The 2008 MX1-GP title: A perspective

After a lengthy and exciting 2008 FIM MX-1 World Championship the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team were able to celebrate their fourth title in five years thanks to David Philippaerts’ results with the YZ450FM.

For Philippaerts an eventful and thrilling first season (only his second in MX1-GP) was drawn to an emotional finish at Faenza. The previous six months had seen the 24 year old produce some electrifying performances such as his charges through the pack at Mantova, in Great Britain and at Loket in the Czech Republic where he flew from last to 3rd in the first moto and won the next outing for his second of two overall victories in 2008.

“I think Loket was my best grand prix of the year,” he said. “At Lommel I had lost the red plate and on the Monday after the GP I said to my girlfriend Alice that I really wanted to win again at the next race which was in the Czech Republic and the team gave me such a strong bike. The changes that were made gave me a lift, and I rode as hard as I could in that first moto.”

“At the start of the year I saw that Faenza would be the final race on the calendar and I imagined that it could be special, and it was more than I could have hoped for,” he added. “Many people helped me get to this point and to see all of them around me at the finish was so emotional. It is hard to describe. It was too much, overwhelming.”


“For the media, the team and the rider the victory in Italy was something special,” echoed Yamaha Monster Motocross Team owner Michele Rinaldi, a former world champion and now a man with a phenomenal record of success from the other side of the fence. “The title was the most important thing but we also wanted to prove that we have a very good machine, the right staff and the potential to be very competitive. David was stronger than everyone else through all the season and I am really pleased for him, Yamaha and the sponsors.

“We wanted Josh to be fighting for the championship at the last round as well but this was not possible because of some factors throughout the season and therefore we cannot be 100% happy with what we achieved there. We know that Josh is a very determined and professional rider and without some bad luck it would have been a different story for him in 2008. I still want to say thanks to Josh for what he did,” he added.

With three victories and a total of ten podiums in a season in which nine different riders won Grand Prix, Rinaldi, the team and Yamaha Motor Europe can feel proud of this latest accomplishment and how the YZ450FM again was one of the most competitive machines in the category.

“The MX1 class was nice to watch this season as we had many different winners and the competition was tough,” continued the Italian. “We, as Yamaha, made a good choice in signing David and it is a good trend for us that we have managed to stay at the top for eight seasons.”

“Our riders were really happy with the bike at the beginning of the season and as we went on we saw that we could offer them even more engine performance,” he commented. “The chassis was perfect and the riders never complained about anything to do with the handling. The suspension was also very good. We made a step up at the time of the Grand Prix in Loket with the engine specification and I think the bike was great.”

“MX1 is the top off-road racing class and we have won this title so many times in the past that we feel it is almost back where it belongs,” claimed Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Division Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. “The guys in the team have done a tremendous job; we have won 8 titles in the last 10 years which is an incredible record. We are so happy, and once again have proved that the YZ450F is one of the best.”

“We are really proud of this title,” he continued. “Yamaha were the pioneers of four-stroke technology in the sport. In the beginning we won the championship with Andrea Bartolini and then a lot with Stefan Everts, so it was important for us that we continue to show that we are the leading brand when it comes to four-strokes. We are at the highest level of off-road racing here. We want MX1-GP success just as much as we want it in a series like MotoGP.”

Concerning the potent relationship with Rinaldi and his Parma-based YRRD group, which has yielded so much silverware in the course of more than a decade, he explained: “We have a really open relationship and it is fantastic to work with Michele and his team. He is very demanding but this is what you need for success; all the little details have to be right and you have to strive for perfection in each area, whether it is the bike, the mechanics, the relationship with the rider and so on. Michele will always give the maximum.”

Leading the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team in day-to-day operations is Mino Raspanti, a key person in the accomplishments racked-up in 2008 and a man who can take credit for his coaching of Philippaerts. “David learned very fast when to push and when to hold back. His approach to the season was very good and his execution even better,” he revealed. “Josh also never gave up and he had so many things to deal with during the year. He has all the team’s respect for what he did. We are really happy to have the title back and to have a team with two very strong riders.”

Fettling the YZ450FM with the number ‘19’ on the front was Gerald Wever, one of the few non-Italian staff in the team. The German has been located in Italy for four years now and his easy-going and fruitful partnership with Philippaerts was again another important ingredient in the cause of the Faenza furore. “This feels so good and I think part of the reason is because we won in Italy and there is a lot of emotion,” he remarked. “I am lucky to work with this team and I appreciate my position. David had some outstanding races this season but for me his comeback at Loket in the Czech Republic and how he rode to beat Steve in the Lierop sand really stand-out. Even though we celebrated at Faenza, I think he won the title at those events.”

To say Josh Coppins did not have an easy season is an understatement. A pre-season injury, some personal problems and poor luck on the track (goggles breaking in Czech Republic and a handful of incidents in which he was knocked down at race starts) made 2008 a tough term. The steadfast and likeable New Zealander still rallied to remain in contention for the title up until three rounds before the finish, and his grabbed three podiums including an emphatic double victory in Germany.

“Too many problems, too many mistakes, some injuries and some bad luck this year,” he evaluated. “I always did my best, I never gave up and kept training. Top five is not where I want to be but I still gave it my best shot. I found that when I did well and lifted my confidence then something else would come along to set me back and that was how the season, the year even, went along.”

“Germany was my best race and I was happy to win there,” he said. “Now we just need to re-group and come back and have another go next year. I am happy for Yamaha because 2007 was a low point with my late injury while leading the championship, not just for me but perhaps even more so for the team. It is a great team so I am pleased that we are successful again.”

Coppins, as well as Philippaerts, will again be a Yamaha Monster Motocross team rider in 2009 for his third season with the manufacturer but things will be a little different as he is expecting the birth of his first child with partner Lisa this coming January: “My life is changing and I am very glad that there will be a major highlight for me just around the corner. Next year I will be back and working harder than ever to give that title another shot.”