Wes Cooley (motorcyclist)
Wes Cooley | |
---|---|
Born | Wesley Steven Cooley (1956-06-28)June 28, 1956 Los Angeles, California |
Died | October 16, 2021(2021-10-16) (aged 65) Twin Falls, Idaho |
Occupation | Motorcycle racer |
Wester Steven Cooley, (June 28, 1956 – October 16, 2021), better known as Wes, was an American former motorcycle road racer in the AMA Superbike class. He won the 1979 and 1980 AMA Superbike Championships on a Yoshimura Suzuki GS1000s.[1]
Career
Born in Los Angeles, California, Cooley got his start on the Southern California club racing scene where his father ran a club racing organization. He honed his skills in the smaller classes before being hired by Pops Yoshimura to race a Kawasaki KZ1000 in the newly formed AMA production class. He won his first AMA superbike race in 1977.[1] For the 1978 season, Yoshimura switched to better handling Suzuki bikes and Cooley began winning regularly. He teamed up with Mike Baldwin to win the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours race in Japan.[2] In 1980, he teamed up with Graeme Crosby to win at Suzuka a second time.[3] Cooley went on to win his first superbike national championship in 1979.[1] He successfully defended his crown in 1980 by fighting off future Hall of Famers Eddie Lawson on a Kawasaki and Freddie Spencer on a Honda.[1]
In 1985 Cooley suffered life-threatening injuries in a crash at Sears Point Raceway.[1] He eventually recovered to race again but he was never able to recapture his form. After his retirement from racing, he worked as an instructor at a riding school (WCRA) before taking up a career in the medical profession. Cooley was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2004.[1]
Death
Cooley died Saturday, October 16, 2021, at his home in Twin Falls, Idaho, from complications of diabetes.[4] He was 65 years old and is survived by his partner of many years, Melody Rose, along with son Wes Jr. and daughter Alexis.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Wes Cooley at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Archived 2006-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "1978 Suzuka 8 Hours results at Moto Racing Japan". Archived from the original on 2017-10-08. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
- ^ "1980 Suzuka 8 Hours results at Moto Racing Japan". Archived from the original on 2017-10-08. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
- ^ a b "R.I.P.: Superbike Champion Wes Cooley (Updated)". Roadracing World Magazine. October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
Preceded by | AMA Superbike Champion 1979–1980 | Succeeded by |
- v
- t
- e
- 1976, 1977, 1978: Reg Pridmore
- 1979, 1980: Wes Cooley
- 1981, 1982: Eddie Lawson
- 1983: Wayne Rainey
- 1984, 1985, 1986: Fred Merkel
- 1987: Wayne Rainey
- 1988: Bubba Shobert
- 1989: Jamie James
- 1990: Doug Chandler
- 1991: Thomas Stevens
- 1992: Scott Russell
- 1993: Doug Polen
- 1994: Troy Corser
- 1995: Miguel Duhamel
- 1996, 1997: Doug Chandler
- 1998: Ben Bostrom
- 1999, 2000, 2001: Mat Mladin
- 2002: Nicky Hayden
- 2003, 2004, 2005: Mat Mladin
- 2006, 2007, 2008: Ben Spies
- 2009: Mat Mladin
- 2010, 2011, 2012: Josh Hayes
- 2013: Josh Herrin
- 2014: Josh Hayes
- 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020: Cameron Beaubier
- 2017: Toni Elías
- 2021, 2022, 2023: Jake Gagne