It was a week after winning the Malaysian GP for Marlboro Yamaha, the last round of 1991 and the first 500cc victory of his career. John Kocinski made a late entry into the annual Guidon d’Or Supermoto, just in time for delighted promoter Lariviere to feature him on its front cover.
He was down to ride a Sonauto Yamaha, but after two engine seizures Kocinski abandoned the bemused Sonauto camp, borrowed a bike from Husqvarna and thundered round a swift learning session on the booming 610cc four-stroke in the wheeltracks of diminutive French supermoto champion Stephane ‘Bon-Bon’ Chambon!
John duly won the ‘Pilotes Vitesse’ final for road-racers, beating the likes of Wayne Gardner and Alberto Puig, the former aboard one of 500cc world motocross champion Georges Jobe’s Hondas. The following Friday afternoon, the Sonauto mechanics were busy preparing the Yamaha they thought Kocinski would ride that night. But elsewhere in the pits, John
