Maybe we will know soon … or maybe we will NEVER know … what exactly happened between Yamaha and Maverick Vinales this year, enough to convince the driver to cancel his contract with the Iwata maker.
However, the decision to put the Spaniard on the bench after that early divorce shuffled all the cards and came like lightning out of the blue.
The accusation, which is not even remotely disguised, is that he intentionally did something that could have damaged the engine of the M1 and not only endanger its safety but also that of the other drivers.
A very serious allegation …
Consequently the decision to stop him that was not taken lightly given all associated implications, including legal. Because if the separation was amicable up to now, Vinales will from now on be accused of something that could be economically very expensive for him. But also from the point of view of his career.
Maverick is however not the first driver accused of doing something like this. Longtime enthusiasts will remember this John Kocinski, 1993, after a brilliant start to the season on the Suzuki 250, which after some ups and downs in Australia brought the Hamamatsu manufacturer its first podium in the category after finishing third in the seventh world championship run, he stopped at the side of the track, got off the motorcycle, and idled the engine until it exploded.
Dismissed on the spot, he moved to Cagiva Mid-season, which gave them their first 500cc win at Laguna Seca.
In the following year he finished third overall in the half-liter class with another win and three third places. Kocinski was a true champion, but with a strange character, there is no doubt about that and we are not referring to his phobia of dust and dirt … that he spent hours cleaning his gear, often bothered by Rainey and Lawson, who enjoyed dusting his leathers after hours of exhausting cleaning throw.
John’s curiosities didn’t stop at the TT in the Netherlands in June 1993.
After switching to Superbike and winning the 1997 title, in the last race of the season in Sentul in Indonesia, Kocinski led his teammate Aaron Slight, on the final lap of Race 1. Easily had to win the race to finish second in the championship and give Castrol Honda a 1-2 result, and although the Kiwi overtook Kocinski at the start of the lap, the American overtook another train that almost brought Aaron to crash and thus brought him the victory. So Slight only finished third in the championship. This action prevented him from moving on with the team.
HERE is our VIDEO with Carlo PERNAT telling the story