Yamaha’s Josh Coppins and French rider Marvin Musquin took top honors in the MX1 and MX2 classes at the Motocross World Championship round in Bulgaria, April 5. Coppins locked up the overall win in the MX1 class with a 2-2, while Honda rider Musquin went 1-3 to grab his first-ever win.
MX1
Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross’ Coppins (pictured, right), who recorded his last GP win at Teutschenthal in 2008, battled it out with Belgium’s Ken De Dycker in heat one and Spain’s Jonathan Barragan in heat two, where he led a few laps.
Barragan, of KTM Silver Action, took his personal revenge with the Sevlievo track where last year he crashed while en route to his maiden GP win. The Spaniard was strong in the final part of heat one, trying to pass Max Nagl several times at the last laps and eventually settling down for fourth. His last moto ended with victory, giving him second for the day.
The new Championship leader, De Dycker, of Teka Suzuki WMX1, won the opening heat but a tough second moto saw him drop to the third step of the podium.
Coppins’ teammate David Philippaerts brought the factory Yamaha home in fourth overall after a strong second heat. Philippaerts moved past Nagl with two laps to go and was then followed by Italian Antonio Cairoli, with the duo taking third and fourth, respectively.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Nagl rounded out the top five ahead of two-time MX2 World Champion Cairoli, who was hampered by a crash in the first heat. Nagl took the holeshot in both races and finished with a third and a fifth place.
Previous Championship leader Tanel Leok was seventh overall and dropped down to third in the Championship.
MX2
Since the MX2 class was established in 2004, Honda had never taken a GP win, but the first career Grand Prix victory of Marvin Musquin (pictured, right) handed the manufacturer its first success in the class. The Frenchman, of Team NGS, dominated the qualifying and started from pole in the final motos. He won the first one despite a crash, and in the second heat, a bad start and several mistakes forced him to settle in third.
Championship leader Gautier Paulin, of Team Bud Racing Kawasaki PSM, rode two smart heats and took two second places that helped him maintain a four-point lead over new runner-up Musquin.
An all-French podium was completed by Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2’s Xavier Boog who had never finished on the rostrum before. Finishing fourth in both motos, Boog battled it out with Davide Guarneri in the first heat.
Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Ricci’s Nicolas Aubin was fourth overall, missing the podium by just three points. His teammate Guarneri finished right behind him.
Shaun Simpson struggled to find his rhythm and finished a bitter sixth overall ahead of Steven Frossard. The latter was on route to take victory in the first heat but a technical problem stopped him. The second heat was a different story for the CLS rider, as he went out and took his maiden victory.
Result:
MOTO 1: 1. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Suzuki), 39:32.380; 2. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +0:01.654; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:03.134; 4. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), +0:04.667; 5. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:20.761; 6. Tanel Leok (EST, Yamaha), +0:24.429; 7. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), +0:34.633; 8. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:39.058; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Honda), +0:40.287; 10. Clement Desalle (BEL, Honda), +0:53.605.
MOTO 2: 1. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), 39:49.118; 2. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +0:03.716; 3. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:04.672; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), +0:05.144; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:16.094; 6. Tanel Leok (EST, Yamaha), +0:34.952; 7. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:45.789; 8. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Suzuki), +0:53.790; 9. Billy Mackenzie (GBR, Honda), +1:00.398; 10. Gareth Swanepoel (RSA, Kawasaki), +1:04.942.
MX1 OVERALL: 1. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), 44 points; 2. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), 43 p.; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Suzuki), 38 p.; 4. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 36 p.; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 36 p.; 6. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), 32 p.; 7. Tanel Leok (EST, Yamaha), 30 p.; 8. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 27 p.; 9. David Vuillemin (FRA, Kawasaki), 20 p.; 10. Clement Desalle (BEL, Honda), 17 p.
MX1 CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS: 1. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Suzuki), 60 points; 2. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), 59 p.; 3. Tanel Leok (EST, Yamaha), 55 p.; 4. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), 54 p.; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 50 p.; 6. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 48 p.; 7. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), 48 p.; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, Honda), 37 p.; 9. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 36 p.; 10. Aigar Leok (EST, TM), 23 p.
MX2
MOTO 1: 1. Marvin Musquin (FRA, Honda), 40:17.207; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:05.163; 3. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:17.238; 4. Xavier Boog (FRA, Suzuki), +0:22.518; 5. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Yamaha), +0:27.039; 6. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +0:29.354; 7. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KTM), +0:29.441; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:33.471; 9. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), +0:52.877; 10. Khounsith Vongsana (FRA, Honda), +0:56.991.
MOTO 2: 1. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 40:29.542; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:04.365; 3. Marvin Musquin (FRA, Honda), +0:18.956; 4. Xavier Boog (FRA, Suzuki), +0:20.430; 5. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Yamaha), +0:27.027; 6. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:29.204; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:32.492; 8. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:32.882; 9. Marcus Schiffer (GER, KTM), +0:43.521; 10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KTM), +0:43.898.
MX2 OVERALL: 1. Marvin Musquin (FRA, Honda), 45 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 44 p.; 3. Xavier Boog (FRA, Suzuki), 36 p.; 4. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Yamaha), 33 p.; 5. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Yamaha), 32 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 27 p.; 7. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 25 p.; 8. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 24 p.; 10. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 23 p.
MX2 CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 69 points; 2. Marvin Musquin (FRA, Honda), 65 p.; 3. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Yamaha), 50 p.; 4. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Yamaha), 47 p.; 5. Xavier Boog (FRA, Suzuki), 45 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 37 p.; 7. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 33 p.; 8. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), 30 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Yamaha), 28 p.; 10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KTM), 25 p.
