Post-event wrap from CDR Yamaha's Josh Coppins and Craig Dack

After an impressive performance at the penultimate round at Moree, Coppins entered the final round carrying the red plate, 18 points ahead of team mate Jay Marmont. A win and second place finish in the opening two motos meant Coppins maintained his points gap over Marmont and looked likely to win the Pro Open title in his first attempt.

However,fate dealt Coppins a terrible hand when a rider fell directly in front of him on the opening lap of the third moto. Unable to avoid the fallen rider, Coppins was part of the collateral damage, the fall popping his shoulder out of place. Try as he might, he was unable to finish race three or four and had to settle for second in the championship.

Coppins debut year in the MX Nationals has been nothing short of remarkable and even after the pain of his injury and the disappointment of his crash, he was one of the first people trackside to congratulate Marmont in a massive show of sportsmanship and a credit to his character.

"That's life!," Coppins lamented moments after the final race.
"I gave it everything I had, but sometimes things happen and I guess it just wasn't to be. I'm obviously upset about not winning the championship but well done to Jay as there is no one else I would rather see win it than him. But my goals are not over yet and I want to come back in 2012 and get this championship."

Team manager Craig Dack, finished the day experiencing the highest highs and the lowest lows of racing as his riders duked it out for the championship victory.

"Those final two motos were tough as I felt almost every emotion possible. The pain of Josh and his injury forcing him to not even be able to race for the championship while Jay taking the win and making it four in a row for him and the team.
"I am continually amazed at Jay Marmont the athlete. He is the warrior of Australian motocross and fights for every point on every corner of every lap of every race he enters. His fighting spirit has no end and as a result his ability to win championships is unmatched.
"Josh did everything right and was in perfect position to win this year. A rider fell directly in front of him and through no fault of his own he couldn't avoid the fallen bike and was taken down in the crash. It is a gut wrenching way to lose a major championship.
"But a 1-2 result is exceptional and a real credit to all the staff, sponsors and people involved in the team. I thank Yamaha for their continued support of this team and the opportunity to showcase their products. It has been a tremendously rewarding year for everyone at CDR and we look forward to the rest of 2011," Dack concluded.

ROCKSTAR PRO OPEN FINAL 2011 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1 Jay Marmont - 682 Points
2 Josh Coppins - 650 Points
3 Billy Mackenzie - 636 Points
4 Dean Ferris - 601 Points
5 Cheyne Boyd - 537 Points

Full results available at www.mxnationals.com.au