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Motocross ace Josh Coppins has climbed to third equal in the premier world 250 championship despite a nightmare ride in the mud of Belgium today.
The 24-year-old expat Kiwi shares the position with the German who pipped him for third in the title last year, Pit Beirer.
The fourth of 15 rounds in the 2001 championship, at Genk in eastern Belgium, was blighted by a huge pile-up at the start which left just a few bikes running at the head of the field.
Coppins injured a leg in the melee and his factory Suzuki was somewhere beneath the mud and machinery; by the time the mess was sorted out he was 22nd and the leaders had already passed for their first lap.
\"From there it was just a matter of fighting my way up the field,\" said a disappointed Coppins who climbed to 10th place at the end of his team\'s home grand prix.
\"It was a few points to my tally but it should have been so many more . I was second quickest in warm-up this morning.
\"Most of the riders here just want to get on to the next race and forget all about this.\"
Ironically as slippery mud left by torrential rain turned the event into a lottery, the two riders leading the championship emerged unscathed at the start of the field.
Coppins\' Suzuki Corona teammate Mickael Pichon who won all three previous races had to bow to young Irish gun Gordon Crockard (Honda) who led start-to-finish today, but the Frenchman holds a commanding advantage overall.
Reigning two-time world champion Fred Bolley scored no points for the third GP in succession and his Honda is virtually out of the hunt title.
The next event is in Germany in a fortnight.
Championship points: Pichon 95, Crockard 67, Coppins and Beirer 43, Claudio
Federici (Italy) Yamaha and Yves Demaria (France) Yamaha 38.
Manufacturers: Suzuki 95, Honda 74, Yamaha 69.
