Josh Coppins Talks 2013

Johnny Bonnar discusses this year’s racing season with Altherm JCR Yamaha team owner, Josh Coppins.

How was your first year as a team owner with Altherm JCR Yamaha, Josh? 

We’ve been really lucky this year. We’ve worked really hard at it and we’ve been rewarded for the hard work put in, but it’s been hard to get the balance right. To win two-out-of-three (Scott Columb won the NZ MX2 title and Cameron Vaughan won the NZ 125cc title) isn’t bad, but we always want to improve on our results. And with a supercross title (Jay Wilson won the NZ MX2 Supercross Championship), as a team, to have three titles in our first 12 months of operation is good. I haven’t tried to stop and look back – I’ve just pushed through. We always want to be better. We are a relatively small team with a limited budget, so we just keep trying to improve and keep pushing on.

You just had two Australian riders, Matt Haworth and Jay Wilson, head over to New Zealand to contest the recent SX series for JCR. What was the reasoning behind that?

Much like in Australia, the supercross series in New Zealand was announced quite late. It wasn’t in the budget to go and race. The whole set-up came out of my budget. We had a motocross meeting the weekend before and the weekend after so it became a logistic nightmare. Australia had just finished their series, so it all fell into place. I have been a believer in Jay’s work ethic and speed for quite some time now, and Matt was sorted through Backflips (Clothing) which turned out to be a real blessing in disguise. The organisers tried to get me to ride, but I’m retired and not in shape.

The New Zealand SX series only took place over two rounds and rider entries were rather low. Why do you think the sport is struggling so badly?

The sport is struggling right across the world at the moment. A lot of sports are. In a nutshell, we are still producing some great racing and some great riders. There are negatives and positives, but definitely, we are on a bit of a low at the moment. The racing was still great and the tracks were good. The numbers are down, but that’s right across the range. It’s a sign of the times.

You’ve been riding quite a bit lately, right? 

More and more really, but every time I’m riding I’m thinking about the team. I’m more of a test rider than anything, you know? I’m trying to understand why they prefer different changes made to their bikes. That’s the idea. Trying to help them, not improve myself or my fitness anymore. I haven’t put the work in. That’s a part of the tricky balance. 

A controversial incident went down involving one of your riders, Scott Columb, at the Auckland Champs a couple of weeks back, when he got his leg stuck in another rider’s back wheel. How was that for you as a team manager to deal with?

For me it was very, very difficult. When you are trying to run a professional set-up and you have sponsors and guests at an event, and you’re left to deal with amateur reactions, it’s not good. I’m not used to those issues. I’ve been involved in controversial incidents before, but this was difficult for me to handle. I saw it from a professional side and I couldn’t understand why it was happening. I was concerned for my rider’s safety and I find it hard when outsiders get involved. It was an event that we used for training ahead of the Nationals. We have a bigger picture to consider, here.

Speaking of Scotty, he’s been riding a 250 two-stroke a bit, I see. Why’s that?

He has been out for six months with a knee injury and had limited riding time. He has had some issues coming back, but the season is long. We’ve got a long way ahead of us but he already looks comfortable. I think he rides it better than a 250F. I’m not sure if it’s his age or if it suits his style, but I believe he can win back-to-back titles on a 250F and a 250 two-stroke, and I see that as a great marketing tool.

What’s coming up for Altherm JCR Yamaha with the new season just around the corner?

The first race of the season is Whakatane, and then we’re off to Woodville. Right now, we’ve already raced Taupo and the Auckland Champs. We’ve done pretty well at both of these events, but really, we’re doing our testing now and then we’ll be looking to do well at Whakatane. The riders will be based at the JCR testing facility with me from January 7 onwards, and we will be really turning it on.

Thanks for your time, Josh.

Anytime, mate.