Dick Johnson Racing

Jim Beam Racing

Manufacturer	Ford
Team Principal	Dick Johnson
Team Manager	Malcolm Swetnam
Race Drivers	17. Steven Johnson 18. James Moffat
Chassis	Ford FG Falcon
Debut	1980
Drivers' Championships	7 (1981, '82, '84, '88, '89, '95, 2010 )
Round wins	44
Pole positions	56
2010 position	2nd (5071 pts)

The Dick Johnson Racing Ford FG Falcon of Steven Johnson at the 2010 Clipsal 500 Adelaide.

Dick Johnson Racing is Australia's oldest operating motor racing team. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team has won seven Australian Touring Car Championship titles (five of them by Johnson himself) and has taken three victories in Australia's hallmark race, the Bathurst 1000. The Gold Coast-based team campaign two Ford Falcons in the V8 Supercar championship, one bearing Dick Johnson's long standing racing number 17. The team has strongly identified itself with an image as a battler Queenslanders, frequently racing with state maps on the car. The team was based out of Johnson's family home in Brisbane's southern suburbs for most of its existence, before moving to a large specialist workshop and museum in Yatala in the late 1990s.

The team's current drivers are Dick Johnson's son Steven Johnson, himself a veteran of touring car racing, and emerging rookie driver James Moffat. The team's home circuit and test track is Queensland Raceway.

History

Early years and Group C

Dick Johnson in the Holden EH at Lakeside in November 1969

The longest-established motor racing team in Australia, Dick Johnson Racing was founded more than 35 years ago, when Dick Johnson earned his first commercial support from long-time sponsor, Shell Australia. The team was originally based out of Johnson's home in Brisbane southern suburbs.

Johnson was only a sporadic entrant in the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) during the early 1970s, but a regular competitor, and victor in the Queensland Touring Car Championship driving a Holden Torana backed by petroleum giant Shell, and later by prominent Brisbane Holden dealership, Zupps. Johnson's national profile increased with the formation of Bryan Byrt Racing with Johnson as lead driver late in 1976, giving Johnson his first drives in a Ford Falcon. The team folded at the end of the 1979 season, but Johnson was able to utilise some of its resources to re-establish his own team for the following season.

After briefly investigating running a Mazda, Johnson came to the fore when a change in regulations introduced the XD Falcon to the series. After debuting his new Falcon late in the year with a shakedown run at Amaroo Patk, the largely unheralded Johnson qualified on the front row for the 1980 Bathurst 1000 and quickly built a large lead over the first sixteen laps of the race, including putting a lap on four time Bathurst winner Peter Brock. On the seventeenth lap Johnson collided with the wall at The Cutting trying to avoid a large rock in the road and a tilt-tray tow truck that was retrieving a mechanically failed car from the circuit. The impact was enough to all but destroy the car. The tale of Johnson's battle with the rock at Bathurst in 1980 is still remembered and over $70,000 was donated by the public (which was matched by Ford Australia) to get him back on track for the following season.^{[citation needed]}

1981 Tru-Blu Ford Falcon

Inspired by the support and feeling a great sense of debt to the Australian public, Johnson went on to claim his first ATCC crown and with co-driver John French the Bathurst the following year. Johnson and French becoame the first Queenslanders to win the Bathurst 1000. With Allan Moffat defecting to Mazda and Johnson fast becoming an icon of the sport, the Queenslander became Ford's number one son in its battle with Holden's own golden-haired boy, Peter Brock.

While Johnson could not repeat his Bathurst victory in 1982, he did go on to win his second ATCC title in the Tru Blu XD Falcon and in 1984 claimed his third national crown with an XE Falcon painted green in honour of Ross Palmer's latest steel product, 'Greens Tuf'.

Group A Mustangs and Sierras

With no local Ford product suitable following a change to international Group A touring car regulations at the end of 1984, Johnson turned to the Germany and imported a pair of Zakspeed constructed Mustangs for the 1985 and 1986 seasons. While the Mustang years brought limited success, reliability and good-handling in the underpowered Mustangs enabled Johnson to claim runner-up in the 1985 ATCC and his one and only victory aboard the Mustang in the 1985 AGP support race.

1987 saw the introduction of the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth and the relaunch of the team as the Shell Ultra Hi Racing Team. Shell's increased involvement allowed Johnson to expand into a two-car effort for the first time, fellow Queenslander Gregg Hansford becoming Johnson's first full time teammate. But reliability problems let the team down considerably and only one win was recorded throughout the 1987 season. The end of the ATCC coincided with the arrival of Ford's evolution of the Sierra, the Sierra RS500, and this proved its worth with a win in the AGP race at Adelaide in November.

Tasmanian John Bowe joined the team the following year and together Johnson and Bowe claimed eight of the nine rounds of the 1988 ATCC, with Johnson finishing the year as national champion. Success continued in 1989 when the team claimed its second Bathurst victory.

At the end of 1988, Britain's Robb Gravett of Trakstar persuaded Dick Johnson to supply his team with his Sierra RS500s, cars that had beaten the official Ford entered cars in the annual Tourist Trophy race in 1988. Gravett was immediately on the pace of the Andy Rouse prepared Sierras, and he won 4 races to finish the 1989 season 2nd in class and 4th overall.^[1] In 1990, Robb Gravett won the championship with 9 race wins.

As the new decade hit, so did the onslaught of Nissan, which made almost every other vehicle on the track obsolete with the introduction of its technologically advanced GT-R to the series. CAMS did its best to create an even field by adding more weight to the Nissan, but it quickly gained a reputation as unstoppable. DJR was kept busy in 1992, not only trying to combat the achievements of the Nissans, but also in developing its Falcons in readiness for the V8 Formula in 1993.

Ford Falcon and V8 Supercars

The first round of the V8 Championship was held at Amaroo Park, with John Bowe taking victory in the Shell Falcon. But the sweet smell of success did not last long, with DJR failing to take another victory until the following season. The wait proved to be well worth it, with Johnson and Bowe claiming both 1994 endurance races at Sandown and Bathurst. DJR headed into 1995 brimming with confidence and it was not misplaced, with Bowe taking his only ATCC crown after a dominant display in the final round of the championship at Oran Park. A repeat victory at Sandown that year augured well for another Bathurst win until an incident with Glenn Seton forced the number 17 Falcon from the lead, and subsequently, the track.

While Holden dominated the 1996 season, DJR still managed to pick up wins at the Indycar GP and was the first Ford home at Bathurst when Johnson and Bowe crossed the line in second place. While 1997 was not a fantastic year compared to previous seasons, consistency enabled Bowe to claim the runner-up position in the championship. The team did not fare better in the end of year endurance races with the Johnson/Bowe car failing to finish both races while the team's second car, driven by Steven Johnson and Craig Baird, could only manage seventh at Sandown and fourth in the Primus 1000 at Bathurst.

1998 saw Johnson and Bowe team up for yet another season, and Bowe did all the celebrating, securing pole position in the opening round of the series and again at the team's home track, Lakeside. The first win of the season came at Winton, but unfortunately for the team it was all down hill from there.

For the first time in 11 years, Johnson and Bowe did not team up for the endurance events, Bowe sharing the number 18 car with Cameron McConville, while the father/son combination of Dick and Steven Johnson shared the other Falcon. Apart from a third place at Sandown for the Bowe/McConville combination, the team's run of bad luck continued with both cars failing to finish the FAI 1000 at Bathurst.

Not long after, John Bowe rocked the motor racing world by announcing that after 11 years he was leaving DJR to start afresh with another team. After an exhaustive search, two-time World Touring Car Cup winner Paul Radisich was announced as his replacement.

1999 proved to be a difficult year for the team. Between coping with the idiosyncrasies of the new AU Falcon, coming to grips with the new Bridgestone control tyre and a new driver who had never seen, let alone raced on, the majority of the circuits, it was no wonder things were tough.

As the year progressed, things began to improve, with Radisich claiming his first Shell Championship pole before completely dominating the non-championship races at the Honda Indy. Radisich's form carried over the Bathurst, where the Kiwi and his co-driver, Steven Ellery, were the class of the field, dominating the FAI 1000 until a flat tyre in the dying stages of the race robbed the team of victory.

The last year of the 20th Century also marked the retirement of the great man himself, Dick Johnson, who chose to share his final race with son, Steven. The pair staged a memorable assault on The Mountain, fighting for the lead throughout the race before eventually finishing in fourth place.

The start of the new millennium heralded the beginning of a new generation in the Shell Helix Racing Team; with Steven Johnson taking over the famous number 17 Falcon from his retiring father. After a full season behind the wheel, Paul Radisich had come to terms with the feel of the V8 and the circuits in the series, leaving him to finish the championship in fourth place in only his second attempt at the championship.

In Steven Johnson's first full year in the series, he also put in some credible performances, bringing his Shell Helix Falcon home in 11th place in the championship. Steven was joined for the Queensland 500 by father Dick, who made a one-off return to the driver's seat, but the pair failed to cross the line when mechanical difficulties left their Falcon unable to continue.

Jason Bright joined Radisich for the endurance races and Cameron McLean came on board to partner Steven Johnson for the 2000 FAI 1000. The Radisich/Bright duo crossed the line in second place in the famous Bathurst event, while the pairing of Johnson/McLean finished not far behind in fourth place.

2001 saw Johnson break through with his first ever V8 Supercar pole position, first ever V8 Supercar race win and first ever V8 Supercar round victory. He also finished the Championship in fifth place, the first Ford home.

Probably the team’s most forgetful year in recent history, 2002 saw a mixed bag of results for Steve Johnson and Paul Radisich. Struggling to find the correct set up all year, a number of on track incidents involving the duo proved expensive for the team in its pursuit of a V8 Supercar series championship. While 2002 saw some disappointing qualifying times, to their credit, Steve and Paul were consistent come race day, regularly making their way through the field to post a credible finish position. In 2002 Greg Ritter joined the team for endurance events and piloted a third car, #71 for a selection of other races. Greg’s performance highlight was at the gruelling Bob Jane T-Marts 1000, where he teamed with 1980 F1 World Champion Alan Jones to record a respectable seventh.

2003 saw new cars, new colours, a new driver and new commercial and technical resources herald the rebirth of Australia’s oldest professional motor racing team. Sporting all-new Shell Helix colours the team signed Brazilian international Max Wilson to drive its number 18 entry in 2003. Shell Helix Racing went into 2003 with more resources than ever before and a new commitment to success.

The early season hard work was starting to show in the latter half of the season with both drivers making the top-ten repeatedly. Johnson, partnered by Warren Luff, made the shootouts at both Sandown and Bathurst and showed everyone that he had lost none of his competitiveness with two eighth placings, and an overall top-six result at Indy. At the same time Wilson took pride of place in the series final three shootouts and drove to a spectacular podium at Eastern Creek.

There were further changes to Shell Helix Racing by the start of the 2004 season. Wilson had returned to his original team, and Warren Luff, who had already proven his worth with two magnificent drives in the Konica and main series at Bathurst in 2003, was recruited to full-time driver alongside stalwart Steven Johnson.

It may have been a slow start to 2004 but the sleeping giant of V8 Supercars arose from its slumber by mid-season when Johnson and Luff drove to third at Sandown. Enjoying the success, Johnson and Luff took their strong form to Bathurst but could not pull off the win.

The only team to four-stop, Johnson led Marcus Ambrose into the pits for his final stop but a wheel problem prevented him from staying in front. With second almost wrapped up, former team mate Paul Radisich parked his Ford at the top of the mountain forcing the safety car. Several cars took advantage of this, pitted and re-entered the race ahead of the number 17 Ford. Johnson and Luff eventually finished seventh.

With back-to-back top 10 placing’s, Johnson’s aim for the remainder of the season was to secure outright 10th in the Championship. With three more top 10 finishes he did just that and for the first time since 2001 Shell Helix Racing saw itself in the end of season top 10.

Dick Johnson’s team may have finished the season strongly on the track but behind closed doors DJR was dealing with a situation that it had not experienced for many years. It’s naming sponsor, and supporter of more than three decades, Shell, was exiting the sport. Senior management had their work cut out as they frantically searched for a new organisation to take over sponsorship.

In early 2005 DJR had secured Westpoint Finance as the major team sponsor. The team was called Westpoint Racing which saw DJR return to its traditional blue and white colours. 2005 again saw a change in driver line up with Warren Luff departing and racing legend Glenn Seton replacing him in the number 18 Ford. The season ended strongly for the Dick Johnson Racing team, but the end of the year brought a close to the team’s association with Westpoint and Glenn Seton.

In 2006, DJR embarked on one of the boldest journeys in the team’s history. With the formation of Dick Johnson's own business ventures, FirstRock Mortgage Centre and V8 Telecom, the team was ‘self sponsored’ with regards to naming rights for the very first time.

The # 17 BA Falcon, backed by FirstRock Mortgage Centre was piloted by Steve, while young gun Will Davison embarked on his first full season of V8 Supercar racing in the # 18 V8 Telecom BA Falcon. Mid season saw a livery change of Davisons’ # 18 car to a striking blue and white colour scheme with the increased support of holiday specialists, Accor Premiere Vacation Club.

Despite limited funding, the team made great gains during the 2006 season, with Steve consistently placing in the Top 10 cars, and Will showing plenty of speed throughout the latter half of the year to post some great results, many of them also well within the Top 10. Will also made his first appearance in the Top 10 shootout at Phillip Island, qualifying in 8th position.

The season ended well for Dick Johnson Racing, with Steve finishing in 9th position in the drivers’ standings, Will finishing 19th in a very promising rookie year and the team completed the year in 6th place, ahead of several other high profile teams.

2007 was a turning point for Dick Johnson Racing with Jim Beam coming on board as major sponsor of the team and the launch of a new DJR fan club – DJR Team Mates. The team transformed as Jim Beam Racing and along with the new naming rights sponsor came improved results and the 2007 Best Presented team award from V8 Supercars.

Steve Johnson and Will Davison were very consistent during the season, recording an emphatic 3rd place at Bathurst after a nail-biting finish where the pair came very close winning the prestigious race. Although Johnson and Davison didn’t win the race, the result was the pinnacle of a long road back for Dick Johnson Racing after its highly publicised financial battle.

The drivers also made their presence felt at the Bahrain international round, where Johnson qualified on the front row of the grid and backed this up with 3rd place for the round, his second podium place for the year. Davison was right on the tail of his team mate, finishing the round in 4th place. Davison finished the 2007 championship in 10th; his first V8 Supercar Top 10 championship result in only his second full season in the category. Johnson was close on his tail in 12th and although his form during the year was good, mechanical issues were the cause of a few poor results during the season which denied Johnson a chance of a Top 10 championship finish.

James Courtney and Steve Johnson have been confirmed that they are the two drivers for DJR racing 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series. They will drive two brand new Triple 8 built FG Falcons. During the 2009 V8 Supercar Series, James Courtney was able to gain wins at the Townsville 400 and the Sydney 500.

Champions Again

The Dick Johnson Racing Ford FG Falcon of James Moffat at the 2011 Clipsal 500 Adelaide

In 2010 James Courtney and Steven Johnson once again drove for the team with continued support from Jim Beam, however, a third entry was entered by Tekno Autosports as a customer, to be driven by Jonathon Webb, with backing from Mother. Throughout the season, James Courtney was successful taking victories at Queensland Raceway, Winton Motor Raceway, Sandown Raceway and at the non-championship Australian Grand Prix. He led the season from May, right through to the final round in Sydney, where he claimed the team's first championship in 15 years. On that same weekend, Jonathon Webb scored his breakthrough victory to finish 13th in the standings, the highest of any reigning V8 Supercar Development Series Champion.

Courtney left the team after the falling out between co-owners Dick Johnson and Charlie Schwerkolt. In late January, it was announced that James Moffat, son of Ford legend, Allan Moffat would drive for the team throughout 2011.^[2]

Other interests

DJR briefly produced a road car, the DJR HP320, a performance car based on the Ford Falcon. The Dick Johnson Group also ran financial, real estate, and telecommunications services, which have since been sold.

DJR is based on the Gold Coast. The factory also housed a museum of the teams history. In 2006 Johnson sold his museum racing vehicles to car collector David Bowden. By arrangement with Bowden, a selection of Bowden's significant racing cars will rotate through the museum in DJR's workshop.

References

1. ^ Robb Gravett. BTCC - The Super Touring Years
2. ^ "James Moffat Signs With Jim Beam Racing". Jim Beam Racing. 2011-01-21. http://jimbeamracing.com.au/_webapp_773077/JAMES_MOFFAT_SIGNS_WITH_JIM_BEAM_RACING. Retrieved 2011-01-21. 

External links

• Team website