Dick Johnson (racing driver)
| Dick Johnson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born | 26 April 1945 |
| Retired | 2000 |
| Related to | Steven Johnson (son) |
| Australian Touring Car Championship | |
| Years active | 1970-2000 |
| Teams | Bryan Byrt Racing Dick Johnson Racing |
| Starts | 202 |
| Wins | 22 |
| Best finish | 1st in 1981, 1982, 1984, 1988 & 1989 Australian Touring Car Championship |
| Previous series | |
| 1989-90 1990 |
NASCAR Australia NASCAR Winston Cup |
| Championship titles | |
| 1981 1981 1982 1984 1988 1989 1989 1994 1995 |
Australian Touring Car Champ. Bathurst 1000 Australian Touring Car Champ. Australian Touring Car Champ. Australian Touring Car Champ. Australian Touring Car Champ. Bathurst 1000 Bathurst 1000 Eastern Creek 12 Hour |
| Awards | |
| 2001 | V8 Supercar Hall of Fame |
Dick Johnson (born 26 April 1945 in Queensland, Australia) is the owner of the V8 Supercar team Dick Johnson Racing and a former racing driver. As a driver, he was a five-time Australian Touring Car Champion and a three-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. As of 2008 Johnson has claimed over twenty awards and honors,[citation needed] including the V8 Supercar Hall of Fame into which he was inducted in 2001.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
As a teen Johnson attended Cavendish Road State High School in Brisbane, Australia and it was in this area of Coorparoo that 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.
[edit] Racing
Despite becoming synonymous with driving Fords, Johnson raced in his early days in a succession of Holdens. Johnson's first race car was a Holden FJ, his first race being at Lakeside International Raceway in November 1964. In 1968 and 1969 he raced his Holden EH and from there progressed to a Holden Torana GTR for 1970, scoring his first Australian Touring Car Championship points at Lakeside in that year. The GTR was upgraded to XU-1 specifications in 1971. Johnson's first drive in the Hardie Ferodo 1000 was in Bob Forbes' XU-1 Torana in 1973 when they placed fifth, and in 1974 he purchased an ex-Holden Dealer Team Torana which he campaigned until the switch to Ford in 1976.[1]
In 1980, during the Bathurst 1000, his car was destroyed after hitting a rock that had fallen (or been thrown) onto the track. The resulting public support—A$70,000 was donated to help rebuild the car—threw Johnson into the big time. The Ford motor company provided a new car shell and promised to match the donation dollar for dollar. His first primary sponsor to escalate him into the big arena was Ross Palmer, owner of Palmer Tube Mills of Brisbane, Australia, allowing him to return the next year to win both the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) and the Bathurst 1000 (with John French). He won the ATCC again in 1982 (the Tru Blu XD Falcon), 1984 (Greens Tuff XE Falcon), 1988 (Ford Sierra RS500) and 1989 (Ford Sierra RS500). He also won Bathurst in 1989 (in a Ford Sierra with John Bowe) and 1994 (in an EB Falcon, also with John Bowe). The names Tru Blu, and Greens Tuff were product names of Palmer Tube Mills. With much larger budgets required in the racing industry, Palmer helped negotiate for Shell to be primary sponsor.
[edit] NASCAR
In 1989 and 1990, prompted by Palmer Tube Mills who assisted him in receiving multiple sources of sponsorship, Johnson made a brief foray into the Nascar Winston Cup, entering a total of seven races with a best start of 11th at Sears Point Raceway in his first race, and a best finish of 22nd at Pocono Raceway.[2]
Dick Johnson retired from racing at the end of the 1999 season. He remains in charge of the team, but his son Steven has taken over driving Johnson's famous Number 17.
[edit] Career results
| Season | Series | Position | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 16th | Holden LC Torana GTR | |
| 1971 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 13th | Holden LC Torana GTR XU-1 | |
| 1972 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 7th | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | |
| 1973 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 42nd | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | |
| 1974 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 13th | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | |
| 1975 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 23rd | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | |
| 1976 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 28th | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | |
| 1977 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 22nd | Ford XB Falcon GT | Bryan Byrt Ford |
| 1978 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 10th | Ford Falcon XC GS500 | Bryan Byrt Ford |
| 1979 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 29th | Ford XC Falcon Cobra | Bryan Byrt Ford |
| 1981 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 1st | Ford XD Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1982 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 1st | Ford XD Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1983 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 6th | Ford XE Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1984 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 1st | Ford XE Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1985 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 2nd | Ford Mustang | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1985 | Australian Endurance Championship | 8th | Ford Mustang | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1986 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 6th | Ford Mustang | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1987 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 6th | Ford Sierra RS Cosworth | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1988 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 1st | Ford Sierra RS500 | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1989 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 1st | Ford Sierra RS500 | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1990 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 4th | Ford Sierra RS500 | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1991 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 8th | Ford Sierra RS500 | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1992 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 8th | Ford Sierra RS500 | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1993 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 5th | Ford EB Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1994 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 8th | Ford EB Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1995 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 7th | Ford EF Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1996 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 10th | Ford EF Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1997 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 7th | Ford EL Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1998 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 10th | Ford EL Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 1999 | V8 Supercar Championship Series | 10th | Ford AU Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing |
[edit] References
- ^ "Don't tell me I can't do that", Dick Johnson, Ironbark, 1999,ISBN 0330361538
- ^ "Dick Johnson". Nascar. http://aolsvc.sports.aol.nascar.com/drivers/dps/djohnson02/cup/index.html. Retrieved 2006-07-15.
[edit] External links
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Peter Brock Jim Richards |
Winner of the Bathurst 1000 1981 (with John French) |
Succeeded by Peter Brock Larry Perkins |
| Preceded by Peter Brock |
Winner of the Australian Touring Car Championship 1981 & 1982 |
Succeeded by Allan Moffat |
| Preceded by Allan Moffat |
Winner of the Australian Touring Car Championship 1984 |
Succeeded by Jim Richards |
| Preceded by Jim Richards |
Winner of the Australian Touring Car Championship 1988 & 1989 |
Succeeded by Jim Richards |
| Preceded by Tony Longhurst Tomas Mezera |
Winner of the Bathurst 1000 1989 (with John Bowe) |
Succeeded by Allan Grice Win Percy |
| Preceded by Larry Perkins Gregg Hansford |
Winner of the Bathurst 1000 1994 (with John Bowe) |
Succeeded by Larry Perkins Russell Ingall |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
