Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126963
Randy Renfrow (4 ) leads the 250cc Grand Prix freight t rain of John Kocinski (80), Do~ Greene (1 ), Kork Ballington (hidden), Calvin Rayborn III (1 3 8 ) and Rich Oliver (2 ); Renfrow got the best of this battle , Rayborn and Ol iver battled for fifth for most of the race with Rayborn getting the nod at the f in ish; his second consecutive fifth place f in ish , AMAjCastrol 250cc Grand Prix Series: Round 2 Renfrow bounces back to edge Kocinski By Paul Carruthers Photos by Henny Ray Abrams BRASELTON , GA , MAY 17 I Van ce & Hines Racing 's Randy Ren fro w bounced back from an horrifi c crash on his Suzuki GSXR750 Superbike in the Camel Challenge race to win the Castrol 250cc G rand Prix cl a ss a t R o a d Atlanta. I Renfrow and hi s H onda N S250 narrowl y d ef eated te am N ordi ca Yam ah a ' s J ohn Kocinski a nd defending class cha m- . pion Don Green e in a battle th at last ed fro m fl a g - to-fl a g . Tea m Macl.ea n 's Kork Balling ton was also in volv ed in th e tu ssle, but a n o fftrack excursion cost hi m a cha nce at the win a nd the Honda pil ot sett led for fourth. T eam Nordica Yamaha 's Cal vin Rayborn III rounded.out th e top five. Renfrow crashed hard pri or to the race wh en he lost co nt ro l of his big Suzuki in th e fastest sectio n of th e course a nd crash ed. " When I was laying there] didn't think there was a cha nce (for making the start o f the 250cc class) ," Renfro w sa id. " I thou ght m y ank le was broken. " The 250cc class offered the most exciting race on the ' da y a t Road Atlanta as six riders struggl ed for th e lead ear ly, and four fought to the fin ish. Sa tu rday's heat races were a sig n o f th in gs to come as the first heat . pi tted Gr eene, Renfrow, Ballington a nd Rich Ol iver toge ther. The fourman Honda battle lasted for th e full five laps with Renfro w getting th e nod a t the lin e over fo ur-t im e World Cha m pion Ball in gton. G reen e beat Oliver for third. The second heat turned into a Nordica Yam ah a vs. No rdica Yamaha struggle as Kocinski a nd Ra yborn clash ed. Rayborn ended up topping Kocinski , who, after seizing. a mo tor in the ea r lie r pra ctice sessio n, was break in g in his rebuilt Yam aha. Dirt tracker Lance J ones cras hed ha rd o n the thi rd lap wh en his Team Survi va l H onda se ized in th e ent ra nce to turn one. J ones escape d with on ly scrapes and bruises. "We mad e it rea l rich because we were breaking it in ," T eam Nordica tuner Bud Aksland said of Kocinski 's mount. "It's tough jetting the bik e, th e weather keeps cha ngi ng a nd screwi ng it up." Renfrow said hi s H onda was slig h tly overgeared a nd that it would fea ture a different gea rbox com bi natio n co me fin al tim e. Wh en th e flag dropped o n the fin al , the bruised and battered Ren - frow scraped hi s wa y in to turn o ne first, foll owed by Kocinski , Ballington and Rotax -rnounted Dann y Coe. Wh en the pack came past th e start! finish lin e for the first time, Kocinski led Renfrow , Balli ng ton , Green e, Oliver, Rayborn, Coe a nd Andrew Lei sn er ; Lei sn er cras hed short ly after. " I go t side ways co ming o u t of turn o ne , lost conce ntratio n a nd went in to two too ho t," Leisner said. With th e lead ers turning a 1:31.7 on lap th ree, Kocinsk i, Renfrow , Balling ton a n d Green e pulled slightl y clear o f the Oliver/Rayborn duel. Meanwhile, Coe held down seventh. The w ar up front contin ued as the four co ns ta n tly cha nged th e lead with Kocinsk i a nd Renfrow doin g most of th e leading. James Stephen s, by lap eig h t, had worked hi s way past a fast-fading Coe, wh o was sufferi ng though the ill s of a broken exha us t pipe, to move into seventh. On lap I I, Renfrow mad e his move to break a way from the pa ck as Kocinski came past th e sta rt/ finish line looking down a t his engine. "It went dead o n o ne cylinder just like at Da ytona ," Kocinski said. "The rear tir e started sliding and ] thought there was some th ing o n it." The youngster slo wed to a I:36 lap tim e a nd d ropped o ff the pace to fourth pl ace. After realizing the bik e was back to normal , Kocinski continued o n.. Acti on o n la p 14 saw Ballington 's o ff-track speci al, Renfrow leading G reene a nd Kocin ski moving back into third. " He just went stra ig h t, like he mi ssed a gear or so me th ing," specta to r Green e said o f Ball in gton 's mish ap. Koc in ski trai led Renfro w by 2.2 seco nds, bu t was o n the mo ve. Ra yborn and Ol iver were still fightin g o ver fifth wi th Rayborn gain ing a slig h t adva ntage. On lap 15, Kocinski was with th e leaders, but was having trouble with lappers in turn one. Ballington, with a clear tra ck , was m akin ~ up serio us time on th e leaders; trailing by 6.2 seconds on lap 16 a nd by only 3.6 on lap 18. Kocinski led lap 18, but Renfrow p a ssed to lea d 19 a n d th e al limportant la p 20. G reen e held onto third wi th Ballington fourth and Rayborn fifth. According to PJ I Oil-representative watches, Kocinski had turned a I :30.58 while ca tch ing th e leading duo of Renfrow and Green e. " Everyo ne rode real well a nd safe," Renfrow sai d. " I was a llowing roo m a nd they were too. It was just a grea t race." " I co uld n't do it wi thout Bud (Aksla nd),' Kocinski sa id. " He just giv es me so mil ch co nfidence and Ken n y (Roberts) has helped a lot too. H e's mad e me a stronger rider." Ballington said he lost the front end, caus ing him to vent ure from the tarmac to th e red Georg ia d irt. " Bu bba (Sho bert) p romises he'll . give me dirt track lessons," Ballingto n jok ed. " I thought I was down, but look in g back o n it 1 could have kept it ga ssed up and not lost too much on them ." • Results 250cc GP: 1. Randy Renfrow (Han); 2. Jo hn Koci nski (Yam); 3. Don Green e (Honl; 4. Kork Ballin gton (Honl; 5. Calvin Rayborn III (Yam); 6. Rich Oliver (Han); 7. J ames Stephens (Yam); 8. David Curt is (Han); 9. Garry Griffith (Yam); 10. David Busby (Han); 11. Dou g Brauneck (Yam); 12. William Himme lsbach (Yam); 13: Miles Baldwin (Yam); 14 . Daniel Coe IRotl; 15 . Jam es Bon ner (Yam); 16. John France (Han); 17. Keith Kiyota (Han); 18 . Gregory Esser (Honl; 19. Robert Mawson (Yam ); 20 . Andrew Price (Yam) . AMA 250 GP POINT STANDINGS: 1. John Kocinsk i (32); 2. Kork Ball ingt on (31); 3. (TIE)Randy Renfrow/Rich 0Iiver (22 ); 5. Calvin Rayborn 111(201; 6. J ames St ephens (151; 7. Don Greene (13); 8. Doug 8rauneck (9); 9. (TIE) David Busby/ David Curt is (7).