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/127594
eRDAD RACE SOOee World Cham ionshi Road Raee Series: Round 13 rl By M ich ael Scott Photos by Henny Ray Abrams and Kinney Jones MONTEREY, CA, SEPT. 12 agu na Seca's infamous Corkscrew comer pulled a twister at the United States Grand Prix. And the guy who got the champagne was John Kocinski, giving Cagiva their first-ever victory in dry weather and only their second in 10 years of trying; and co nfirming a straight flush of five Ame rica n SOOccclass winners in five GPs a t the Califo rnia circuit. The victim was Rothmans Honda's Michael Doohan. With just six laps to go, the Australian was firmly in control of the race . Then he ran wide on the exit of the tricky downhill chicane and clipped a hay bale, crashing there for a second time on the weekend. He broke a bone in his right shoulder and ended his 1993 GP season. His bike bounced back across the track, and Kocinski was lucky to avoid hitting it as he carne through. From there on he was able to hunker down and draw away from his last challenger, Alex Barros on the Lucky Strike Suzuki. After the race, Kocinski dedicated his win to Wayne Rainey, winner of the last three U.S. GPs, and victi m last weekend of a cri pp ling Italian crash. "I knew I just had to stay consistent. That's the way Wayne did it, and I felt him there with me, " Rainey 's former Team Roberts teammate said. Barros finished more than six seconds adrift, having chosen caution and settling for second after remembering very clearly how he had crashed in the closing laps in Assen and Jerez with victory in sight. Third went to Marlboro Yamaha's Luca Cadalora, who had tried to chal lenge the leaders after recovering from a mediocre start, but in the end had to settle for the last rostrum position. It was the first time since Assen, halfway through last year, that the top three had not included Schwantz, Doohan, or Rainey. -Ke v in Schwantz was four th, after lead ing early on , only to drop back as his right hand went numb - a legacy of his lost weekend at the British GP at Do nington Park three races ago. The Lucky Strike Suzuki rider fell there in practice, then was knocked off in the race, and a bone in his right hand was fractured. Now, racing just one week after the ca tastrophic Italian GP, the injury flared up, and left hi m unable to press home his ea rly advantage. Bu t with Ra in ey wa tchi ng th e race from his hospital bed in Los Angeles, paralyzed from the chest down after his tragic crash in Italy last weekend, L (Above ) John Kocins ki (3) leads the opening lap of the United Slates 500cc Gra nd Prix; Michael Dooha n (2) and Kevin Schwantz (34) give chase. (Below) Doohan look the lead and appeared to have the race won until he crashed out with just six laps to go in the GP. 6

