Thanks for the donation, officer

In the current issue of AMC we focus on Dick Johnson’s rise to fame during the 1980 Hardie Ferodo 1000 at Bathurst. As has become Australian motoring folklore, Johnson hit a bowling ball-sized rock that rolled onto the famous circuit while he was running away with the big race.

When it looked like the car-destroying incident would terminate Dick’s career, donations flowed in via an impromptu telethon. Money pledged by the public (and the odd police officer – stay with us here) was matched by Ford Australia. The final sum was enough to get Dick back on track the following year in a new XD Falcon. Dick and the Tru-Blu Ford went on to win the ’81 Australian Touring Car Championship and that year’s Bathurst classic.

As it turned out, one police officer’s donation turned out to be the gift that kept on giving, as Dick explained to AMC a few years ago. You see, back in 1981, driving a truck without the correct licence wasn’t seen as the serious misdemeanour it would be now.

“Over the years, the coppers have treated me really, really well. And I can’t tell you the number of times I got caught speeding – while not doing anything stupid – especially in the truck in the early days. In the very early days we didn’t even have a [truck driver’s] licence, which was stupid.

“In 1981 at Holbrook, we went through a speed trap on the highway and a copper jumped out in front of us. It took a kilometre to pull the truck up, as it had virtually no brakes.

“When I jumped out of the truck, up waddles the sergeant. He looks at me and says: ‘Dicky bloody Johnson. I sent you 10 bucks after you hit the rock at Bathurst.’

“So I replied: ‘What are you going to do now – take it back off me?’ He laughed, and from then on, we got on famously. And, fortunately, he never asked to see licence.

“So when we got to Oran Park next, one of the officials was a [truck] driving instructor, so we went over to Campbelltown with him to get our licences.”

For more great Johnson tales. Check out our latest issue, featuring part 1 of our three part Muscle Man profile on the Aussie legend.