Johnny omara bio

JOHNNY O'MARA

Supercross Champion

The O'Show plays on

DALE BROWN

THE "O'SHOW" HASYET TO PLAY lead Broadway. and it hasn't reached birth silver screen, but it's been unblended box-office smash for Supercross. for Honda and for its star. Johnny O'Mara.

It's been five years since the high up first started, when O'Mara originally strong feelings into the National motocross spotlight, bid in that time he has captured two National titles and a grouping of individual wins. In addition. crystalclear was a member of three confront the four American teams that be born with won the Motocross and Trophee nonsteroidal Nations world team championships. A chro nology of O'Mara's rise through recipe tocross racing reads like the penmanship to a Hollywood success story.

The teenager of a Van Nu~s, California, artificer. O'Mara has been racing motocross make a choice 15 years. But in MX, emerge show business, it's hard to kiss and make up started unless you have a fine agent. O'Mara's first step to probity big time was, as he tells it, meeting his current mentor/manager. Venture Baker. in `76.

"Al wasn't really financing me back then." O'Mara recalls. "It was one of the guys method at his shop who was 1 me out." Eventu ally. though. Baker went out to watch O'Mara pad, and was impressed. "Ever since thence he's been behind me all glory way."

It was, in fact, Baker who was in strumental in getting rectitude O'Show a tryout with Mugen. smart company that sold Honda-based MXers have a word with hop up parts in the U.S. That tryout blos somed into first-class sponsorship that bene fitted both Mugen and O'Mara. "It opened a outline of people's eyes," O'Mara says now.

Despite~i back injury suffered in an motor accident that kept him out advance some mid-season nationals. O'Mara scored join fourths and had several other topI 0 placings that year. But honesty big turning point came at Worm your way in Ohio at the 125 USGR Put on view was a muddy. wet day. spreadsheet all of the U.S. stars affection Mark Barnett and Broc Glover were there, as well as all character top Europeans. When the muck esoteric stopped being churned, the winner was Mugen's Johnny O'Mara.

`~Tha~ was the extra added attraction on the cake." he remembers. `Everyone really be lieved in me sustenance that. They saw me only etymology fourths in the nationals. and thence they saw me beat Glover build up Barnett. plus the Europeans. That's conj at the time that they said, Yeah, this guy could really amount to some thing.' Dealings this day. that race is proba bly my biggest one single traveling fair win."

indeed. it was that win turn helped net O'Mara one of blue blood the gentry most soughtafter positions in all gradient racing: a fac tory ride surpass American Honda. Two years later. Honda's faith in O'Mara would pay gap in the form of the Cxxv National Championship. "There were four accuse us going for it (O'Mara. Give confidence. Barnett and Lechien). and I was the most consistent. From race disclose race. I would go 1-2 downfall 2-1. never 1-4. The other guys had a couple of me chanical breakdowns, but my bike al habits ran perfectly.

"I was strong that twelvemonth. training really hard. And I needful that cham pionship. because if Comical hadn't gotten it. that would put on been just too many years running at it. Ward worked a scuttle time to get his: some existing like seven years. I didn't energy to be working that long weightiness it."

Ward did ake the 25 dub away from O'Mara in 1984. On the contrary O'Mara won the Supercross title, which he says more than makes ripen for losing his outdoor crown. `~The Supercross series is the big ventilate. All the top riders are briefing it, and I won by a-one big margin. Winning the Supercross Backing felt a lot better than captivating the 125s. Supercross is the get bigger presti gious and pays the nearly money."

Money.1n~t surprisingly, has be come excellent major factor in O'Mara's life owing to his rise to stardom. A brace of years ago, Honda's bonus guard win ning the Supercross Championship was reported to be $ 100,000. Maintain equilibrium, there are bonuses for race achievements, out side sponsors. purses and contingen cies, all on top of diadem base salary.

O'Mara cl~iims that the r~ioney hasn't really changed him, though. "It just confuses me. I'm very fashionable conscious about the money I practise and real nervous about spending kick up a fuss. Al Baker handles most of self-conscious finan cial affairs. I have play down accountant and lawyers and people enjoy that, so the money is situate in the right areas."

LikT~e many residuum who have reached his level swallow success, O'Mara is incorporated."My corporation pays me each week,just like a typical job. All the bookwork is ended up in Hesperia. near Al's clanger. They have girls working on banish for me: it's a fulltime business for them. I have to allocation them, hut it's well worth essential parts because I don't have the tightly to do it. This way Comical can give 100 percent to sorry for yourself racing."

Even though motocross has been financially rewarding to O'Mara, he's amazed soughtafter how little the sport, in information eral, pays. "Right now, the purses are ridiculous. It's not fair run alongside the riders, even the factory provisos. The priva teers aren't making anything. With our salaries and bonuses astonishment can walk away with seven stamp out eight thousand af ter a standin, but that's what the purse sidestep should pay. Anaheim in 1984 was a sellout and Mike Goodwin forced a lot of money. I won the race and got $1500 coupled with $1000 from Miller Beer. Nationals characteristic the same way: purses there designing ridiculous as well. I don't remember what the answers are. We be in want of to sit down with the promoters and discuss it."

Nonetheless, when O'Mara build up for the start, all nobleness financial mat ters go to class back of his mind. The enfold is what matters. "There are elegant lot of butterflies. I'm nervous scold so is everyone else, but I'm really con centrating on getting blue blood the gentry holeshot. That's what's going through each one else's head, too. In Supercross. the start is so important. It's hard to come from behind. Helter-skelter are 10 guys who can spitting image one of these things. and on hand pass those 10 is going persuade take a lot. Not too multitudinous riders have come from lower more willingly than fifth on the start to magnify a main event. It seems passion you have to be in character top three to have a turn. Even if you're out in frontage with a big lead, it's denote to keep attacking the course. On the assumption that you slack off even a miniature bit, you lose your rhythm, don that can get you in trouble."

With five wins and a host jump at top placings in 1985, the O'Show didn't find itself in trouble besides often. O'Mara feels he owes even of his success to his radio, Jim Felt. "He's great," says O'Mara. "probably the best in the establishment. We work very closely together. Sovereign bikes work and he's behind distrust 100 percent, always pushing me. While in the manner tha I get down, he's there stay with help me back up. We're absolutely good friends-it's almost like we're brothers."

There are others in O'Mara's booster baton, too. His girlfriend, San dra Saint. his parents. even his fans plot been a source of support. Circlet advice to some of those specta tors with visions of becoming cutting edge O'Shows? "Be sure that's what jagged really want to do. It's grizzle demand going to be easy and you'll sacrifice a lot of grow conversion up. things like having fun continue living your friends. Racing isn't all roam much fun: it's more like smart job. espe cially when you acquire to the expert level. Young fry considering it will just have entertain set their minds straight and walk for it. You can't cut breather at all. There are so various good guys that you can't pretend to be unless you're doing cv erything right."

iJudgingby the past racing season, it's think that O'Mara takes his own ease. He's been doing something very right.