercross Championships at Winton, Wilson dominating the Lites (250cc) class and taking that title, with Coppins in his role as manager to oversee the whole operation.

Coppins was back on a bike once again, this time racing a slightly-modified Yamaha YZ450F in the Supermotard class at the annual Wyndham Streets races, the final event of the Burt Munro week.

Coppins scored a hat-trick of wins on the streets of Wyndham, between Gore and Invercargill, to lead Winton's Bent Scammell and Timaru's Jared Pyke to the top of the podium.

"It was quite a big field, about 25 riders I think and I was a little lucky because a couple of the really good guys had bad races," said a modest Coppins afterwards.

"I had never raced the supermotard bike at the Wyndham races before, although I have raced at the Nelson street races ... just not here. I had always wanted to do the Burt Munro event. Now I can tick that off my bucket list.

"I think I'd like to enter the beach races next year too," he said.

"It has certainly been a busy week. I also did a day's coaching in Dunedin during the week and was part of the Night of Champions function, joined by Ben Townley, Hugh Anderson, Cam Donald, Aaron Slight and Robbie Phillis. So you could say it has been a bit of a whirlwind week for me.

"I'm happy I made the effort and will definitely be back next year."

Coppins started his Grand Prix motocross career as an 18-year-old in Talavera, Spain, in 1995, and in September of 2012 he signed off at Teutschenthal, the German GP that year.
He had also raced at the Italian GP at Faenza a fortnight earlier, those two world championship events his final farewell to Europe and coming at the end of his title-winning domestic campaign in Australia.

Even with just the two GP under his wheels for 2012, Coppins slotted in at 26th in the championship standings, registering ahead of many riders who had raced at each one of the 16 GPs that season.

Not bad for a 35-year-old and, though now aged 37 and racing only occasionally, "just for fun", it seems he's just as impressive and capable as ever and truly not ready yet for a retirement home.