John Kocinski

John Kocinski
John Kocinski at the 1990 Japanese GP
Nationality	United States
Motorcycle racing career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1988 - 1994, 1998 - 1999 First race 1988 250cc Japanese Grand Prix Last race 1999 500cc Argentine Grand Prix First win 1989 250cc Japanese Grand Prix Last win 1994 500cc Australian Grand Prix Team(s) Yamaha, Suzuki, Cagiva Championships 250cc - 1990 Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 99 13 35 20 15 1037.5 Superbike World Championship Active years 1996 - 1997 Manufacturers Ducati, Honda Championships 1997 1997 championship position 1st Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 48 14 29 6 11 753

John Kocinski (born March 20, 1968 in Little Rock, Arkansas) is a retired Grand Prix motorcycle road racer whose successes include winning the 1990 250cc World Championship, and the 1997 Superbike World Championship title.

At age seventeen, Kocinski was already a factory rider for Yamaha, in the AMA Championship Cup. He won the AMA 250 Grand Prix Championship every year from 1987 to 1989, and won the 1989 Supersport race at Daytona having started 53rd in a field of 80 riders. In 1988, he won the pole position at the 250cc US Grand Prix and finished the race in fourth place. He would also place fifth at 1988 250cc Japanese Grand Prix.

1989 was also the year of his 500cc World Championship debut. In 1990 he raced in four different championships, but the highlight was winning the 250cc World Championship in his first full season on a Team Roberts Yamaha YZR250. He was a full-time 500cc racer for the next two years, finishing fourth and third in the championship and winning the final round in both seasons.

During his first year in the 500cc class, Kocinski infamously told reporters that if a rider hadn't won the World Championship within 2 years of starting in the class, then they should give up racing. This statement would come back to haunt the American as he competed in the top class for over six seasons without ever becoming World Champion, with many reminding him of his comment in later years.