Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

With sponsorship and coaching by AI Baker ("All through my 100s he sponsored me. All through my 125cc races and, probably five years, maybe six, AI's been sponsoring me. He always thought that I had something in me, so -he's really backed me up a lot. "), Johnny 0' began establishing himself .as another top So Cal Pro. "I was winning, you know, and was doing pretty good, at least to make it to the next race," he remembered. Seeing that perhaps their boy did have a chance to make a go of it, the O'Maras eventually gave John their blessing in his attempt to become a full-time Pro. "They're behind me fully now, though; they want me to be good." And good he was, winning regularly on his Al Baker R&D-backed Suzuki. He picked up a Yamaha support ride in July 1979, but Baker remained his major sponsor/coach. However, Yamaha was not prepared to send O'Mara to campaign the National circuit, which of course was his immediate goal. Baker had recently become director of Mugen U.S.A. and by October, Johnny 0' was a Mugen factory rider. While practicing a week before the start of-this year's Continental Motosports Club Golden State Series, O'Mara caught' his foot in a rut, breaking two bones in the fool. He rode the series, though. and finished sixth in 'the final 125cc Pro point standings, winning the last three motos. Going into the 125cc Nationals, John knew thaI. he wasn't going to blow away the established stars in the class, but he .accurately assessed his talent and chances of learning more and, hopefully. doing well. ''I'm learning more. for sure. I thought I'd be able to finish (in the) top 10, maybe even top five in races. When it started off, I was really doing good, you know; I was in the top five out of the first two races and rhen when I hurt my back, you 'know, that's what put me back a little bit, for about three months. And now. I'm just gelling back into it now and I feel like I'm 100% again and that I can put in some good rides these last few Nationals". " Jolm received three compound frac1.ured vertabrae when he blacked out driving home after visiting a friend in the hospital. He had worked out hard that morning and had also just started a new vitamin program. The combination may have been too much for his body to handle and he went off the side of the freeway, hitting an overpass. Though O'Mara and his truck got bent, a friend with him was unhurt. When asked if he was still on the vitamin program, John replied, "Nope, it's gone, I could never tell any difference. As long as I'm eating good and all that stuff, 1 think it's enough." Though it was originally presumed he'd be out for three months, O'Mara came back in seven weeks, riding to disappoinring.16-23 finishes due to mechanical problems f!>r 19th at Washougal, WA, the fifth race in the series. He missed two' Nationals while healing and attributes the rapid reeovery to eating a lot of the food doctors told him to eat and staying nat on his back like Ije was supposed to until it got beller. Some of the creait must also go 10 his training and practice schedule which keeps him tOP sha pe. ''I'll mostly just rest on Monday, but I will go to a gym and work out with weights. 1 won't do any riding or running. "Tuesday. I'll run five miles in the morning and then after that, I'll go ride about. at least two 45-minute motos. I also ride a bicycle maybe about 15 to 20 miles after that in the afternoon. "On Wednesd.ay, I go to the gym in the moming, work out with weights and then I'll go riding for two 45-minute motos. I alw'ays do just like I'm racing. And I'll also probably ride a bicycle then, too; I ride a bicycle almost every daX' 'Then on Thursday, I run at least five miles, sometimes up to seven, "nd I'll go riding again. On Friday, sometimes I'll ride, sometimes I might just go to the gym and run. That's about it. It all depends if I got in a good week of riding. Then on Saturday, just fully rest for Sunday. I try to eat good and get a lot of sleep. "I always do it; I won't pass up one day because I don't feel like doing it, I'll do it for sure." O'Mara' feels that riding and "staying in the feel of it" is the most important part of his training. He can· siders that endurance is probably his weak point and while practicing, works on consistency, maintaining the same pace for both the first and last lap of each 45-minute mota. He concedes that riders like Glover are a second or two per lap fastet when going 100%, but it's because of their experience. "I know in time I should be able to do that, too," stated O'Mara. When not training, practicing or working on his practice bike, O'Mara plays "a lot of racquetball," goes trail riding with a couple friends 'On his XL75, hits the beach "once in awhile" or spends.time relaxing with his girlfriend. John estimates that he'll keep on racing for another five 10 10 years, provided he maintains a high degree of excellence. In that time, he hopes, ''I'd just like to. maybe, be 125cc National champ, then sooner or later race 250s." He presently bas no aspirations of going 10 Europe to contest a World Championship, at least until he gets more experience. In fact, at Mid-Ohio at least, the Europeans didn't ma](e much of an impression on John. "I thought they were a lot faster. I'd been reading about them and stuff, bow fast, like, Harry Everts and those guys are. They're no better than the Americans. I think the Americans will always beat them at this race." The Europeans did leave one impression on John. After the race, "I looked over and saw Harry Everts smoking a cigarette. I couldn't believe it! Like, none of us Americans would ever do that; just seeing that sort of blew my mind," he recalled. "How could they do that and race?" O'Mara credits AI Baker with helping him the most in his career thus far. "He's really backed me up. With· out him, I never could've done it." In addition to Mugen, PJ I lubricants, Electro helmets, Scott USA and Petty fenders are also named as being most helpful to his racing eff6rl. He would like nothing more than to reward his sponsors and himself with a National championship and a season that could truly be called "The Johnny 0' Show." The Johnny 0: Show got high enough rating in 1980 to gamer a factory contract. In 1981 O'Mara will be n'ding for Honda, piloting a 12Jcc waterpumper in the Nationals, and a 2JOcc waterpumper iii Supercross • Series events . .. Editor. ''f'~ .. ~. \..,- ;', - .::," \\brId's No.1 seller. • 11

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