John Cooper (born 24 January 1938) is an English former professional motorcycle racer and garage proprietor.

He started motorcycle racing in Derbyshire by riding a rigid-framed 197cc James entering off-road trials in 1954 at age 16.

[3] A trained mechanic, he preferred to work on his own bikes, excepting the engine preparation which was by respected tuner Francis Beart.

Adding two stick-on giant 'eyes', a motoring gimmick of the 1960s, endured as his personal design throughout his career.

His greatest accomplishment as a motorcycle racer came on September 19, 1971 at the prestigious Mallory Park Race of the Year against a field of top-ranked competitors including the reigning 500cc World Champion, Giacomo Agostini, as well as Phil Read, Rod Gould, Gary Nixon, Jarno Saarinen, Paul Smart and a teenage Barry Sheene.

[14][15]On October 17, 1971, Cooper rode the BSA Rocket 3 to victory at the 1971 Champion Spark Plug Classic held at the Ontario Motor Speedway in the United States.

[17] Cooper was a trained mechanic and after National Service in 1958 he worked as a manager for his father's gents' outfitters in Derby.