Josh Coppins’ Overdue MX Nats Title Win

This week, as we reflected on the astonishing 40-something national MX and SX titles that Craig Dack’s CDR Yamaha team has racked, conversation in the Transmoto office turned to which was the most memorable of them. And it soon became clear that this was something we’ve never reach a consensus on. But no one seemed to argue the point – Craig Dack included – that Josh Coppins’ long overdue MX1-class title win in 2012 was very significant for a number of reasons; not least of which were the facts that a final-round shoulder injury had cost Coppins the title win the previous year, and that the 35-year-old Kiwi had already announced his retirement from the sport.

So, let’s revisit that emotion-charged final round of the 2012 Monster Energy MX Nats, via an excerpt from a feature article that originally appeared in Issue #25 of Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine.

COPPINS’ FITTING FINALE

It’s eerily quiet behind the starting gates at Queensland’s Coolum Pines motocross circuit. The 2012 season is 29 motos old, and the MX1-class riders prepare their gates one last time. There’s steely focus, thousand-miles stares and nervous yawns, but very little talking from the riders or their mechanics. Twenty-five points are all that’s left on the table for season 2012, but just 14 points separate the two men who’ve dug deeper than anyone all year: Yamaha’s 35-year-old Josh Coppins and Suzuki’s 21-year-old Todd Waters.
Instead of lining up next to each other, the veteran Kiwi and the young Aussie sit 20 gates apart, as if to symbolise that they’re focused on their own destiny, not each other. After 17 years of professional motocross, Coppins isn’t known for being superstitious, but he parks his No.5 CDR Yamaha on Gate 5 and homes in on the first turn. Having been in an identical situation at the same track 12 months earlier – and relinquishing the title after crashing and dislocating his shoulder just 100 metres from where he now stood – it’s all Coppins can do to fight back the inevitable sense of déjà-vu.
“Interesting gate choice,” I say to Coppins’ CDR Yamaha team owner/manager, Craig Dack, who’s made a rare startline appearance and is also doing his best not to reflect on last year’s events. “What’s the thinking behind the wide gate, Dacka?,” I enquire.
“There’s a history of trouble on the inside of this first turn,” he says without hesitation. “After Josh was taken down last year, we don’t want any part of that today.”
Todd Waters is way down on Gate 25, which gives him an inside line into the track’s first sweeping right-hander. He’s gone 1-2 in the opening two 15-minute motos of the day, but Coppins’ 2-1 means he’s retained the 14-point advantage he arrived with. The young Suzuki hopeful also looks nervous. Coppins has shadowed his every move all day, so Waters’ inside gate is all about trying to control the first corner and set himself up for the moto of his life.
Coppins and Waters both pull great starts, and it’s not long before Coppins’ masterful sand technique sees him hit the lead. Waters quickly works his way through the field and finally gets the Yamaha rider in his sights by the 15-minute mark. Everyone knows a simple pass on Coppins won’t be enough to earn Waters the title, and the pundits begin speculating whether the clean-riding young Aussie has it in him to punt Coppins into the cheap seats.
Two laps later, Coppins makes sure Waters doesn’t get the chance. He doesn’t hand over the lead, but he’s too smart to engage in a dogfight with Waters, who goes around the outside to make the pass stick. Waters presses on for a deserved win, while Coppins obeys his pit board and holds position. Coppins takes his first-ever Aussie title – a fitting way to cap off a fabulous career.

Amazingly, it’s Team CDR Yamaha’s 36th national title in 20 years, and their fifth consecutive premier-class MX Nats championship. After a parade lap to acknowledge the Coolum fans, Coppins rides back into the waiting arms of his celebrating team. He appears more relieved than excited. There’s no ostentatious hooting or fist-pumping from the Kiwi, but he’s all smiles. And before even acknowledging the swarm of cameras tracking his every move, he makes a point of singling out each and every one of his team members to shake their hands and say a few heartfelt words of appreciation. Gracious and stoic, Coppins is like a sportsman from a bygone era where integrity is just as highly prized as winning.

After congratulating his season-long rival, Todd Waters leaves the media scrum and watches on from a respectable distance. He’s won the day, but his face is awash with mixed emotions. It’s not the first time he’s run second in a national title, but he’d sure learned a thing or two from the wily Coppins, and the kid knows his best is yet to come.
Having witnessed the lion share of his team’s 36 title wins, I congratulate Craig Dack and ask him how it feels. “Mate, when you win a national title, you tend to make a song and dance about the rider,” he says candidly, “but the truth of the matter is that, as a former racer, I win titles for selfish reasons. This title, however … this one is all about Josh. Champion rider, champion bloke, and a fitting way to finish an incredible career.”