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Dick Johnson (Australian auto racing)

Overview

Dick Johnson (born April 26, 1945 in Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...

) is the owner of the V8 Supercar

V8 Supercar

V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...

team Dick Johnson Racing

Dick Johnson Racing

Dick Johnson Racing is Australia's oldest touring car team. Founded by legendary driver Dick Johnson, the team has won 6 Australian Touring Car Championship titles and has taken 3 victories in Australia's hallmark race, the Bathurst 1000...

and a former racing driver. As a driver, he was a five-time Australian Touring Car Champion

Australian Touring Car Championship

The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The...

and a three-time winner of the Bathurst 1000

Bathurst 1000

The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. The race was traditionally run on the first Sunday in October but is now held on the second Sunday. The race traces its lineage to the 1960 Armstrong 500...

. As of 2008 Johnson has claimed over twenty awards and honors, including the V8 Supercar Hall of Fame

V8 Supercar Hall of Fame

The V8 Supercar Hall of Fame was instituted in 1999 with the first running of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, initially known as the Shell Championship Series. It was established to recognise the efforts of past champions and prominent figures within the sport. The initial inductees were five...

into which he was inducted in 2001.

As a teen Johnson attended Cavendish Road State High School

Cavendish Road State High School

Cavendish Road is the place to beCavendish Road State High School is a co-educational, state secondary school located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Established in 1952, Cavendish Road State High School was the second state high school to be built in the suburbs of Brisbane...

in Brisbane, Australia and it was in this area of Coorparoo that he first started driving with his father as a young child.

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Encyclopedia

Dick Johnson (born April 26, 1945 in Queensland

Queensland

, Australia

Australia

) is the owner of the V8 Supercar

V8 Supercar

V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...

team Dick Johnson Racing

Dick Johnson Racing

and a former racing driver. As a driver, he was a five-time Australian Touring Car Champion

Australian Touring Car Championship

and a three-time winner of the Bathurst 1000

Bathurst 1000

. As of 2008 Johnson has claimed over twenty awards and honors, including the V8 Supercar Hall of Fame

V8 Supercar Hall of Fame

into which he was inducted in 2001.

Early life

As a teen Johnson attended Cavendish Road State High School

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

Johnson started out racing an Holden EH

Holden EH

The Holden EH is a automobile which was produced by General Motors-Holden's in Australia from 1963 to 1965.The EH was released in August 1963 replacing the Holden EJ series and was the first Holden to incorporate the new "Red" motor. This new "Red" motor featured 7 main bearings as opposed to 4...

in the mid 1960s. By 1970 he had worked his way up to the Australian Touring Car Championship

Australian Touring Car Championship

. Despite becoming synonymous with driving Fords

Ford Motor Company

The Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...

, Johnson raced in his early days in a FJ Holden then a Holden Torana

Holden Torana

The Holden Torana is a car which was produced by General Motors–Holden's , the Australian subsidiary of General Motors . The name comes from an Aboriginal word meaning "to fly". It has its origins in the British Vauxhall Vivas of the mid 1960s...

In 1980, during the Bathurst 1000

Bathurst 1000

, his car was destroyed after hitting a rock that had fallen (or been thrown) onto the track. The resulting public support—AU$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

Australian Touring Car Championship

(ATCC) and the Bathurst 1000 (with John French

John French (racing driver)

John French is a retired Australian racing driver.French had a long career throughout the 60s and 70s and the early 80s. In 1962 he won the Australian GT Championship driving a Centaur Waggott and in 1969 French paired with Allan Moffat to win the Sandown Three Hour race in a Ford Falcon GTHO...

. He won the ATCC again in 1982 (the Tru Blu XD Falcon), 1984 (Greens Tuff XE Falcon), 1988 (Ford Sierra

Ford Sierra

The Ford Sierra is a large family car built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....

RS500) and 1989 (Ford Sierra RS500). He also won Bathurst in 1989 (in a Ford Sierra with John Bowe

John Bowe (racing driver)

John Bowe is an Australian racing driver.Bowe is a multiple Australian Champion, having twice won the Australian Drivers' Championship during the Formula Mondial era, before winning the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1995...

) 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

NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947-48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...

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

Pocono Raceway

Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle or the Bermuda Triangle is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...

.

Dick Johnson retired from racing at the end of the 1999 season. He remains in charge of the team, but his son Steven

Steven Johnson (motor racing)

Steven Johnson is an Australian V8 Supercar racing driver. He is the son of former racer and now team-owner Dick Johnson. He has competed full-time for Dick Johnson Racing since 2000...

has taken over driving Johnson's famous Number 17.

Career results

Season	Series	Position	Car	Team
1970 1970 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1970 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 11th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on March 22, 1970 at Calder Park Raceway and ended on November 15 at Symmons Plains Raceway after seven rounds....	Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The...	16th	Holden LC Torana GTR
1971 1971 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1971 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 12th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on March 1, 1971 at Symmons Plains Raceway and ended on August 8 at Oran Park Raceway after seven rounds....	Australian Touring Car Championship	13th	Holden LC Torana GTR XU-1
1972 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 13th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Oran Park after eight rounds. The series was won by Bob Jane in a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1....	Australian Touring Car Championship	7th	Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1
1973 1973 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1973 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 14th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains on March 5, 1973 and ended at Warwick Farm after eight rounds. The series was won by Allan Moffat in a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III.-Teams and...	Australian Touring Car Championship	42nd	Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1
1974 1974 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1974 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 15th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains on March 4, 1974 and ended at Adelaide International Raceway on June 9 after eight rounds...	Australian Touring Car Championship	13th	Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1
1975 1975 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1975 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 16th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Lakeside International Raceway after seven rounds...	Australian Touring Car Championship	23rd	Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1
1976 1976 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1976 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 17th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Phillip Island after eleven rounds...	Australian Touring Car Championship	28th	Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1
1977 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 18th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Phillip Island after eleven rounds...	Australian Touring Car Championship	22nd	Ford XB Falcon GT Ford XB Falcon The Ford XB Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1973 and 1976 and was built exclusively in Australia. It bore minor cosmetic differences to the preceding model, the XA, aimed at giving the car a more muscular stance...	Bryan Byrt Ford Dick Johnson Racing Dick Johnson Racing is Australia's oldest touring car team. Founded by legendary driver Dick Johnson, the team has won 6 Australian Touring Car Championship titles and has taken 3 victories in Australia's hallmark race, the Bathurst 1000...
1978 1978 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1978 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 19th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Adelaide International Raceway after eight rounds...	Australian Touring Car Championship	10th	Ford Falcon XC GS500	Bryan Byrt Ford
1979 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 20th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Adelaide International Raceway after eight rounds...	Australian Touring Car Championship	29th	Ford XC Falcon Cobra Ford Falcon Cobra The Cobra was a limited edition of the Ford Falcon released by Ford Australia in 1978. It was based on the XC Hardtop .-History:In 1978, Ford Australia unveiled plans for an all-new Falcon, dubbed the XD, that would be released in 1979...	Bryan Byrt Ford
1981 1981 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1981 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 22nd running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains Raceway and ended at Lakeside International Raceway after 8 rounds.-Teams and drivers:...	Australian Touring Car Championship	1st	Ford XD Falcon Ford XD Falcon The Ford XD Falcon is a car which was produced by the Ford Motor Company of Australia between 1979 and 1982.The XD series was introduced on 28 March 1979 and was initially offered in five models: * Falcon GL Sedan* Falcon GL Wagon* Fairmont Sedan...	Dick Johnson Racing Dick Johnson Racing Dick Johnson Racing is Australia's oldest touring car team. Founded by legendary driver Dick Johnson, the team has won 6 Australian Touring Car Championship titles and has taken 3 victories in Australia's hallmark race, the Bathurst 1000...
1982 1982 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1982 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 23rd running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on February 18, 1982 at Sandown Raceway and ended on May 16 at Oran Park Raceway after eight rounds...	Australian Touring Car Championship	1st	Ford XD Falcon	Dick Johnson Racing
1983 1983 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1983 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 24th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on February 6, 1983 at Calder Park Raceway and ended on June 19 at Lakeside International Raceway after eight rounds....	Australian Touring Car Championship	6th	Ford XE Falcon Ford XE Falcon The Ford XE Falcon is a car which was produced by the Ford Motor Company in Australia between 1982 and 1984. Introduced on 11 March 1982, the XE was a revised version of the XD Falcon, which it replaced...	Dick Johnson Racing
1984 1984 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1984 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 25th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship, and was the last year of Group C regulations. The following year would see the introduction of the international Group A regulations...	Australian Touring Car Championship	1st	Ford XE Falcon	Dick Johnson Racing
1985 1985 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1985 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 26th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on February 10, 1985 at Winton Motor Raceway and ended on July 14 at Oran Park Raceway after ten rounds. This was Australia's first year fully using the international Group A rules...	Australian Touring Car Championship	2nd	Ford Mustang	Dick Johnson Racing
1985 1985 Australian Endurance Championship The 1985 Australian Endurance Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Touring Cars complying with an Australian version of FIA Group A Touring Car regulations. The championship was the fifth Australian Endurance Championship and the fourth to be awarded as a drivers...	Australian Endurance Championship	8th	Ford Mustang	Dick Johnson Racing
1986 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 27th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on March 2, 1986 at Amaroo Park and ended on July 13 at Oran Park Raceway after ten rounds.-Teams and drivers:...	Australian Touring Car Championship	6th	Ford Mustang	Dick Johnson Racing
1987 1987 Australian Touring Car Championship \| align="right"\|-\|The 1987 Shell Ultra Australian Touring Car Championship was the 28th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on March 1, 1987 at Calder Park Raceway and ended on July 5 at Oran Park Raceway after nine rounds....	Australian Touring Car Championship	6th	Ford Sierra RS Cosworth Ford Sierra RS Cosworth Ford Sierra RS Cosworth is the result of a Ford-project with the purpose of "Producing a downright winner for Group A racing events in Europe."- Development :The project was defined by Stuart Turner in the spring of 1983...	Dick Johnson Racing
1988 1988 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1988 Shell Ultra Australian Touring Car Championship was the 29th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on March 6, 1988 at Calder Park Raceway and ended on July 17 at Oran Park Raceway after nine rounds....	Australian Touring Car Championship	1st	Ford Sierra RS500	Dick Johnson Racing
1989 1989 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1989 Shell Ultra Australian Touring Car Championship was the 30th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on March 5, 1989 at Amaroo Park and ended on July 9 at Oran Park Raceway after eight rounds...	Australian Touring Car Championship	1st	Ford Sierra RS500	Dick Johnson Racing
1990 1990 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1990 Shell Ultra Australian Touring Car Championship was the 31st running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on February 25, 1990 at Amaroo Park and ended on July 15 at Oran Park Raceway after 8 rounds. The championship was open to drivers of Touring Cars...	Australian Touring Car Championship	4th	Ford Sierra RS500	Dick Johnson Racing
1991 1991 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1991 Shell Australian Touring Car Championship was the 32nd running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on February 24, 1991 at Sandown Raceway and ended on August 11 at Oran Park Raceway after nine rounds...	Australian Touring Car Championship	8th	Ford Sierra RS500	Dick Johnson Racing
1992 1992 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1992 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 33rd running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group 3A Touring Cars, commonly known as Group A cars...	Australian Touring Car Championship	8th	Ford Sierra RS500	Dick Johnson Racing
1993 1993 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1993 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 34th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on February 28, 1993 at Amaroo Park and ended on August 8 at Oran Park Raceway after nine rounds....	Australian Touring Car Championship	5th	Ford EB Falcon Ford EB Falcon The Ford EB Falcon is a car which was produced by the Ford Motor Company in Australia between 1991 and 1993.Visually the 1991 EB remained nearly identical to its predecessor. The most noticeable change was the transfer of the Ford emblem from the tip of the bonnet to the grille...	Dick Johnson Racing
1994 1994 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1994 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 35th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on February 27, 1994 at Amaroo Park and ended on July 24 at Oran Park Raceway after 10 rounds.-Teams and drivers:...	Australian Touring Car Championship	8th	Ford EB Falcon	Dick Johnson Racing
1995 1995 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1995 Shell Australian Touring Car Championship was the 36th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship and was run for cars eligible to CAMS Group 3A touring car specifications...	Australian Touring Car Championship	7th	Ford EF Falcon	Dick Johnson Racing
1996 1996 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1996 Shell Australian Touring Car Championship was the 37th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship and was run for cars eligible to CAMS Group 3A touring car specifications...	Australian Touring Car Championship	10th	Ford EF Falcon	Dick Johnson Racing
1997 1997 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1997 Shell Australian Touring Car Championship was the 38th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship and was run for cars eligible to V8 Supercar specifications...	Australian Touring Car Championship	7th	Ford EL Falcon Ford EL Falcon The Ford EL Falcon is a full-size car that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company of Australia between 1996 and 1998. The EL Falcon served as the final chapter of the fifth generation "E-series" architecture, which began with the EA of 1988. Ford discontinued the car in 1998, and replaced it...	Dick Johnson Racing
1998 1998 Australian Touring Car Championship align="right"\|-\|The 1998 Shell Australian Touring Car Championship was the 39th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship and was run for cars eligible to V8 Supercar specifications. It began on February 1, 1998 at Sandown Raceway and ended on August 2 at Oran Park Raceway after 10...	Australian Touring Car Championship	10th	Ford EL Falcon	Dick Johnson Racing
1999	V8 Supercar Championship Series V8 Supercar V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...	10th	Ford AU Falcon Ford AU Falcon The Ford AU Falcon is a full-size family car, manufactured by the Ford Motor Company of Australia between September 1998 and September 2002. The AU sported a radically different design that was dubbed "New Edge", to attract the younger generation with its "out there" looks...	Dick Johnson Racing

Dick Johnson (Australian auto racing)

Early life

Racing

NASCAR

Career results

External links