As the 2013 Monster Energy MX Nationals currently take a six-week break in the schedule, it allows teams and riders to continue testing and possibly try out some new ideas without the time constraints and pressure that you are put under while the season is in full-swing.

This situation brings us to our Rewind subject for this week, Josh Coppins. The former CDR Yamaha rider and reigning Australian Motocross MX1 champion hung up his boots at the end of the 2012 outdoor season, but he assured us that he would stay involved with Yamaha for years to come.

Coppins launched his JCR Yamaha Racing team early this year, a New Zealand based outfit with Alex Snow as their MX1 contender and Scott Columb piloting the MX2 machine. Coppins even jumped aboard and contested a local race recently, but he stressed that it was not a comeback.

Most recently Coppins has been back in Australia under the CDR Yamaha tent once again with Craig Dack and his crew, ‘The Lizard’ might be back with his old team, but this time he is in a completely different situation to his previous years.

Coppins now takes on a part-time research and development type role within the CDR Yamaha team, most recently working on settings for team rider Billy Mackenzie in Queensland.

With the wealth of knowledge that Coppins brings to the table, the CDR Yamaha crew and riders are in great hands with the New Zealand native at the helm. He knows the ins-and-outs of the current Yamaha YZ450F, and he certainly knows how to win on it too.

Around this time last year MotoOnline.com.au caught up with Coppins to talk about his 2012 season and his plans for the future. Coppins was obviously remaining tight-lipped at the time, but it wasn’t long until he announced his retirement and post-racing plans just weeks later.

Click here to take a look back at that interview and see the evolution of Coppins’ career in just one short year. Although he may have retired from professional racing, he now finds himself back at the test track, pounding out laps once again to create a championship winning setup, just this time it’s for someone else.

Josh Coppins may have retired from professional racing, but that didn’t keep him away from the test track for long. Image: Simon Makker/Makkreative.com.