He won easily in the Lites class on both days, stepping down from his customary 450cc bike to race a Yamaha YZF250 for the only time this year. He also won the all-capacities feature race on Saturday, overcoming open class leader Daryl Hurley (Suzuki) only after a heated battle.

Coppins finished the weekend with a farewell wave to his many fans, the last time many of them will see him race this season as he packs his helmet and boots to head back to Europe later this month.

He will race once more, at the annual New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville on January 27, but then he is off to Belgium to prepare for another tilt at the world crown.

It’s probably fair to say that some Kiwis will be glad to see the back of him, certainly the men he beat to the chequered flag during his brief stint at home. Battling for second behind Coppins in the Lites class were the two men who had dominated the championship series last season, open class champion Luke Burkhart (Hawera, Suzuki) and defending Lites champion Scotty Columb (Queenstown, Suzuki).

“The racing was reasonably close,” said Coppins. “I was just doing what I had to. “I didn’t want to take any big risks but Scotty and Luke were riding very well,” he said. “It was the only time this year that I’ll ride the smaller bike. It’s refreshing to be able to ride something different. I’ll race the 450 Yamaha at about 30 international events this year, so it was good to go out on the 250 at the weekend.”

Meanwhile, in the open class at Motueka, there was also only one man doing the winning, national 500cc motocross champion Hurley. The Hawera rider won all three open class heats on Saturday to easily snatch the South Island crown and backed that up with another hat-trick of wins the following day, to build a commanding nine-point lead over dual-class contestant Columb in the national series opener.

Third best open class rider was Taupo’s Nick Saunders (Kawasaki). Warkworth’s Hamish Dobbyn (Yamaha), Waitakere’s Ethan Martens (Yamaha), Cambridge’s Kieran Leigh (Yamaha) and Ashburton’s Mathew Sutherland (Yamaha) battled back and forth in the junior classes.

Dobbyn won both the 125cc and 250cc classes on Saturday, taking both South Island titles, but the podium changed the next day when Leigh topped the podium in the 125cc class and Martens won the 250cc class.

Otago’s Campbell King (Honda), Feilding’s Haki Waller (Kawasaki), Tauranga’s Roydon White (Yamaha) and Kumeu’s Chase Smith (KTM) dominated the junior 85cc action. Commentator Neil Ritchie said the event put New Zealand supercross in a very positive light.

“The sport is in a very healthy state,” he said. “Just look at the numbers in the junior classes and the racing was tight too. It’s better than we’ve had in many years.”

Round two of the New Zealand Supercross Championships is set for Tokoroa in a fortnight, on January 19, with round three at a new venue, right in the hub of New Zealand’s biggest city, at the TelstraClear Events Centre, Manukau, on February 16. The series wraps up inside the Cook’s Gardens arena on March 1.

LEADING RESULTS: New Zealand Supercross Championships: Open class: Daryl Hurley (Hawera, Suzuki) 75 points; Scott Columb (Queenstown, Suzuki) 66; Nick Saunders (Taupo, Kawasaki) 58.

Lites class: Josh Coppins (Motueka, Yamaha) 75; Scott Columb (Queenstown, Suzuki) 64; Luke Burkhart (Hawera, Suzuki) 60. 11-12 years’ 85cc: Haki Waller (Feilding, Kawasaki) 75; Campbell King (Otago, Honda) 68; Roydon White (Tauranga, Yamaha) 67.

12-16 years 125cc: Kieran Leigh (Cambridge, Yamaha) 70; Hamish Dobbyn (Warkworth, Yamaha) 65; Craig Smith (Christchurch, Kawasaki) 62.

13-16 years’ 85cc: Haki Waller (Feilding, Kawasaki) 75; Campbell King (Otago, Honda) 68; Roydon White (Tauranga, Yamaha) 67

14-16 years’ 250cc: Ethan martens (Waitakere, Yamaha) 72; Hamish Dobbyn (Warkworth, Yamaha) 69; Davi Fisher (Tauranga, Suzuki) 56.

South Island Supercross Championships: Open class: Daryl Hurley (Hawera, Suzuki) 75 points; Scott Columb (Queenstown, Suzuki) 66; Nick Saunders (Taupo, Kawasaki) 60; Darren Patterson (Christchurch, Honda) 50; Brad Norton (Christchurch, Kawasaki) 49.

Lites class: Josh Coppins (Motueka, Yamaha) 75 points; Luke Burkhart (Hawera, Suzuki) 62; Scott Columb (Queenstown, Suzuki) 60; Justin McDonald (Christchurch, Honda) 58; Brad Groombridge (Taupo, Kawasaki) 45.

Senior all-in feature race: Josh Coppins Daryl Hurley Scott Columb Nick Saunders Brad Groombridge 11-12 years 85cc Chase Smith (Kumeu, KTM) 69; Haki Waller (Feilding, Kawasaki) 63; Cody Murphy (Rangiora, Yamaha) 62.

13-16 years 85cc Campbell King (Otago, Honda) 72; Kayne Lamont (Mangakino, Yamaha) 69; Roydon White (Tauranga, Yamaha) 60.

12-16 years 125cc Hamish Dobbyn (Warkworth, Yamaha) 75; Matthew Sutherland (Ashburton, Yamaha) 60; Craig Smith (Chrischurch, Honda) 56. 14-16 years 250cc Hamish Dobbyn (Warkworth, Yamaha) 72; Ethan Martens (Waitakere, Yamaha) 65; Davi Fisher (Tauranga, Suzuki) 62.

CALENDAR: New Zealand Supercross Championships:

Round one: 6 January 2008, Motueka

Round two: 19 January 2008, Tokoroa

Round three: 16 February 2008, Manukau – TelstraClear Events Centre

Round four: 01 March 2008, Wanganui – Cook’s Gardens Classes: Senior 125, Senior 250, Junior 11-12yrs 85cc, Junior 13-16yrs 85cc, Junior 12-16yrs 125cc, Junior 14-16yrs 250cc.