Wes Cooley 1980 Suzuki GS1000 Factory Yoshimura Racer AMA Championship Winning Superbike

Wes Cooley was a young, hard-charging rider who helped bring AMA Superbike racing into the modern era. Before Cooley, many of the riders in Superbike were older, more conservative and rode European twin-cylinder "cafe racers." Cooley, riding powerful but ill-handling big-bore Japanese four-cylinder machines, came in and stepped up the level of competition in the series.

No longer was it en vogue to ride with a smooth, European style. Cooley came in with rear tire smoking and front wheel in the air, forcing his will upon bikes that weren't made for the racetrack. He changed the face of the new Superbike class. Cooley won two AMA Superbike Championships in 1979 and 1980. He gave Suzuki its first AMA Superbike title in 1979.