Interview

dick johnson

Mountain
The
Words Ben Dillon Photos Nathan Duff

the rock & Brock

again, but youll be living with the most miserable p***k youve ever met. [Laughs] At the time it [the rock incident] was the worst thing that could happen. I thought, This is going to be the end of everything, but it was an opportunity, with the help of all the people who called in, to launch ourselves into the big time. It did two things: it gave me the opportunity of getting somewhere, but it also put an awful lot of pressure on [the team] as individuals to repay the people, which we did in 81. So 1981 was the most satisfying championship by a long way. It felt like I had a load lifted off my shoulders and then to go to Bathurst, albeit a shortened event, and win was extremely pleasing. Do you think you would have got as much public support if you were driving a Holden? Once a Queenslander always a Queenslander [laughs]. Bryan Byrt, who had a Ford dealership up here in Brisbane, gave me the opportunity to drive a Ford and after all those years of spending every cent I could possibly scratch up [racing Toranas mostly], my allegiance went out the window. We had a good time in the Holdens, but there was an opportunity to drive a Ford, which would allow us to run in some bigger races and hopefully get a bit of a name for ourselves. In the early days could you see how the sport would evolve to the point its at today? Everything changed in the 80s when new regulations were coming in and CAMS, the Confederation Against Motor Sport [laughs] at that time they were, because they controlled everything and they either refused to see or couldnt see the fact that

We talk to Ford legend Dick Johnson about the cars, the people and the stories behind the biggest rivalry in Australian motorsport
AUSTRALIAN CLASSIC CAR: Thanks for talking to us, Dick. First up, why the number 17? DICK JOHNSON: That goes back to a time when I first started racing, a time when I couldnt afford to race, so I prepared another guys car, a Mini. I built the car for him and all that sort of stuff and when I could actually afford to race for a little bit, we thought wed make a team. His number was 71 and I tried for either number 70 or 72 but they werent available. The cars were painted the same colour, so I took 17 and thats the way its always been. Thats one aspect not many people are aware of you started your racing career in a Holden. My first race was in November 1964 in an FJ at Lakeside. I used to drive that car to work everyday and then race it on weekends. What was it like seeing the beginning of touring car racing in Australia? It was the very early stages. When I first started racing it was purely an amateur sport, and an amateur was someone who was unpaid for their efforts, which I think was grossly unfair, but things have changed since somewhat. Motor racing has always been expensive. I started off in an FJ Holden and after the first race meeting I had to retire because I ran out of money buying a set of tyres was a big deal then. But I was fortunate enough to win my very first race meeting at Lakeside. How sad is it for you that Lakeside is no longer used for top-line motorsport? Lakeside itself is without a doubt the second best circuit in this country next to Bathurst. It was one where you really had to be committed and one that I enjoyed
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thoroughly to drive around because it was very tricky and fast. Its one of three circuits where you could average over the old 100mph mark the only other two being Phillip Island and Bathurst. But Lakeside being only 2.4km long was an awesome piece of road. You had some inspiring races there, in particular against Peter Brock. Ive had some great times there. Thats where I won the first championship in 1981 which was really special. It was the last round of the championship and we went into the race with one point separating Brock and myself. He was on my tail from start to finish. My car broke the front sway bar on lap three so it was an ill-handling car, but you can overcome these sorts of things. I used every bit of road and dirt and anything I could find that had a bit of grip and at the end there was only a car length between us. We all know about the infamous rock incident in 1980 and the unprecedented public support that came out of that for you, but was there a moment when you thought your racing career was over? Because you mortgaged your house to fund that XD Falcon race car didnt you? Well, 1980 was the make or break year. I said to my wife Weve either got to stick our neck out here, because we have an opportunity to make it work, or I could hang the helmet up and never mention it

At the time of the rock incident, i thought, This is going to be the end of everything

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Interview

dick johnson
Who do you admire, racing drivers or otherwise? Nelson Mandela, he was pretty special. And in motor racing in recent times, Michael Schumacher. What inspiration do you take from Mandelas struggle? Just never give up. Have you ever been racing against or watched another driver and thought that they might be better than you? Yeah, you see that on occasion. I saw that a lot with Brock he was a naturally talented guy. A lot of guys were naturally talented but a lot got there through sheer determination. [Allan] Moffat was one who was extremely determined.

Isupercar mecca Some of Johnsons most famous cars, such as the XD Tru-Blu Falcon that hit The Rock, can be seen at the Dick Johnson Racing Complex in Stapylton, outside of Brisbane.

the business side of racing was changing and they needed to change their business to better run our business. In 1988 in New Zealand, I said to a few of the guys, Look, this is lunacy, were trying to make a living and were just fighting one another. Its time to get together to control our future. So we did. It included Ford people and Holden people not the factories, just the individuals and it evolved from there. At first CAMS wouldnt recognise us but look at it [V8 Supercars] now. The fans are incredibly loyal to either Ford or Holden, but with the focus more on the commercial side now, are the drivers as loyal as the old days? I think the drivers are more commercial now than they are loyal [to the manufacturers]. A lot of the drivers are controlled today mainly by the sponsors and obviously the team owner, and I think weve seen some of that in recent times. Do you ever miss the diversity of vehicles racing, now that its a twomake series? It was a lot different. You had cars with 600hp and cars with 300hp they were different types of cars and it was relevant for the time. But youve got to consider that motor racing now is more about entertainment than it is about a lot of other things. Is that disappointing for you? To a point, yes, but its about competition and now its just so professional it isnt funny. Well probably look back in 15 years at this time the way we look back now at the 80s and 90s. You did some NASCAR racing in the
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What has been your favourite race car to drive? There were a number of cars that on their day were absolutely amazing. The XD Falcon in its time was something special, as was the XE, but the ones that really stand out are the Sierras. In 1989, when we won Bathurst, it was such a good car. Then came 1992 [Bathurst] that was probably the best Sierra wed ever had. Absolutely phenomenal. Were you sad to see the demise of the turbo four-wheel drive era? From a competition point of view they were an engineering masterpiece but they were out of reach financially for most [drivers]. They cost too much to run. The V8 Supercars are a more level playing field to the point now where youre picking the fly dung out of the pepper to make sure everyone is the same. The invention of race cameras in the cars was a new thing when you were driving. Where do all your great metaphors that you used in those interviews come from? [Chuckles] Buggered if I know, just my nature I think. Comedy has always played a big part in my life even the Americans liked it. I had an altercation with [NASCAR driver] Richard Petty it got me into strife cause I called him a p***k over national TV. He was all right three or four meetings later, after I convinced him that p***k in Australia was a term of endearment. Finally what are your memories of Peter Brock? All good. We were mates as far as competitors could be. Socially wed get on well together, but once the helmets were on it was every man for himself. I have an awful lot of respect for the guy because over all those years I cant remember ever swapping paint with him. Things have changed somewhat these days. He was a fierce competitor but a very fair one.

US in 1989-90. Did you bring anything back to Australia from that experience? Absolutely. I thought that we as a group could take the good bits from their business and utilise it in ours. Did you think youd have an advantage going there because you could actually drive around corners? On the road courses I knew Id do reasonably well but I cant say that I particularly enjoyed the oval tracks. [NASCAR legend] Dale Earnhardt said to me, Boy, you teach me how to drive them road courses and Ill teach you how to drive them ovals. He was the master of that wasnt he? Yeah, he was brilliant, and a really nice guy to boot.