Cycle News

CN III ARCHIVES BY LARRY LAWRENCE W es Cooley exited the road-racing scene over 20 years ago and has scarcely been heard from since. The incredibly popular two-time AMA Superbike Champion finally came back to the sport this month as Grand Marshal for the AMA's Vintage Motorcycle Days (VMD) at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. There were smiles all around. It's funny how oftentimes ex-champions don't really understand the impact they had on people during their career and such was the case with Cooley. When writer/author/ vintage motorcycle expert Mitch Boehm first approached Cooley about the idea of coming back to VMD to be honored, the first reply from the ex-champ was: "That was 35-40 years ago, do you think anybody will remember me or care?" The answer of course was a re- sounding yes and, in fact, they cared very deeply. To understand why Cooley is one of the most beloved ex-racers in America, you have to go back to the early days of AMA Superbike racing. It was a grassroots class that emerged as a result of the more capable sport bikes that were begin- ning to be built during the mid-to-late 1970s. Fans clicked with the class and fairly rapidly it eclipsed Formula One in terms of popularity and factory involvement. Cooley was one of AMA Superbike's earliest stars, riding to a pair of championships with the iconic Yoshimura Suzuki squad in 1979 and '80. And of all the superbike stars of that era, unquestionably Cooley was the most approach- able. I began attending AMA Superbike races during that era and saw firsthand the way Cooley took time and was so genuine in his interaction with fans. I too was an aspiring racer and fan of Cooley and when I first worked up the courage to go up to him at Elkhart Lake in the early 1980s, he talked to me and my buddies about some of the things we witnessed him doing on the track. "Yeah, I think I saw God in that turn," Cooley smiled when we asked him about getting side- ways and nearly getting pitched off at turn six. While many riders would come out and give obligatory autographs and barely look up when doing so, Cooley was up getting pictures (pre- cellphone days) with fans, shaking hands, carry- ing on conversations. People went away with a smile on their face when they met with Cooley, so it was no wonder that he was always one of the riders racing fans rooted for, no matter what brand of motorcycle they personally rode. The other aspect of Cooley was his talent on the bike. He was the first of the younger genera- tion of superbike riders who gradually replaced the older generation such as Reg Pridmore and Cook Neilson, who raced European machines in the classic road racing style. Cooley on the COOLEY RETURNS! P114 Wes Cooley at the 2016 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days (VMD) at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

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