Joshua "Josh" Coppins (born 11 March 1977) is a New Zealand former professional

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...

rider. He competed in the

Motocross World Championship FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier championship of motocross racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), divided into two distinct classes: MXGP and MX2. Race duration is 30 minutes plus two laps per ...

s from 1993 to 2012. Coppins posted four top three results during his career including a second place in the 2002 250cc motocross world championship and a second place in the MX1 world championship.

Motocross racing career

Coppins was born in

Motueka Motueka is a town in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the mouth of the Motueka River on the western shore of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere. It is the second largest in the Tasman Region, with a population of as of The surrounding dis ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. He began his international racing career in 1996 as a privateer. Coppins was runner up to

Mickaël Pichon Mickaël Pichon (born 13 February 1976) is a French former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1992 to 1994 and in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1995 to 1999, before returnin ...

in the 2002 F.I.M. 250cc motocross world championship riding a

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

. In 2005, still on a Honda, he finished second to

Stefan Everts Stefan Everts (born 25 November 1972) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and racing team manager. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1988 to 2006. Everts is notable for winning a record 10 FIM motocross world cha ...

in the MX1-GP championship for 450cc

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

machines. He has represented New Zealand in the

Motocross des Nations The Motocross des Nations (in French) is an annual team motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History ...

since 1997. During the 2007 FIM Motocross World Championship, Coppins built a 100-point lead in the championship, only to break his shoulder blade in the 12th round forcing him out of the next 3 rounds and ending his title hopes. Coppins retired from full-time racing in 2012.

Career results

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

: 6th MX1 World Championship, winner of 1 GP *

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

: 5th MX1 World Championship, winner of 1 GP * 2007: 3rd MX1 World Championship, winner of 5 GP's * 2006: 7th MX1 World Championship, winner of 1 GP * 2005: 2nd MX1 World Championship, winner of 3 GP's * 2004: 3rd MX1 World Championship, winner of 1 GP * 2003: 11th MX1 World Championship * 2002: 2nd 250cc World Championship * 2001: 6th 250cc World Championship * 2000: 4th 250cc World Championship * 1999: 7th 250cc World Championship

References

External links

Joshua Coppins home page

Joshua Coppins racing bio at the Yamaha Racing web site
1977 births Living people New Zealand motocross riders People from Motueka {{motorcycle-racing-bio-stub