Hey everyone,

As you may or may not know, Andrew & I have had some filming done over the past few months with Channel 7 in relation to auction properties. The focus is from the agents eyes and they have also been following us around outside of work too to see what agents do on the outside of the office. They have even took a trip to Eastern Creek where they attached a camera aboard my bike – just to see what agents do for fun!

It has finally come to air and the series is called “Under the Hammer” which starts Monday night at 8.00pm. We are not on the first episode, and we don’t know when we will be on until a week before (I think it is around episode 8??), but if you would like to tune in next week for the first episode, that would be great. It was a gamble agreeing to be part of it as we know how the media can twists things – but we took the risk and lets just hope they don’t make us out to be fools!

Here is the media release TV ad:

http://au.tv.yahoo.com/plus7/under-the-hammer/-/watch/7617350/new-series-starts-monday-8-00pm/?play=1

Stay tuned for more details when we get close to being on the big screen!!

db

Talk about freezing cold! Although the sun was shining for the 3 days at Winton raceway the temperature was very cold and it made me realise that tyre warmers serve more of a purpose than just heating rubber – they are used to defrost hands and feet.

I had only ridden at Winton Raceway once before and not on my R6 so I knew there was going to be a challenge ahead. I went into qualifying on the Saturday a little disappointed as my practice times from the day before left a little to be desired but decided to make some small set-up changes to the suspension to make the braking a bit more stable. This worked in my favour as I had “Pinky” feeling the best she has probably ever felt.

We did have our qualifying session very early in the morning which left a great deal of fog still sitting over the track and it made it extremely hard to see and judge you speed. It did take me most of Saturday (yes I was having a shocker!)to get the confidence to push a bit harder for Sunday as it was a very unfamiliar, windy and extremely bumpy racetrack!

There were approximately 30 entries and I was planning on a top 10 finish for the weekend so I knew I had my work cut out for me. I guess I didn’t eat my weet bix on Saturday as my results weren’t as Id hoped but I managed to get it together for Sunday to keep me in the top 10 for the overall series points. In 4 weeks we head to Eastern Creek which is my home track – and ill be pushing for better than a top 10 result that’s for sure.

Saturday
Race 1 – 17th
Race 2 – 17th
Race 3 – 20th

Best lap time: 1.32.7

Sunday
Race 1 – 16th
Race 2 – 14th
Race 3 – 12th

Best lap time: 1.31.9

Currently placed 10th Overall in the 600cc Championship. db

Amy O’Mara proves once again that nothing will stop her from racing for victory, even if that means eight races in one day:

I hit Wakefield Park on Sunday 18th April with no practice the day before, worn tyres and straight into qualifying! Nothing like getting straight into it however, it does take me at least a session or two to get my mind up to the speed we do. I was planning on racing my new toy the Yamaha R1 as well in the ladies class but it is still waiting for some extra parts to make it race worthy so “Pinky” the R6 had to do double duties.

No suspension changes were made to “Pinky” from the last race so it was a matter of just wrapping her tyres in the warmers to give her some sticky soles to get some grip and we were off – one small factor was that the power kept tripping and the tyre warmers were turned off so I went into the first qualifying session for the 600cc class with lukewarm tyres – not great for grip that’s for sure which resulted in a poor qualifying time.

Next up was the ladies qualifying session. As there were only 3 ladies entered for the race meeting, our class was mixed with a few other classes to constitute a full grid of 29 riders on all different bikes. Qualifying went well and so did every race for that class as I won overall – I even missed the start of one of the races and had to start the race from pit lane after the field of riders got away – I was dead last then I was let loose! To my amazement I carved up every single rider in my path to take the win.

The 600cc class was full of pesky boys again and I managed each race to get closer to the front of the pack. In one race only one small mistake by me on the last turn managed to send me off dirt tracking but I managed to get back on track and take Pinky through the chequered flag unscathed. I did manage to pull a personal best lap time on Sunday which had me smiling all the way home. Monday was spent walking around the office in pain – 8 races in one day was hectic!

Race Results:

600cc Class – 28 riders

Qualifying – 11th

Race 1 – 9th
Race 2 – 5th
Race 3 -5th
Race 4 – 4th

Ladies Class

Qualifying – 1st overall combined riders

Race 1 – 1st
Race 2 – 1st
Race 3 -1st
Race 4 – 1st

www.amyomara.com.au/

Again, thank you to all my sponsors who make racing happen.

Yamaha: www.yrt.com.au
McGrath Foundation: www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au
YRD: www.yrt.com.au/assets/img/pdf/trailzone_yrd.pdf
Shark Helmets: www.ficeda.com.au
Axo Boots: www.ficeda.com.au
Ixon Suits: www.ficeda.com.au
Belray: www.ficeda.com.au
DID Chains: www.ficeda.com.au
Cunninghams Property: www.cunninghamsproperty.com.au
FYI Property: www.fyigroup.com.au
URM Group: www.urmgroup.com.au
Action Motorcycles: www.actionmc.com.au
Roland: www.rolanddg.com.au
Fancy Dog Accessories: www.fancydog.com.au

All photography © Keith Muir | www.bike-photos.com/

db

The first Superstock 600cc race for the year is always very exciting! You can’t beat the adrenalin rush of lining up on the grid for the first big race of the year, especially at Phillip Island. With no practice under my belt since last year, I felt a bit under prepared and in a less than ideal situation as I like more track time to feel good on the bike. There was also the looming evidence that the new control tyres for our class weren’t as good as the control tyre of 2009 but I was sure after a few laps of The Island would soon tell if I liked them or not.

There were small set-up changes made to the bike in regards to the suspension to compensate for the different tyres and ‘Pinky’, my trusty Yamaha R6, had a brand new set of shiny pink fairings ready to race. It was pretty hard to miss me out on the track with the pink colours and it was a great way to gain profile for the McGrath Foundation.

Qualifying

Approximately 30 riders entered my class, the biggest field of the weekend. With so many riders on the track, qualifying was very busy on Thursday morning and with only 20 minutes to get the bike sorted, it was all very hectic.

Surprisingly, I managed to qualify in 10th position on the grid, with a personal best lap time! What a great way to start the season and with no practice. Although most of the riders complained about front end grip with the new tyres, I seemed to have more of an issue with turning the bike! The new set up made it more difficult for me to tip the bike in on a turn and when exiting the corner on the throttle I seemed to run wide. With some more time on the bike I am sure I will get a better feel for it, but I wasn’t complaining with top 10 in qualifying, that’s for sure.

Race 1

I got a terrible start. It is extremely daunting having 30 riders all aiming for the one race line in the first couple of corners. I was a bit hesitant on the first lap and dropped back a lot of positions as the race settled down. However, I fought my way back through the pack of riders and picked off riders one by one to finish the race in tenth position. A good start to the year and I was happy with how things went.

Race 2

A much better start this time and I tried to be a little more aggressive on the opening lap. But I missed some gears and lost a heap of momentum that allowed other riders to overtake me. I passed a few back but by the end of the race I finished 11th. I would like to have stayed up front early in the race and try and match my pace with the leaders.

Race 3

With the amount of races scheduled for the day, our final race was at 6pm and I was ready for dinner, not racing. Things were going well until my last flying lap when I decided to overtake a rider under brakes through a hairpin turn. I was going too fast for my own good and I couldn’t pull the bike up in time. So rather then T-bone the other rider, I decided to try to tip in hard on the right and make the turn. I cranked it over, all the way over and went down. I also took the other rider with me.

That was a disappointing way to finish the weekend as I was headed for ninth in the race and that would have given me a pretty good overall result for the day. ‘Pinky’ only ended up with a few small war wounds that can be easily fixed and she will be ready to go for the next race.

Racing resumes in three weeks time at the opening round of the New South Wales series. By then I hope to have had a lot more practice and feel much better on the bike. I might also learn how to use my brakes properly and not take myself out when in good positions.

www.amyomara.com.au

Again, thank you to all my sponsors who make racing happen.

Yamaha: www.yrt.com.au
McGrath Foundation: www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au
YRD: www.yrt.com.au/assets/img/pdf/trailzone_yrd.pdf
Shark Helmets: www.ficeda.com.au
Axo Boots: www.ficeda.com.au
Ixon Suits: www.ficeda.com.au
Belray: www.ficeda.com.au
DID Chains: www.ficeda.com.au
Cunninghams Property: www.cunninghamsproperty.com.au
FYI Property: www.fyigroup.com.au
URM Group: www.urmgroup.com.au
Action Motorcycles: www.actionmc.com.au
Roland: www.rolanddg.com.au
Fancy Dog Accessories: www.fancydog.com.au

All photography © Keith Muir | www.bike-photos.com

db

Amy O’Mara…..where it all began

It doesn’t seem that long ago. I had just hung up my riding boots after years of competitive horse-riding, I was fresh back from an overseas adventure and thought; what is next on the list of things to do for Amy O’Mara?

My question was soon answered: It was very early on a winter Sunday morning sitting at some traffic lights and they were just a metre away.

My eyes were fixed on a bright blue machine with shiny silver bits. I was very unaware at the time this was in fact a Suzuki GSXR750 with a green bike next to him waiting patiently for the lights to change. The rider was wearing a matching leather suit and a slick “don’t mess with me” graphic painted helmet complemented by a very staunch looking silver iridium visor and a very loud deep angry sounding exhaust pipe.

I just sat there, glued to whole package. I was (just a little bit) younger and was mesmerised. I thought this all looked very cool and I wanted that cool look. It looked dangerously exciting but more importantly – it looked untouchable.

With no previous motorbike experience but a love for fast (and shiny) cars I figured bikes would interest me and if I could colour-coordinate all my gear then I’d definitely be on the right path to looking cool and untouchable!

I wasn’t one of those lucky kids who grew up with bikes but I was fortunate my two sisters decided to marry guys that rode. The guys didn’t know they would end up with the pesky little sister-in-law nagging them to go for a double. One day they couldn’t take me so – hands on my hips and feeling peeved – I decided there and then to book in for my “Learner’s” permit thinking, ‘who needs you boys anyway? I’ll take myself for a ride!

I managed to get my Learners – only just and my “P’s” was even more of a close call but I succeeded and purchased a Honda CBR250RR through the help of a local mechanic friend of my brother in law.

Too scared to even sit on it, I made him ride it home and it sat in the garage for a week. (Did I mention the colour? It did match my new leather jacket and helmet so I was smiling even though I wasn’t brave enough to ride the scary thing).

I finally got the courage to swing a leg over and give it ago. I remember very clearly the very first ride on my bike on the road. It was very, very daunting. We went on a five- minute cruise and a maximum of 60kms an hour. All the cars were overtaking me and I remember the road going so fast under me. I had never noticed it before when being a pillion but being in control I understood how dangerous it can be. It’s one of those experiences that will never happen again – like my very first race – and is all so very clear.

I couldn’t sleep that night from excitement!

]]> http://www.dailybike.com/2009/10/amys-journey/feed/ 0 http://www.dailybike.com/2009/09/introducing-amy-to-dailybike-com/ http://www.dailybike.com/2009/09/introducing-amy-to-dailybike-com/#comments Sat, 19 Sep 2009 03:49:07 +0000 Bracksy http://67.228.195.114/~dailybik/?p=123

Dailybike prides itself on the versatility of content on the site as our philosophy is to cover all aspects of road riding. The addition of Amy O’Mara to the dailybike team is another example of our aims and something we are proud of as Amy will no doubt provide a unique insight into the passion we all follow.

Amy has been racing only a few years but in that time she has certainly made a few stand up and notice. The girl from the Northern Beaches of Sydney is definitely not fazed by mixing it with the boys and in 2009 took the plunge into one of Australia’s most hotly contested road race titles, the Australian Superstock 600cc Championship.

Even before the bike bug bit she has had a competitive streak competing successfully for many years in horse events such as Dressage.

Amy has proven to be a fast and determined rider not just a very pretty face and there to make up the numbers. She has gained respect in the testosterone charged environment of the racing paddock for her competitiveness and toughness. Some of the get-offs would be enough for many guys to pull the pin on racing but Amy bounces back more determined that ever to succeed.

At the same time Amy is using her racing exploits and exposure as a way of raising awareness of breast cancer through the McGrath Foundation.

With Amy’s input and unique perspective on riding – particularly racing – we are confident that you will enjoy her insights and thoughts.

Come for a ride on the “Other Side”

- Bracksy