Reigning Australian MX1 champion Josh Coppins made a brief return to racing in New Zealand over the weekend. Image: Simon Makker/Makkreative.com.

Josh Coppins was back behind the gates over the weekend in a guest appearance at the 30th anniversary Michael Godfrey Memorial Motocross in Waipara where he returned to his winning ways in the MX1 class.

The reigning Australian MX1 champion boarded one of his own JCR Yamaha Racing Team YZ450F’s and won four from five motos on the circuit located north of Christchurch.

The Kiwi felt his speed was there, but admits his fitness was lacking during the motos. Following his MX1 win, Coppins was unfortunately taken down in the feature event and forced to withdraw due to mechanical issues.

“The weekend was not too bad for me considering I hadn’t done much preparation,” said Coppins. “Speed was not an issue for me, just fitness.

“I felt I could pass the other riders with ease. It’s a pity I was taken down in the feature race but that’s racing sometimes.”

Although Coppins is back racing after announcing his retirement, don’t expect a comeback from ‘The Lizard’. His main objective for the event was to maintain a presence for the team while his regular riders were unavailable.

“I really enjoyed myself, although it wasn’t really about me,” he added. “I only stepped in to make sure we had a presence with both Scotty [Columb] and Billy [Mackenzie] unavailable. My main job is to focus on managing the team, not racing any more these days.”