Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Tuner Jim Felt (right) and O'Mara have worked togetherforyears. O'Mara said, .....without a top mechanic you can't get the job done." 14 with Suzuki. I had called them back and told them I was really serious, and that I wanted to present a proposal to them, telling them what it would take to ride a Suzuki. My timing and leverage was right, and Suzuki told me they would contact Japan and get back to me. I wasn't going to end up without a contract at the end of the year, or go over and race in Europe without a contract like Donnie Hansen did the year he got hurt. I was just looking out for myself. Suzuki knew they'd have to pay to get a rider who can win championships and develop new bikes, and it was worth it to them to hire me. We had a deal almost immediately. (O'Mara reportedly signed· a threeyear contract with Suzuki that will pay almost $1 million, plus bonus incentives . .. Editor.) How do you see yourself fitting in at Team Suzuki? I have a lot of knowledge from years of racing. They need some guidance, and I'm aJmostlike a schoolteacher. I rode Erik Kehoe's and George HoIland's bikes, and they were set up all wrong. There are a lot of little things that we need to work on as a team. I plan to be a contender for another three or Tour years, and I'm planning on giving Suzuki a lot of help as I progress. Suzuki hasn't really been a force in motocross since the early 19805. Now that they have you on the team, will their efforts become stronger? I've been associated with Suzuki for a month, and I've never seen so much preparation to win races. Everything is being geared towards winning in '87. They want to get back on top again, and they're spending some money to get there. I' went out riding with Erik Kehoe on his race bike. To be honest, I wasn't really expecting a whole lot, from what I had heard, and I figured it would need a lot of work. After I cut a few laps my opinion was totally revised. I though I the bike had potential and tha I the motor was excellent. There were litile things' that needed to be changed. but I was really relieved to know 'thatl can win On that bike. Will Suzuki make you hungry to win again? I'm at the point that I needed a change. I was in a rut after being with Honda six years, and I felt that I needed something different. I want to come out strong and prove to myself and everyone else that I have what it takes. I think a lot of people are doubting me right now, but I want to change that and show everyone. I'm telling you and everyone who's reading this - I'm going to win races next year, and hopefully I'll bring a championship back to Suzuki. I rode Suzukis when I started racing at the age offive and now I'm back! Who will tune your machines at Suzuki? Jim Felt, my tuner at Honda, will be coming to work with me at Suzuki. I talked with Suzuki about Jim, and it was just a matter of coming to terms. I told Suzuki that you can hire the best riders, but withouta top mechanic you can't get the job done. I think Jim and I will be a big asset to the team. Everyone at Suzuki has already seen how we operate. We like to have a good time when we work. We want to make the sport fun, and we want to lend that atmosphere to the whole team. Tell us about your plans to ride some of the 500 GPs next year. One (;If the biggest parts of my deal with Suzuki is to develop a production 500cc MXer for 1988. I'll be headed to Europe to ride a pre-production '88 in some GPs. I'll be testing the bike at those races, but I'll also be over there to win. If the bike suits me and it's comfortable I'm going for it; I already proved how fast lcan go over there at this year's MX des Nations. Do you feel that sitting out the 500cc Nationals here in the U.S. will hurt your competitive edge? No. I think the 250cc Nationals and the Supercrosses are the most competitive, and I'll only miss five races. I'll be racing with the world's best over in Europe, so there won't be any time to layout. It's not like I'll be going ove~ there to go fishing. •

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