To commemorate the 500th championship round start for the Dick Johnson team, at this year’s Adelaide 500 the Anton de Pasquale and Will Davison Shell V-Power Racing Mustangs will feature a special blue Queensland 17 logo as atribute to the long history of Dick Johnson through his 1981 Tru Blue XD Falcon.
The milestone achievement follows on from DJR becoming the first Supercars team to reach the 1000-race mark, which occurred at last year’s Repco Bathurst 1000.
While Dick Johnson had been sporadically contesting Australian Touring Car Championship races since 1970, the ’81 season marked the first time Johnson committed to the entire series. By that measure, the opening round of the ’81 ATCC at Symmons Plains is considered the debut of Dick Johnson Racing.
“I’m really proud of the fact that we’re the only team who has ever chalked up 500 championship rounds,” Dick Johnson says. “Sure, we’ve been around a long time to do so, but I don’t think anyone is going to pass us anytime soon, because I’m not finished yet!
“To see our team grow to what it has today is something that I am exceptionally proud of. To be quite honest, though, a team consists of many people, and we’ve had many important people as part of DJR throughout the years; but the one person who has been consistent throughout the whole time has been Jillie, I couldn’t have done it without her.”
For the record, since the ’81 ATCC Symmons Plains round, DJR has won 10 Australian Touring Car Championships, three Supercars Teams championships, four Bathurst 1000s and two Sandown 500s.
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