Cokinos Claims J Day East
Grand Regional Title
T
he 13th and final round of the
J Day Off-Road Series took
riders to Southwick, Massachu-
setts, for the East Grand Re-
gional AMA Championship, held
November 1–2 and sponsored
by Factory Connection. With 29
Pro riders competing and only
two points separating Brandon
Gregoire and Justin Cokinos,
the Southwick sand promised
chaos, and it delivered.
In moto one of the Pro AA
class, Beta rider Brayden Nolette
jumped into the early lead, but
Cokinos (Plaistow Powersports)
made a clean pass before the
moto track to take control. Be
-
hind them, AmPro Yamaha rider
Gregoire suffered a dead-last
start in the 29-rider field. Gregoire
charged through traffic, closing
in on Jiggs Fustini for second
before hunting down Cokinos.
Cokinos had built a strong
gap and looked as if he were in
position to win the moto, but by
lap five, Gregoire had reduced
the lead to just four seconds. In
the second-to-last corner in the
woods, Gregoire made the win
-
ning pass. He took the moto-one
victory, with Cokinos finishing
second and Fustini third. Nolette
(fourth), Cooper Jones (fifth)
and Jake Abbott (sixth) battled
relentlessly for the remaining
top-six positions, swapping
spots throughout the moto.
Moto two was the champion
-
ship decider. This time, Gregoire
grabbed the early lead while
Cokinos found himself buried in
the pack, working through traffic.
Gregoire controlled the pace
until lap three, when a crash on
the moto track opened the door
for Cokinos and Fustini to move
WIND
IN THE
P54
Justin Cokinos and the Plaistow
Powersports crew celebrate winning
the J Day Off-Road/AMA East Grand
Regional AMA Championship.
PHOTOS:
EIGHTEENPHOTOS / KYLIE KULPA
