Two Rookies, one story! 1996 and 2019 with Kocinski and Bautista!
John Kocinski rocked up to World Superbike in 1996 after a year out of racing – but who would’ve known that after his Misano debut?
1990 250cc World Champion John Kocinski may have eventually gone on to win a WorldSBK title in 1997 but a year before, he made his debut! Riding for Ducati, – like Bautista – the American took a double win at Misano, with a clear win in Race 1. Race 2 was decided by scrutineers, after Anthony Gobert was found to have an illegal carburetor and therefore disqualified!
23 years later and history repeats itself, as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) became the first Rookie since John Kocinski to have a 100% win rate after the opening round of the championship! However, one could argue that Alvaro is the only rider in history to achieve this without the help of an illegal component on another riders’ machine! Whatever the interpretation, both riders made history!
Watch just how they did it! Catch both Misano 1996 races for FREE just by registering! On top of that, you can relive all the action from a thrilling Yamaha Finance Australian Round thanks to WorldSBK VideoPass.
