Philippaerts and Coppins braced for season finale

After a three week hiatus the factory Yamaha Monster Motocross Team now prepare for an intense culmination to the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship with the first of the three final Grand Prix taking place in three weeks this weekend just outside the city of Dublin. Series leader David Philippaerts holds a 7 point advantage over world champ Steve Ramon with team-mate Josh Coppins 35 points from the lead in third spot with a total of 150 still to be won. Trips to Holland and Italy will close the campaign. Philippaerts, emphatic victor of the Czech Grand Prix three weeks ago, has split his time during the break between Italy and his Belgian base. The 24 year old spent a week training in the Italian mountains before heading back to northern Europe for the Bilzen International in Belgium last weekend. Going up against world championship rivals Steve Ramon and Ken De Dycker, Philippaerts finished second, only one point away from first place and ahead of defending number one Ramon. “I am 100% ready for racing and excited for the next three weeks,” said the Italian who has fronted the championship for nine of the twelve GPs held so far. “I had some good training time in Italy even though we went up to the mountains and the weather was very strange, I even saw snow in the middle of August! We then came back to Belgium and Lommel and had the International last weekend. I was happy with my riding. I should have won the first moto as I was leading easily but a silly crash meant that I finished second. A bad start in the second saw me third and then I won the last race.” “It feels like a long time we have had off and now I am keen to get to Ireland,” he added. Josh Coppins has been busy over the break. The German Grand Prix winner took 3rd and 2nd positions overall in the fourth and fifth rounds of the Belgian Championship over three days at Balen and Orp-Le-Grand and then dominated the Ken Hall International in the UK last weekend, beating a host of GP peers on the way. The Kiwi has been working hard to ensure he is in peak form entering this crucial stage of the world championship but knows he faces a hard charge to the title. “I started the year on the back foot because of the injury and since then I have been gaining ground and then losing it for one reason or another; all along the way there has been a bit of pressure to keep in contention,” he said. “Thirty five points is quite a lot and I feel like the pressure has eased for these last three races. The championship is not impossible but it will be difficult. I just want to go out there and have fun and race hard. I felt a bit down after Loket so I kept busy over the break and I feel good for Dublin and the next two GPs.” The team have had some time to recollect before the heaviest spell of the calendar begins. After the three Grand Prix races – in which they will try to convert Yamaha’s current 14 point lead in the Manufacturer’s standings into a title success - they have only one week’s pause before both of their riders are likely to be representing their countries at the 62nd Motocross of Nations at Donington Park in the UK. “We have not done any tests during the break as we already rolled out some engine modifications in the Czech Republic,” said Racing Manager Mino Raspanti. “We possibly have some work ahead for the GP at Lierop, which will be another sandy event.”