Johnson receives highest honour from Ford

The Ford Motor Company has awarded its highest motorsport honour to Dick Johnson, as the Queenslander joins the illustrious ranks of the Spirit of Ford recipients.

Story: Staff Writer

Johnson receives highest honour from Ford

The 79-year-old former touring car ace and now Supercars team owner was awarded the honour at Ford Performance’s season launch in late January.

The Queenslander now stands alongside a heavyweight array of stars to have received this award. They include Richard Petty, Mario Andretti, Sir Jackie Stewart, Jim Clark, Dan Gurney, Phil Hill, Stirling Moss A.J. Foyt, Carroll Shelby and Bud Moore.

Edsel B. Ford II, former vice president and board member of the Ford Motor Company, paid tribute to Johnson.

"Dick Johnson means a great deal to me,” he said.

"Today, Dick Johnson is a Supercars and racing legend. He spent 22 seasons driving Ford vehicles, including winning five championships. He even had seven NASCAR Cup starts.

"DJR has won 10 championships and 148 race wins, but more importantly, it has become the face of Ford in racing in Australia.

"Dick himself has been a loyal, talented, witty, and intense competitor on the track as a driver, with the media and fans, and now as a team owner.

"Just as important, he is a treasured friend of mine and all of us at Ford."

Edsel Ford II played a huge role in Johnson’s rise as a Ford touring car star. The American was Ford Australia’s chief in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, and crucially was there at Bathurst in 1980 when Johnson hit the rock – an incident which triggered TV viewers across the country to spontaneously offer cash donations to help the struggling privateer return to racing.

It was Edsel Ford II’s pledge that Ford would match the donations that helped set up Johnson’s meteoric rise from struggling privateer to full time touring car racer and the new Ford racing star in Australian racing.

Johnson went on to win five Australian Touring Car Championships and three Bathurst 1000s between 1981 and 1994, all in Fords. Forty-five years after the rock incident, Dick Johnson Racing continues with Ford – DJR today is by far the longest enduring Ford team in Australian motorsport history. And now Johnson has been honoured with the Spirit of Ford award.

Not bad for a driver who grew up as a Holden person, and had almost exclusively raced Holdens for the first 10 years his driving career!

Johnson with Ford CEO Jim Farley

Below is the full statement from Edsel Ford II on the awarding of the Spirit of Ford award to Johnson:

As someone who has been around the Ford racing program for almost 60 years, I have always said that it’s the people that make this sport so special. Dick Johnson is one of those special people, and he is this year’s Spirit of Ford award honoree. It’s the highest honor Ford Motor Company gives to people in racing who have made a significant contribution to the sport, on and off the racetrack.

Dick Johnson means a great deal to me. When I worked for Ford Australia in 1980, we were in the midst of trying to improve our Australian Touring Car racing program.

In 1980, the same year he started Dick Johnson Racing, Johnson started second in his Falcon at the famous Bathurst 1000. But he was knocked out of the race early by a large, errant rock that had been kicked onto the track by some fans.

Channel 7 in Australia, who was covering the event organized a fundraiser that raised $72,000 for Johnson to get back into the sport. We at Ford saw an opportunity to help this popular racer and pledged that Ford would match what the fans raised. The $144,000 raised between fans and Ford was enough for Johnson to get a new Falcon for the 1981 season, and the rest, they say, is history.

Today, Dick Johnson is a Supercars and racing legend. He spent 22 seasons driving Ford vehicles, including winning five championships. He even had seven NASCAR Cup starts.

DJR has won 10 championships and 148 race wins, but more importantly, it has become the face of Ford in racing in Australia. This year, Johnson and DJR enter their 45th season with Ford. The rock incident is part of Supercars lore, where some of the most loyal and passionate Ford fans remain.

Dick himself has been a loyal, talented, witty, and intense competitor on the track as a driver, with the media and fans, and now as a team owner. Just as important, he is a treasured friend of mine and all of us at Ford.