Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

o f th e backstrai ght in to p gea r, a nd h e d id it ; th e on ly ca tch was tha t h is m ot o rcycle wasn 't on th e grou nd p ast th e apex o f th e co rn er. Two fu llloc k swaps a nd a miracl e lat er. Koc in ski made it to th e n ext turn, with two gia nt skid ma rks showi ng where h e'd been . T h e next la p , he dow nshifted for the corn er. For a ll hi s experience. Kocinski lacks ex perience . Wha t I mean is, sometimes he does stup id th ings. Bu t Joh n Koc inski nev er d oes th e same stup id th in g twice; a s for exper ience, th e endura nce ride he landed with Cycle T ech Racin g ea rl ier th is year wi ll probab ly tu rn out to be the best thing that ever hap pe ned to h im , beca use he's been gelli ng serious tra ck tim e at races all o ver th e co un tr y. in . a ll types of wea th er co nd itio ns. At Road Atla nt a he wa s o n slicks when it sta rted to ra in , slowed down about 15 or 20 seconds a lap . and rode past th e p its each lap loo king a t the Cycle Tech crew a nd poi nti ng at th e sky, as if to as k, 'w hy a m l o u t h ere o n slicks?' . II wa s th e typ e of ra in tha t comes a nd goes. a n d th e la st th in g Cvcle Tech 's crew wanted to do was sto p for rai n tires just as the ra in clea red up . Meanwhile, Tea m H ammer's R uss Pau lk - a lso o n slicks was p u lli ng a way fro m Koc in ski at an ever-increa sin g ra te' Pa u lk kn ew w hat sli cks wo u ld a nd' wo uldn't do in the ra in, a nd wh a t parts of the tra ck were slippery wh en wet and whi ch parts weren ' t . Kocinski event ua lly sort of figured it out at Road Atl ant a , but it was easy for o bser vers to bet he'd nev er be a th rea t in rain. A co u p le of weeks lat er . a t not oriously-slippery-when- wet Blackha wk Farms in Illino is, th e same thing happened . Onl y thi s tim e, Paulk cras he d h alf a la p a way fro m p itting for rain tires, a nd Kocinski never ca rne in for rain s at a ll - o n th e m ost slippery wet tra ck in Ameri ca , Kocin ski lapped as fast as anybod y o n rain tir es a nd go t aw ay with it for almost an hour befo re fina lly slidi ng o ut twice in two laps a nd pi tti ng. But slide-o u ts or no , th e John Kocin ski seen a t Bla ckhawk was far-d ifferen t fro m th e J ohn Kocins ki seen a t Atl an ta a few week s ea r lie r; hi s pe rform ance demonst rat ed rh e a bili ty to learn qui ckl y as well as a terri fic sens e o f ba lance. Wh erein lies th e key. At the Will ow Spr ings 24-H ours West. I was wat ching Kocinski a nd a no ther yo u ng cha rge r go a t it , runnin g an end ura nce ra ce a t a fantast ic pace. I wa s impressed , a nd I sa id so to th e man wh o happen ed to be sta nd ing nex t to me. H e g u ffawed, a nd a llowed as hi s so n wa s bett er th an both , o ffer ing as evide nce th e lap times his so n co u ld turn at Will o w. He may be right . . . toda y. But wh a t a bo u t nex t week, next mont h. next yea r; what about two yea rs from now , or th ree, or five? Absolute lap times a nd performa nce a t o ne track - say Willo w Sp ri ngs a ren 't as im portant as ra te of improvement a nd o vera ll performa nce a t a wide range o f tracks, especia llv a t tracks n ew to th e rid er in question . Ko cins ki h ad r idden a t Will o w Springs o nce before, and th e 2·1-hour was h is firs t race th ere. J ohn Kocinski is I i yea rs o ld . J ohn Kocinski is just sta rti ng to figu re o ut wha t he ca n a nd can n ot do . J ohn Kocinsk i is soa k ing u p expe rience a nd kn ow led ge a nd wea ving it in with h is a bility. a nd hi s pea k is sti ll yea rs a nd yea rs a wa y, J ohn Kocinski is bett er today tha n h e was yesterda y; wh at he ca n do today is not as important as wh a t he 'll be a ble todo tomorro w; wh o ca n beat hi m here a nd n ow isn ' t as sig n ifica nt as who he'll he a ble to bea t in the fu ture, • Team Bridgeport Kawasaki Wins GTU Class at AMA/CCS Summit Point, WV Endurance Road Race with SPECTRO OIL ...... SPECTRO lubricants team up with Bridgeport Kawasaki in the AMA Championship Cup Endurance Road Racing Series. The winners, teams like Bridgeport Kawasaki who consistently bring home the checkered flag, rely on and recommend SPECTRO l ubricants fo r performa nce and reliability. W e can't g ua ra ntee t ha t you will win every race because you u se SPECTRO lubric ant s but you will never DNF from lu bri c ation f ailure . SPIGIHI SPECTRO O ILS OF AMERICA Route 7, P.O. Box 208 , Brookf ield, CT 0 6804 (203 ) 775 -129 1 WE SET THE STANDAR YOU SET THE PACE. HI·TECH MX PERFORMAIlCE. IRC: the pertect mix of engineering excellence, computer aided design, and hitech tire compounds that deliver the ground control you need! W hether yo racing or recreating, IR makes u're C tires specifically tor your bike and riding style. From B ee to all open classes, check out IRC-we set the O standards that let you set the pace! M3A - The M3A is specilically engineered and manufactured tor a variety 01track conditions. The knobby design and placement mean max traction, excellent braking power, and sure-footed cornering . M3A tire 's compound stands up to the worst and delivers a lot 01 tough miles. T advantage of the competition- no ake matterwhat kind 01 track you'reon. M5A - IRC's hard pack tire for superior control, superior feeling and superior pertormance. Specially angled and offset side kn obbies mean better cornering and control turned center knobsgive you beller braking and accelleration. An easy enoree for hard chargin' riders! M58- W you're blastin' on sand or mud. you've hen go to keep your controlling touch. This unique, selft cleaning tire giv you more bite. An extra W pitch es ide (between knobbies) prevents mudd build-up. And, y extra-raised center knobs mean bener penetration and grabbin' traction on straightaways. O special hi-tech ur rubber helpsyou keep intO C too. Feel and experience U h. thedifferenceIR Cdelivers withM5B. Hi-tech MXand IRC. Tractionactionat anaffordable price.Availableacross menation at 10cal iRC dealer s. 31

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