O'Hara Has Family Backing

by Lois Pollard-Grant

Sean O'Hara is living proof that auto racing is a family sport. His dad, Roy, is in the pits with him on Saturday nights at Western Speedway. Along with other crew members, there's his brother-in-law, Dan Weeds, who sets up his car.

In the stands, cheering on their favorite driver, are his mom Pat, sister Roxanne, and niece and nephew, Shawnee and Kyle. His fiancée, Angela Holloway, is also there, as is a legion of loyal Sean O'Hara supporters, all wearing caps in the trade mark colors of the #43 thundercar. The striking colors were his mom's choice.

O'Hara first memories of being bitten by the racing bug go back to when he was a youngster in the 70's. He would go out to Western Speedway with his mom, dad, and older sister to watch Billy Price race ("Billy Price built houses with my dad in the '70's").

O'Hara, now 28 is the first to admit that he is not a mechanic, and because of his lack of mechanical aptitude, he has acquired the nickname of "drill bit." he said. "In fact, everything I touch I break."

This explains why the crew has designated O'Hara to driving duties only.

And at driving, O'Hara does exceptionally well.

To date, his best year (after starting in claimers in 93) has been 1996 - his "dream season," when he "almost" won the championship. He won a remarkable half of the 14 ultra competitive feature races that year.

Also in 1996, he was named the Driver of the Year and held the Thundercar track record.

Last year was another successful season for the Happy Valley resident, even though the championship once again eluded him. He finished second to Tim Christy and for the second year in a row.

This year has been a big disappointment for O'Hara and his crew. As with Murphy's law, anything that can happen... has happened to the #43 thundercar.

"When bad luck strikes you, there's not a darn thing you can do about it, "he says. "We've had nothing but mechanical break downs and when this happens it prevents you from doing well."

O'Hara had one of his best finishes of the season two weeks ago with a fourth in the thundercar 100; so perhaps Lady Luck is finally casting kindly glances his way.

When O'Hara retires from racing, he would like to be remembered as being "fast and a clean driver."

And he will be retiring at season's end, but only for one year, as he and Angela have marriage plans for 1999.

But come of the turn of the century, O'Hara says he will be back - and so will that wave of purple and green that makes its presence so well known in the stands.

-as printed in the August 5, 1998 edition of the Goldstream News Gazette