Forty-six years ago this week, (3-11-58) Eddie Ray Lawson was born at San Antonio Community Hospital in Upland, CA. Lawson was racing by 1968, and when he finished, "Steady Eddie" was a four-time world champion and two-time US Superbike champion.

While Eddie had much success racing for Kawasaki, Honda, and even Cagiva, he is most known for his prowess on Yamahas. He teamed with Kenny Roberts on Yamaha Grand Prix bikes in the 1980s, then when Kenny retired, Eddie won three out of his four 500cc World Championships on YZR500s. Outside of the two-stroke world, Eddie won the 1986 Daytona 200 from the pole on a fresh-out-of-the-box FZ750S. He repeated that feat with another Daytona 200 win, riding a Yamaha FZR750RR OW01 in Vance & Hines colors back in 1993.