Image: Chris Ritchie Foto.

Altherm JCR Yamaha team manager Josh Coppins looks to end the 2014 New Zealand Motocross Championship on a high at Taupo this weekend, following a mixed season across a variety of categories.

Scotsman Billy Mackenzie has been his consistent self in NZ as he uses the series to prepare for the Australian MX Nationals, currently second in the series and 37 points in arrears of defending champion Cody Cooper.

In the MX2 class JCR’s current champion Scott Columb sits fifth, two positions behind Australian teammate Jay Wilson, who’s also preparing for the Australian championships and his rookie MX2 season.

For Coppins, salvaging moto wins at this weekend’s final round will be paramount before preparations commence for 2015.

“We won two championships last year, so it’s difficult to handle us not being on top at the moment,” said Coppins.“As a new team last year, we really stepped it up. But the other teams have also now stepped it up too.

“We really want to win some races at Taupo on Saturday and try to end our season on a high. Then I will be working on the structure of the team to put improvements in place for next season.”

Following this weekend’s racing, the Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team will look ahead to competing at one of the South Island’s biggest stand-alone motocross events, the annual Michael Godfrey Memorial MX, near Christchurch in June.