Andrew Brady (28), from Roslea, a welder with Aidy Curran's plumbing contracting firm in Lisnaskea, is a self-confessed motorbike addict whose only regret is he didn't start earlier. But, in the relatively short time he has been racing, he has begun to earn enough from the sport to cover expenses.
Married to Louise, he is the father of Morgan (6) and Kezia (2). Such is his easy-going manner, and riding skills, he was recently given a brand new bike, a GSXR Susuki by one of his sponsors, Kieran Brennan and he has been adopted by the Brewery Lane Supporters Club in Cookstown as their number one and handed him a Yamaha to boot.
He will now be riding both machines this season, in different classes, of course.
His welding work takes him all over Ireland, so finding the time to work on his machine(s) and do his full-time job and, of course, find time to be with his family takes a lot of juggling.
"It takes up everything", he explained. "The way the road racing works is, if you're racing Saturday, you leave home on Friday and it's Saturday night before I'm home. Some of these road races are on back to back week-ends, sometimes three in a row.
"Then, you could be cleaning and fixing your machine three evenings a week after work to get it ready for Friday again. Nobody", he said, "really appreciates the time that's put into motor-bike racing. People think you simply turn up, but it isn't like that".
In fact, Andrew sometimes sacrifices his work if need be, but Louise is his number one supporter an, in fact, she is his manager. Before that, his late mother, Mary (she died on 15th January this year) always backed him.
"She just always said it takes a special person to do that sort of thing", he explained. "She did think it was a bit dangerous and she couldn't understand the bike leaning over so far, but at the same time, she knew that's what I always wanted to do.
"She came to see me racing in Monaghan last year. It was her first road race, and she loved it, although she found the noise a bit much for her. She was very proud of me, and I know she's up there looking after me now".
Andrew is the 'baby' in a family of five, the younger brother of twins, Desmond and Damian and of Louise and Orla. There was, he explained, no biking tradition in the family background, so how did he get into it?
"It was just me. I always had a great interest in motor-bikes, and I first go into them when I was 12 or 13. My brothers used to take me at different times to the North West 200. It was always my intention to get my own bike when I was old enough, and I had mini-cross and off road bikes from when I was 12 till I started racing".
In 2001, he took part in his first race at Nutts Corner, in the Clubman's Championship, and finished 10th.
'I was pretty chuffed with that. That was me hooked. I then got heavier bikes. I had a full year on the roads last year because I had got sick of the short circuits".
New places he road raced in tripped easily off his tongue, Cookstown, Tandragee, Skerries, Killane, Faheen, and so on. But, it was all worth it, for he won the Loanends Championship as reward for an outstanding debut season where he had three or four pole positions and broke three lap speed records.
In those races, Andrew was riding a 750 Susuki, with 140 brake horse power which was bought for him by Kieran Brennan who runs a damp-proofing firm in Monaghan, the man referred to earlier who has now delivered to him a GSXR Susuki, a much more powerful version.
