Family fast

Impressive as they are, pure numbers don’t tell the full story of Dick Johnson’s enduring legacy. Along the way to creating a motor sport dynasty under the Dick Johnson Racing (DJR) banner, the Aussie racing legend personally racked up five Australian Touring Car Championships and three Bathurst 1000 victories. However, that pales into insignificance when compared to his family legacy – his son, Steven, and now with third generation racer, Jett. Indeed, Jett and Dick have enjoyed a strong bond from day one, according to Steven Johnson.

“It’s a back story a lot of people don’t know. Mum and Dad have been through sport environment, you might think it was inevitable that Jett would end up on track but it was his choice at each step. After starting in go-karts, he progressed through the Hyundai Excel Series to his current drive behind the wheel of a 525hp TA2 Mustang where, after a hard fought season, Jett was crowned 2022 TA2 the fact we can follow in his footstep and go racing as a family. Depending on the race meeting, we will have Mum and Dad, my sister Kelly, my wife Bree and our daughter Lacy, all pitching in and cheering Jett on. Recently, when we brought the car down for the Sandown round, I actually drove the truck from Brisbane and back with Jett and

Interest from other racers looking for a service that prepares their cars and delivers them to the track has been the catalyst behind the creation of Team Johnson Speed Shop. Totally separate to DJR, it is wholly owned and operated by the Johnson family. At this early stage, it has just two full time employees, one of which is Jett who is following in his father’s footsteps by completing a motor mechanics apprenticeship. However, plans are in place to continue building the car preparation business over the coming

Joining the Johnson family for the journey is long term DJR team partner, PPG. As a result, Jett’s TA2 car features PPG paint, along with an instantly recognisable colour, says Steven.

“Dad really came to public attention at the 1980 Bathurst 1000. As a privateer, he was leading the factory teams by a country mile in his Tru-Blu Falcon when he hit the famous rock that had rolled onto the circuit.

Everyone knew that blue as Dick Johnson’s colour so I have since used Tru-Blu on my Touring Car Masters XD Falcon and now Jett has used it on his car. We got the paint code from Keith Chesterton, the longstanding DJR painter, and the team at Arrow Transport, at Larapinta, painted Jett’s car in PPG. Jett even got to pitch in to help get the paintjob done.

It looks sensational and the number of comments we get regarding Jett Johnson in a Tru-Blu Mustang is phenomenal! It’s a bonus that Jett’s major sponsor, NAPA Auto Parts’ colour is predominantly blue.”

As well as first-class motor racing genes, Jett also benefits from an incredible storehouse of family knowledge, Steven explains. “As a driver, it’s very different to what people think – it’s not just turning a steering wheel and using the pedals. Dad passed on what he learnt to me and I have passed on what I learnt in my career to Jett so he has a pretty good chance to be much better, much quicker than Dad and I.”

Although ultimately aiming for a Supercars seat in the future, Jett sees Trans Am as a great proving ground. “With a Trans Am car, I am learning to drive the car straight, conserve the tyres and still be fast. They are really good habits to help me take the next steps. At the moment, I am really enjoying the environment at the races, with dad and sometimes grandad at the track, along with mum and the guys on the team. We rely heavily on each other and there is a great level of teamwork. It’s especially cool to be able to race a car that is in the Tru-Blu colour!” R