Dick Johnson (racing driver)

Dick Johnson
Dick Johnson
	Johnson signing autographs in 2006
Nationality	Australian
Born	26 April 1945(age 79); Brisbane,Queensland,Australia
Retired	1999
Related to	Steven Johnson(son)
Australian Touring Car Championship
Years active	1970–1999
Teams	Bryan Byrt Racing; Dick Johnson Racing
Starts	202
Wins	22
Best finish	1st in1981,1982,1984,1988&1989 Australian Touring Car Championship
Previous series
1982–91; 1989–90; 1990	Australian Endurance Championship; NASCAR Australia; NASCAR Cup Series
Championship titles
1981; 1981; 1982; 1984; 1987; ; 1988; 1989; 1989; 1994; 1994; 1995; 1995	Australian Touring Car Champ.; Bathurst 1000; Australian Touring Car Champ.; Australian Touring Car Champ.; South Pacific Touring Car Championship; Australian Touring Car Champ.; Australian Touring Car Champ.; Bathurst 1000; Sandown 500; Bathurst 1000; Eastern Creek 12 Hour; Sandown 500
Awards
2001	V8 Supercars Hall of Fame

Richard "Dick" Johnson(born 26 April 1945) is a part-owner of theV8 SupercarteamDick Johnson Racingand a formerracing driver.As a driver, he was a five-timeAustralian Touring Car Championand a three-time winner of theBathurst 1000.As of 2008 Johnson has claimed over twenty awards and honours,^{[citation needed]}including theV8 Supercars Hall of Fameinto which he was inducted in 2001.

In 2009 as part of theQ150celebrations, Dick Johnson was announced as one of theQ150 Iconsof Queensland for his role as a "sports legend".^[1]

Early life

As a teen Johnson attendedCavendish Road State High Schoolin Brisbane, Australia and it was in this area ofCoorparoothat he first started driving with his father as a young child. Cavendish Road State High School has named one of their school houses Johnson, in his honour. The house colour is blue.

After leaving school, Johnson was drafted into theAustralian Armyat the age of 20 and began his two-year National Service in 1965. Although they did not know each other at the time, both Johnson and future touring car rivalPeter Brockwere stationed together at theBlamey BarracksnearWagga WaggainNew South Walesfrom 1965 to 1967.

Racing

Dick Johnson in the Holden EH at Lakeside in November 1969

Despite becoming synonymous with drivingFords,Johnson raced in his early days in a succession ofHoldens.Johnson's first race car was aHolden FJ,his first race being atLakeside International Racewayin November 1964. In 1968 and 1969 he raced hisHolden EHand from there progressed to aHolden ToranaGTR for 1970, scoring his firstAustralian Touring Car Championshippoints atLakesidein that year. The GTR was upgraded to XU-1 specifications in 1971. Johnson's first drive in theHardie Ferodo 1000was in Bob Forbes'Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1in1973when they placed fifth. Johnson then had a single race for theHolden Dealer Teamat theSurfers Paradiseround of the1974 ATCCwhere he finished 3rd driving a GTR XU-1. He later purchased the ex HDT Torana in which Peter Brock had won the Bathurst 1000 in 1972 from Barrie Nixon Smith and campaigned the car until his switch to Ford in 1977.^[2]The Torana was sold to Kerry Cox who raced it in the QLD Touring car championship in a close rivalry with Dick, with Cox winning in 1977 and Dick getting the title in 1978.

1981 Tru-Blu Ford Falcon

In 1980, during theBathurst 1000he started 2nd and led for the first 17 laps before his car was spun off the track after hitting a football-sized rock that had been, according to an eye-witness in 2012, accidentally kicked onto the track by one of a pair of inebriated men.^[3]The resulting public support where people from around Australia rang their localChannel 7television station (the race broadcaster) and pledged money to help the team get back on its feet. Eventually the sum ofA$72,000 was donated to help rebuild the car. Led by its CEOEdsel Ford IIwho saw the value of the goodwill in the press surrounding Johnson's crash, theFord Motor Company of Australiaprovided a new car shell and promised to match the donation dollar for dollar, resulting in the team receiving $144,000 to help get back into racing.

Johnson's close friend Ross Palmer, the owner of Palmer Tube Mills of Brisbane, became his primary sponsor in 1981 (with Bryan Byrt Ford also still a major sponsor), and with the donated money allowed him to return the next year to win both theAustralian Touring Car Championship(ATCC) and the Bathurst 1000 (withJohn French). Johnson won the ATCC in a famous race-long duel withPeter Brockat theLakeside International Raceway round.^[4]He won the ATCC again in 1982 (the Tru BluXD Falcon), 1984 (Greens TuffXE Falcon), 1988 (Ford Sierra RS500) and 1989 (Sierra RS500). He also won Bathurst in 1989 (in a Ford Sierra withJohn Bowe) and 1994 (in an EB Falcon, also with Bowe). The names Tru Blu, and Greens Tuff, as well as Red Roo (seen in late 1982 only), were product names of Palmer Tube Mills.

With much larger budgets required in the racing industry, Ross Palmer helped negotiate forShellto be the team's primary sponsor from1987.The larger budget allowed the team to expand from just one car for Dick, to a secondFord Sierra RS Cosworthfor his then teammateGregg Hansford.

NASCAR

In 1989 and 1990, prompted by Palmer Tube Mills who assisted him in receiving multiple sources of sponsorship and through the company's American offshoot Redkote, Johnson made a brief foray into theNASCAR Cup Seriesdriving aFord Thunderbird,entering a total of seven races with a best start of 11th atSears Point Racewayin his first race, and a best finish of 22nd atPocono Raceway.^[5]Johnson also drove a Thunderbird in the first NASCAR race held in Australia, the1988 Goodyear NASCAR 500at theCalder Park ThunderdomeinMelbourne.Unfortunately for Johnson he was involved in an early race crash which put him out of the event.

Retirement

Dick Johnson retired from racing at the end of the 1999 season, though he remains in charge of DJR. He did however make a one-off final appearance in front of his home crowd at the Queensland 500 in 2000 with his sonStevenwho had taken over driving Dick's famous Number 17 and continued to for over a decade after.^[6]Johnson has twice written his autobiography as well as contributing to a third biography.^[2]^[7]^[8]

In 2014, DJR announced that 51% of the team was sold to legendary team ownerRoger Penskeestablishing DJR-Team Penske, which fields two cars in V8 Supercar racing. In 2019 Scott McLaughlin and Alexandre Premat scored Johnson his first Bathurst 1000 win in any capacity since 1994. Penske later sold his share in the team back to Johnson at the end of the 2020 Supercars Championship and the team reverted to Dick Johnson Racing.^[9]

Racecam

Johnson's laconic nature and quick wit were put to good use by longtime Bathurst 1000 TV broadcasterChannel 7when they first put one of theirracecamunits in his Tru-Blu Ford Falcon for the1982 James Hardie 1000.Johnson and co-driver John French were also wired for sound so the commentary team could talk to the drivers while racing around the track. From then on Johnson's cars were rarely without a TV camera sitting where the passenger seat usually was, especially when Seven was televising the race. His laconic commentary and a seemingly endless list of one-liners quickly became a favourite with Australian race fans, even those who normally followed Holden drivers such as Peter Brock and Allan Grice, both of whom also became exponents of using racecam.

Some of Johnson's quotes while on racecam were:

"I've got one blackBMWin front of me, one behind me.Frank Gardnerand hisAll Blacks"–1985 ATCC,Round 5 at theAdelaide International Racewaywhile he was sandwiched between the blackJPS Team BMW's ofNew Zealanders Jim RichardsandNeville Crichton.Gardner was the JPS team manager.
"The oldVolvomust have its truck suspension in "–1986 ATCC,Round 4 at Adelaide International. IronicallyRobbie Francevic's Volvo emerged as the race winner.
"This race is like the Irishman who won theTour de FranceI tell ya. He had to go on a lap of honour "–1986 James Hardie 1000
"This is where I lose so much time. I mean, this part of the track is just so boring" – 1986 Bathurst referring to hisV8 Ford Mustang'slack of grunt compared to his competitors on the run upMountain Straight.
"It's missing and carrying on like an old sheila" –1988 ATCC,Grand Finale atOran Park Racewayafter turbo boost problems with his championship winningFord Sierra RS500saw him relinquish the lead mid-race to teammateJohn Bowe.With the opposition nowhere in sight, Bowe later slowed enough to allow Dick to win the race and followed him across the line in a 1–2 form finish.
"Winton? Its like running a marathon around your clothesline" –1990 ATCC,Round 4 atWintonafterChannel 7commentator Mike Raymond asked him what the definition of Winton was.
"ThenBrockgot past me would you believe, unfortunately, and that thing of his like, I nearly choked to death onMobil 1.It looks like the last train to Ferny Grove "– 1990 ATCC, Grand Finale at Oran Park after problems with the Sierra saw him drop out of race winning and championship contention. He was referring to the Peter Brock Sierra's habit of belching black oil smoke out of its exhaust whenever he lifted off the accelerator.
"The Sierra on one cylinder has got as much grunt as theCommodore"–1991 ATCC,Round 5 at Winton after his misfiring Sierra had been passed by theV8Holden Commodore ofLarry Perkins.
"You've got to be joking" –1995 ATCC,Round 3atBathurst.Channel 7 had just crossed to Johnson with Mike Raymond asking "Are you lonely?". Johnson's quote came just seconds before he spun hisFord EF Falconinto Caltex Chase, seemingly distracted by Raymond's interruption. However, as the TV camera's soon picked up, the rear wing of the Falcon had collapsed at over 280 km/h (174 mph) as he was turning into the fastest corner on any Australian race circuit, at the same moment that Seven crossed to talk to him.^[10]