Dick Johnson (racing driver)

Dick Johnson
Nationality	Australian
Born	26 April 1945 (1945-04-26) (age 66)
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.

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.

Racing

Dick Johnson in the Holden EH at Lakeside in November 1969

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]

1981 Tru-Blu Ford Falcon

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.

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.

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

References

1. ^ "Don't tell me I can't do that", Dick Johnson, Ironbark, 1999,ISBN 0330361538
2. ^ "Dick Johnson". Nascar. http://aolsvc.sports.aol.nascar.com/drivers/dps/djohnson02/cup/index.html. Retrieved 2006-07-15. 

External links

• Dick Johnson Racing official website
• Dick Johnson's Elaborated Biography

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

Persondata
Name	Johnson, Dick
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	26 April 1945
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death