Dick Johnson (racing driver)
| Dick Johnson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born |
26 April 1945 Queensland, Australia |
| Retired | 1999 |
| Related to | Steven Johnson (son) |
| Australian Touring Car Championship | |
| Years active | 1970–1999 |
| 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 | |
| 1982–91 1989–90 1990 |
Australian Endurance Championship NASCAR Australia NASCAR Cup Series |
| Championship titles | |
|
1981 1981 1982 1984 1988 1989 1989 1994 1994 1995 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 Sandown 500 Bathurst 1000 Eastern Creek 12 Hour Sandown 500 |
| Awards | |
| 2001 | V8 Supercars Hall of Fame |
Richard "Dick" Johnson (born 26 April 1945 in Queensland, Australia) is a part-owner of the V8 Supercar team DJR Team Penske 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 honours, including the V8 Supercars Hall of Fame into which he was inducted in 2001.
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.
After leaving school, Johnson was drafted into the Australian Army at the age of 20 and began his two-year National Service in 1965. Although they did not know each other at the time, both Johnson and future touring car rival Peter Brock were stationed together at the Blamey Barracks near Wagga Wagga in New South Wales from 1965-1967.
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' Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 in 1973 when they placed fifth. Johnson then had a single race for the Holden Dealer Team at the Surfers Paradise round of the 1974 ATCC where he finished 3rd driving a GTR XU-1. He later purchased the Torana from HDT boss Harry Firth and campaigned the car until his switch to Ford in 1976.
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