Kiwi Josh Coppins was third overall at Wodonga on Sunday in the seventh round of MX Nationals. Image: Alex Gobert.

New Zealand’s former world number two Josh Coppins is satisfied that he and the CDR Rockstar Energy Yamaha team are reaching their peak form as the Rockstar Energy MX Nationals go down to the wire.

Coppins has been at his consistent best in recent rounds with two third places in a row, and he now sits just 14 points in arrears of series leader Dean Ferris.

His race results of 4-1-6-2 round off a solid weekend for the Kiwi, only a crash with teammate and defending champion Jay Marmont in moto three the only hiccup.

“If you look at the big picture, today was important for myself and the team,” Coppins said. “I clawed back some more points in the championship, made progress with the way the bike performs and I think we are hitting good form as the championship goes down to the wire.

“With two rounds to go, I can’t afford to let up and because the points are so close any mistakes are costly. So, the focus remains to win the races that I can and maintain my form and fitness right to the end.”

The series will continue at Moree in New South Wales on Sunday, 24 July.