# Pops Yoshimura

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{{short description|Japanese motorcycle builder}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = "Pops" Yoshimura
| birth_name    = Hideo Yoshimura
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1922|10|7}}
| birth_place   = [Chikushi District](/source/Chikushi_District%2C_Fukuoka), [Fukuoka](/source/Fukuoka_Prefecture), [Empire of Japan](/source/Empire_of_Japan)
| death_date    = {{death date and age|1995|3|29|1922|10|7}}
| death_place   = [Sagamihara](/source/Sagamihara), [Kanagawa](/source/Kanagawa_Prefecture), Japan
| other_names   =
| resting_place = 
| occupation    = Mechanic, entrepreneur
| years_active  = 1954–1995 
}}
{{Nihongo|'''Hideo "Pops" Yoshimura'''|吉村 秀雄|Yoshimura Hideo|October 7, 1922–March 29, 1995}} was a [Japan](/source/Japan)ese [motorcycle](/source/motorcycle) tuner, race team owner, and manufacturer of specialty motorcycle accessories. He is remembered for his ties to the beginnings of [Superbike](/source/AMA_Superbike_Championship) racing and the Yoshimura factory racing team.<ref name="Peeps Yoshimura at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame">{{cite web |url=http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=297 |title=Peeps Yoshimura at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame |publisher=motorcyclemuseum.org |accessdate=13 January 2018 }}</ref><ref name="Hideo Yoshimura">{{cite web |url=http://www.yoshimura-jp.com/en/company/philosophy-pop.php |title=Hideo Yoshimura |publisher=yoshimura-jp.com |accessdate=13 January 2018 }}</ref>
__TOC__

==Motorcycling career==
Born in [Fukuoka City](/source/Fukuoka), [Japan](/source/Japan), Yoshimura was called into military service during the [Second World War](/source/World_War_II) where he was trained as an aircraft mechanic.<ref name="Pops Yoshimura at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame">{{cite web |url=http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=297 |title=Pops Yoshimura at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame |publisher=motorcyclemuseum.org |accessdate=13 January 2018 }}</ref> After the war, he began tuning motorcycles for American servicemen stationed in Japan and in 1954, he opened his first shop, with his wife and children helping him.<ref name="Pops Yoshimura at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame"/><ref name="Hideo Yoshimura"/> In 1971, he moved his business to [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles) at the beginning of the four-cylinder [superbike](/source/superbike) era. He gained a reputation as an excellent motorcycle tuner.<ref name="Pops Yoshimura at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame"/>

In 1976 the [AMA](/source/American_Motorcyclist_Association) introduced a racing class for production based bikes and Yoshimura established himself by entering fast, reliable [Kawasaki Z1](/source/Kawasaki_Z1) bikes.<ref name="Pops Yoshimura at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame"/> In 1978 he switched to Suzuki bikes and began winning races.<ref name="Pops Yoshimura at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame"/> Steve McLaughlin won the 1978 Daytona Superbike race while [Wes Cooley](/source/Wes_Cooley_(motorcyclist)) and [Mike Baldwin](/source/Mike_Baldwin_(motorcyclist)) won the prestigious 1978 [Suzuka 8 Hours](/source/Suzuka_8_Hours) in Japan.<ref name="Hideo Yoshimura"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.motoracing-japan.com/result/spl/788h.html |title=1978 Suzuka 8 Hours results |publisher=motoracing-japan.com |accessdate=13 January 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yoshimura-jp.com/en/fan/race/ |title=Yoshimura Racing History |publisher=yoshimura-jp.com |accessdate=13 January 2018 }}</ref> With Wes Cooley as his rider, Yoshimura claimed the [AMA Superbike](/source/List_of_AMA_Superbike_champions) national championship in 1979 and 1980.<ref name="Pops Yoshimura at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame"/> Yoshimura formed a close relationship with Suzuki and eventually his team became the official Suzuki [factory](/source/Factory-backed) racing team in the United States. His company experienced success as one of the world's largest performance aftermarket sportbike exhaust manufacturers.<ref name="Pops Yoshimura at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame"/>

Yoshimura died of cancer in 1995. He left a legacy as a master craftsman, tuner and fabricator and was one of the pioneering personalities of superbike racing.<ref name="Pops Yoshimura at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame"/> In 2000, he was inducted into the AMA [Motorcycle Hall of Fame](/source/Motorcycle_Hall_of_Fame).<ref name="Pops Yoshimura at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame"/> His son continues to operate the company which still enjoys success in the AMA superbike class with rider [Mat Mladin](/source/Mat_Mladin) winning six championships in seven years, and [Ben Spies](/source/Ben_Spies) winning the 2006-2008 championships.

Yoshimura celebrated its 60th-anniversary event at the 2014 Suzuka 8 Hours race in Japan. [Kevin Schwantz](/source/Kevin_Schwantz) and Satoshi Tsujimoto raced a "Pops Yoshimura" special race bike for the Yoshimura Legends race team.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=297&lpos=0px&letter=Y&txtFname=&rblFname=S&txtLname=&rblLname=S&discipline=0 Pops Yoshimura at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.yoshimura-rd.com/ Yoshimura Official Website]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yoshimura, Pops}}
Category:1922 births
Category:1995 deaths
Category:Sportspeople from Fukuoka (city)
Category:Japanese motorcycle designers
Category:20th-century Japanese businesspeople
Category:Mechanics (people)
Category:Motorcycle racing team owners
Category:Deaths from cancer in Japan

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pops Yoshimura](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pops_Yoshimura) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pops_Yoshimura?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.