Coppins had been overwhelming favourite to snatch the world title in 2007 . The No . 1 rider for the Yamaha factory after Everts had retired , Coppins had stretched his lead at the top of the MX1 world standings to 107 points over Belgian rival Steve Ramon – giving him two full GP events up his sleeve with just the final third of the season , five of the 15 rounds remaining . But disaster struck in round 11 of the 2007 championships in the Czech Republic when a small stone found its way into the rear brake of his bike . This meant he scored no points in the day ’ s first of two races at the Czech GP in Loket . But worse was to follow as his brakes , damaged by the stone , failed him at a crucial moment during the next race , as he attempted to slow at the bottom of a steep hill . Coppins crashed and broke his shoulder blade . He was forced to miss the next two rounds as he watched his lead shrink to just 12 points . Coppins returned to racing at the season ’ s penultimate event , the British GP at Donington Park , but his bid to preserve his championship