30 Day Countdown to A1: #18 Johnny O’Mara
Tuesday, December 18, 2012 | 1:00 PM
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PrintWe’re getting down to the nitty gritty in the Monster Energy 30-Day Countdown to Anaheim 1, naming the thirty best supercross racers of all time. It’s a source of great bench-racing debates here at Racer X Online as we narrow down this list to the very best. Today will reach the top of the teens with one of the sport's all-time style kings.
Number 18 on the list is the 1984 AMA Supercross Champion Johnny O’Mara. A factory rider for Honda, Suzuki, and Kawasaki, O'Mara had a career that spanned a decade, featuring great success inside the stadiums—and he was quite a competitor outdoors as well. Nicknamed the “O’Show” for his stylish look and riding, O’Mara grew up in Southern California racing the local scene before being picked up by Mugen Honda, and then factory Honda in 1981. Teamed with a bunch of kids who didn’t know any better, Johnny became known for his speed on a 125 but rocketed to fame as a member of the winning 1981 Trophee and Motocross des Nations teams that shocked the world.
O'Mara was nicknamed the “O’Show” for his stylish look and riding.
Racer X Archive photo
O’Mara was also very good under the lights in the stadiums. In one of the most competitive eras supercross has ever known, he held his own against the likes of Rick Johnson, Jeff Ward, David Bailey, Mark Barnett, Bob Hannah, Mike Bell, and Donnie Hansen—all of them champions at one point or another.
Johnny won seven main events in his career, and interestingly enough, he did all of his winning in two years. In 1984 he led the series pretty much start to finish, taking five wins on his way to win the crown. The next year he captured two wins on his way to a disappointing fifth in the series. Besides winning in ’84, O’Mara also finished third in the ’86 series on a Honda.
O’Mara switched to Suzuki in 1987 when Honda did not make him an offer due to budget cuts. He signed a three-year, million-dollar contract to race equipment that wasn’t on par with other teams’. Knee injuries also slowed his output in ’87-’88. An all-new RM250 in 1989 was much improved, and O’Show had a comeback season that saw him finish in the top five in points and almost win the ’89 Anaheim season opener before the head tube on his RM broke while he was in the lead.
O’Mara finished his career on a factory Kawasaki and was helpful in testing for the team, also grabbing one more podium at Houston 1990 before hanging up the boots for good. O’Show gets extra bonus points for running some super sweet flo-pink-and-green Answer gear that year!
O'Mara sits number 22nd all-time in supercross wins.
Racer X Archive photo
Although only 22nd all-time in supercross wins, O’Mara gets the nod over racers with more wins because he was able to bring home a championship in an incredibly competitive era. That's why Johnny O'Mara is listed as #18 on our list of the 30 best supercross racers of all time.
To check out all of Johnny O'Mara's results over the years, visit his page in the Racer X Vault.
The 30 Best Supercross Racers of All Time Tracker:
#19 Doug Henry
#20 Jimmy Ellis
#21 Mike LaRocco
#22 Ezra Lusk
#23 Broc Glover
#24 Ron Lechien
#25 Jimmy Weinert
#26 David Vuillemin
#27 Donnie Hansen
#28 Larry Ward
#29 Mike Kiedrowski
#30 Marty Tripes
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I remember watching the O Show racing the outdoor nationals sitting on the gate for
the 250 class to take off. Silky smooth and so precise. Winning the Pontiac SX on sunday in '84 was cool. I got landed on by Lechien on Sat nite and broke my butt and
unable to compete in the sunday program when He won. But watched from the stands.
@ LarryWitmer
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Next time I'm up your way I'll make a stop up at the Lake Shore Grill Simonton lake to look you up maybe before Red Bud
jonny was a bad ass and a cool guy.(grew up watching him at the dunes) no body could come from nothing like he did in todays racing world.(because of the cost of entry level racing) he did however live&breath; mx, worked his ass off,and maximized every opportunity given to him.he is true example of working slowly&methodically; for your dreams.
Johnny was my hero when i was young and still is. he was so fit and did so much training.That inspired me never to drink alkohol and stop smoking.Today, I still look up to him..Thanks for keeping me fit, Johnny O!!
I remember Ward took both his titles the next year after he won them, 125 in 83 then Ward beat him in 84, then is SX Ward took the 84 title from him in 85. Just a little added info LOL
@b787tech - Hey. Are you OK? That must have been a hard hit to your head. Do you remember anything??
Seriously though - Pretty tough to compare one era to the next and not really worth trying. Rather than attempting to tear down the greats of the 80's, I suggest you just enjoy the current crop of MX/SX racers. It was great racing back then and it is great racing now.
Is it A1 yet??
b787 way to give credit to some of badasses to ever through a leg over a dirt bike, after leaving pro B.M.X. in 1980, mainly because my 2 older brothers were racing motocross, then started in M.X in 1982 ive rode/raced in the 80s, 90s, and up to 2006 and now the current pros your putting on a pedastal comparing to some of greats that made motocross what is is today, and i know giving them what stew and villo etc. have today playing card/ bullshit, there were no private jets, there were no simis, there were no private nor factory test tracks, there were no trainers, no someone standing over you making sure you dont fill up on cheesburgers. Mitch Payton stoping Ricky Carmichael to smell his finger because he had an in-and-out cup in his hands. plus the fact that 4 stroke are a hell of lot easier to ride, they made less money, they rode hurt, they rode with heart, there are only a few pros that have that desire to win at all cost, most all of them back then did. If we didnt have history we wouldnt have motocross.
b787tech thats one of the dumbest comments ever in the history of our sport. you must be under 18 and never even seen a video of those riders.
For one the bikes were alot worse than what we ride today then the riders didn't make the kind of money that the riders make today so they had to work a lot harder to make a living. Most of the riders back then came into the races and championships with a goal of winning, you never ever heard a rider much less a factory rider come in with a goal of a top ten...Like a lot riders today.
@b787tech
Guys in the 70's like Brad Lackey,Marty Smith Hannah and alike paved the way of thinking for TRAINING getting to the next level of Athletes that were to be the Bailey,JohnnyO ,Ward, Johnson, Ect , all the way to todays athletes and programs ..
Privateers are still the Heart and Sole of MX PERIOD .. You need some serious history brushing up, you are obvoiusly were not expoxed to those era's so your comments are just ramblings of the un- informed.
Merry Christmas and Happy to you and yours !
I'd like to see an article about the Mugen. That was like a works bike built by a private company, probably better than some of the works bikes at the time. O'Mara riding that at Mid-Ohio is what I think of as his breakout race. The bike was all white as was his gear. He was stylin'.
B787=douche bag.
Omara could beat you on his mountain bike.
I would be suprised if anyone today has Omaras fitness level. Guys like Stanton back then didn't need personal trainers or million dollar checks to shag their ass out of bed. They just went and did it, you have GOT to respect that. I would shoot myself before paying 150,000$ for someone to tell me to run longer.
Clearly, b787tech doesn't know much about MX/SX history. The '80s were probably the most competitive era to date.
I was always a fan of O'Mara for his skill AND style. I even ran gators for awhile due to his influence.
One of my memories of the O'Show was from attending a local race in the CA high desert at Adelanto in the mid '80s. He raced the pro class (of course), but the thing that stuck in my mind was that he'd ridden his bicycle all the way out to the race!
I also remember fondly the battles between he and Wardy (and Barnett and Lechien), but especially Wardy at my one and only visit to the Saddleback National before the track closed in '84.
Great piece, but would be even better if it included pictures of Johnny O' during his years with Suzuki and Kawasaki. One of my all time favorites.
b787 your weak attempt at sh*t stirring is just another in a short line of lame-a*s comments...a weak rookie commenter talkin sh*t on guys of that he never obviously saw in person so hes has real NO IDEA ....just makin stuff up to keep his lips flapping..O'mara might have been sky-shotting works Hondas and winning major races long ago but you and your spoiled brat disrespectful cornholer attitude will NEVER...E V E R... even come close to having the drive , skill and record he does....the article was about him not you it seems.... so if you don't like it to bad....kinda just shows your true lack of knowledge and respect of the sport and continues your record of 100% ahole like comments...Billc thanks for the Ward update.....not really.
Note to everyone, when you see an idiotic comment, ignore it, don't give it any attention...this is what gets them off. Its like when you read a tragic story on Yahoo or AOL and there are sympathetic posters...but then you get the stand out morons who say the worst things to get a rise. Ignore them, its that simple.
I remember thinking I was pretty good in 1979, and one Sunday morning I lined up on old Shadow Glen at the dunes, got a good start and one lap in on a right handder sand turn - this guy went by me decked out in all in white like I was sitting still!
He hit that sand burm so hard he threw sand all over all the spectators and anybody within 20 feet, got on his rear wheel thinking who the heck wears all white in a race and decided I was not going to let this freak hammer me on my home turf! Ya right he made realize just how far I had to go to be a true MXER!
b787 you are a joke and clearly you have no concept of what you are talking about!
Those battles between Omara and Ward in the 125 outdoors were epic, (CRC) series I think, oh how Saddleback is missed!
The O-show should be a lot lower on this list in my opinion.
Just sayin.
I think it was 1980 at the washougal mx when I was waiting by the whoops for o'show to come by for practice and when he did in his all white gear, white boot gators, white bike with red engine, it was to this day perhaps the coolest combo ever! Msu have been super cool for o'show to step out of his box van and now that he was probably riding a bad ass bike and destined for greatness!
b787,the only thing i can say is that i would like to fight you,you fu$king idiot,moron,pussy,e.t.c. your lack of understsnding of the competativeness of that era is a clear indication that you are one of the leading assh$les in the country. when "bob hurricane fuc%ing hannah" says you are a badass,you are a badass!
Speaking of Mid Ohio they have some on youtube go fetch.. Born and rasied in Ohio and having the parents {Father in the Mx field with all the greats from 70-90's and being a racer. I was 16 in 1980 at Mid Ohio USGP. Remember like it was yesterday. Not only did the O' Show win the Overall with a 1-3 score on a Mugen he was comming off a car crash that almost took his life .. He was racing with broken vertabre.. Johnny O from then on was on the world map !!! Johnny O equals STUD !
One of my all time favorites. I got to know a mountain bike racer once and told him one of the best ever MX racers went to mountain bike racing and when I told him his name he said "I didn't know he raced MX before he raced mountain bikes!" Turns out this guy was a fan of O'Show from only mountain bike racing.
I was at the 1989 Anaheim SX. It was such a heartbreak watching O'Show leading and walking away when the front end locked up with no steering. He pushed his bike to the side of the track and the whole crowd was upset the bike broke. This would have picked up his career when he hadn't had a win in years.
Forward progress in all sports makes the guys that paved the way look worse. It's not worth comparing. Sure wish our idiot Politicians would learn from our past though. That is the only group that it's easy to look back and see much better leaders. Just sayin
I would think that after the butt kicking b787 got on here today, we won't be hearing from him for a while! lol He must be young. As in if he would have grown up when some of us did, he would think differently. Times change. It would be dumb to try to compare !960's era MX to 1980's era MX as well. It's like compareing apples to oranges. Leave it alone. It just isn't the same. What will the next decade of moto bring for us? That would be a much better topic.
b787?...you got torched!...hopefully youve learned a valuable lesson.
Johnny O'Mara
super smooth technique and style on the bike
even more style in his riding gear
"locals only" california flair.
That's okay because I know a guy who refuses to watch MX/SX and hasn't followed it since the 1980s. He says it will never be the same and he has seen the greatest years of the sport and there is no reason to watch it now. He wrote RC off and it bothered him when I told him O'Show was friends with RC and was working with him. If I talk to him about MX it has to be about the 80's or Hannah and JoJo. if I start talking about present riders he gets visibly annoyed.
I was at the Dallas SX in the Cotton Bowl in 1984 when Johnny clinched the championship. He and Wardy not only were great competitors, they also rivaled each other in style points too!
Just watch the video of the 1986 MX Des Nations and you will know all you need to know about the umbelievable fortitude and talent of Johnny O'Mara. What an amazing athlete.
Hey, I just want to point out that each of the guys listed within the beginning of this article all had cool nicknames as opposed to the current crop of racers. Check it out-
RJ was the Bad Boy, Wardy was the Flying Freckle, Barnett was the Bomber, Bailey was the Little Professor, Bell was Too Tall, and Hansen was Holeshot Hansen. Just sayin'.
RJ was TOO Hip ! Hannah was Trouble plus Hurricane, Tomahawk Tommy Croft.
Could be here all day with that list !
@b787:
I think a more interesting deal would be put todays's top guys on the line back in the day!
Most of them would quit racing instantly.
I think some guys - just like any sport - would find a a way to win during any era, just 'cause they are complete animals! RC, Hannah, RJ, Wardy, O'show...
I'd be willing to say not a lot of pro football stars from way back could complete in this era simply because the lack of training knowledge, medical tech., nutrition, etc,. But if they had that at their disposal like today's players, they'd make use of it and still be on top. Same with MX...
hey b787,
in addition to what everyone told and said about you, i really hope you're not a pilot, 'cause renobs like you give us real aviators (and mxers) a bad name! now, go on and keep playing mx with your nintendo, you phuktard...
That being said, article failed to mention o'show's great achievement...absolutely humiliating and destroying all them euros on a 125 at the '86 mxdn! go team usa!!!!