John Kocinski (center) celebrates his victory in the AMA 250 Grand Prix race at Road Atlanta in 1988. Joining Kocinski are second place Thomas Stevens, Kocinski’s teammate on the Nordica Yamaha squad, and third-place finisher Rich Oliver, who would go on to become the all-time wins leader in AMA 250 Grand Prix history. The Road Atlanta win was the second of the season for Kocinski. He would go on to win all but a single round en route to winning the championship. Stevens finished second in the series. Oliver was the only other winner in the 1988 series. He took victory at Road America when Kocinski’s machine suffered a mechanical failure.

John Kocinski (center) celebrates his victory in the AMA 250 Grand Prix race at Road Atlanta in 1988 with second place Thomas Stevens and third-place finisher Rich Oliver. (Larry Lawrence photo)