David Johnson Interview – Davo talks to the Ride Rage Radio boys
RRR: He is an Australian, but he’s been racing overseas in the British Superbike Championship for so many years and he was back at Eastern Creek on the weekend, welcome back to Australia, Dave Johnson, and welcome to Eastern Creek or to Sydney Motorsport Park on the weekend, it was great to see you out there and circulating around, even though not on the bike you originally intended that you were going to be riding.
Dave: Yeah, cheers, boys! I was actually 12 years. I’m getting on boys! It’s not good.
RRR: Well, I guess probably the other thing was that you’ve arrived back in Australia only recently from the last season in the British Superbike Championship and then of course teamed up with Evan Byles to win the Adelaide 3 Hour Endurance race.
Dave: Yeah, that’s the one. That was a good bit of fun, it was quite hard and it was pretty hot and we were on a little 600 up against all the 1000s so to end up number one, that was good.
RRR: And then of course you turned up to Eastern Creek on Friday morning with a Suzuki superbike with a Yoshimura engine and you thought everything was going to be going your way and then in the first session you went, ‘Hang on a second, it’s about 12 or 13 years since I’ve ridden at Eastern Creek, which way does the track go?’
Dave: Ah, I was freaking rusty, It’s just a lot different from what I remembered that long ago, I was only on a little bike back then as well, so yeah, it was a big eye opener. But the boys around there, I’ll tell you what, a lot of the locals around there obviously, people ride there a lot, there are some quick guys out there.
RRR: And one of those riders shook his head at you, because you were wobbling around everywhere.
Dave: Yeah, well he ended up having a big crash anyway, so maybe that was a bit of karma (laughs).
RRR: Now, Dave, I guess probably one of the reasons that you’re out there on the weekend was because of the guys at Pope Building Services that were able to put that bike underneath you and get you up here to Sydney. Unfortunately it didn’t really all end the way that they would have liked after a big investment in getting that Yoshimura engine ready for the superbike air-freighted over from the US.
Dave: Yeah, it was quite a late decision for me, really, because I spoke to them and he was originally planning on running Nick Waters. But Nick was doing his dirt track championship.
RRR: Which he went and won, yes. I think it was Tamworth wasn’t it on the weekend?
Dave: It was, yeah, and he did a great job. So the bike was not 100 per cent finished and then in the last minute we decided. I spoke to Terry O’Neill and Matt and like literally there were only three days before I left to go and race, they sorted out the deal, everything was done and a couple of local sponsors, SA Motorcycles sponsors from Adelaide and Marty from Underground Designs jumped in, last minute and everything went real smooth, Formula Extreme guys did a great job in organizing everything and my licence.
RRR: And then of course the second session on Friday, it all went pear shaped.
Dave: Yeah, she blew up and we were a bit devastated, Matt was devastated the most obviously, because he felt quite bad, it did about ten laps and the thing started ticking, it sounded like if it dropped a valve, but I think it was a bit more to it than that, more deep in the engine, maybe it was in the bottom end of the engine. It was a bit scary, but yeah, and then Phil Lovett comes to the party and lent me his wet bike yeah, it was an interesting thing to ride, that one.
RRR: Well, I guess the other thing is though too that Suzuki would have been completely different than what you’ve been used to, because you’ve been riding a Kawasaki in the BSB and also at the Isle of Man for the last couple of years, so did it feel a little bit like getting on something that you’re a little bit more familiar with, did you reckon that would have helped a bit?
Dave: It did, yeah. It was Phil’s wetbike and the suspension was all over the joint and..
RRR: That means it handled like a boat, Dave.
Dave: It wasn’t too bad, Phil has a really weird setup for his bike and obviously it really works for him, because he’s super quick around there and his best time is a 31 around there, I was like wow.
RRR: He does get along though, doesn’t he?
Dave: Oh, I’ll tell you, he rides fast for an old boy.
RRR: 55 plus I think he’ll admit to.
Dave: Yeah.
RRR: And he is a vision of health, too, he’s not a slim man.
Dave: No, I mean everyone obviously says that Robbie Phillis is doing good, but I think Phil is the real underdog, but he loves it, because they’re doing it with the big boys, doing lap times capable of top fiving in the main class as well.
RRR: So I know that you went out in the first session, that you actually rode it with Phil’s setup, with the forks pulled through the triple clamps and everything. But I spoke to Alan, he said that was one of the things that you wanted changed when you come in from that first session.
Dave: Yeah, I said to Alan to change it, it just really sat on its nose and it wants to turn real good, but did not give me much confidence, I run my bikes so different in the UK, but they wanted me to try it like that and to be fair I just flattened the bike off more, but they said I was really good. There’s obviously a lot of laps around Eastern Creek and it won’t work with the bike and with Phil, so just a little bit of geometry change and I was away, but yeah, the bike, she was a bit tired, it’s a 2011 bike, but I was just happy to ride around, there was no pressure on me and I wasn’t there to set the world on fire, my main objective was just to ride around Eastern Creek again, because I love the joint.
RRR: And one of the races, Dave, you got to third place, I think it was red flagged as soon as you got to third, bit unfortunate for that, you were on fire, that was the second race, Phil, was it? Yeah, second or third race, and third race on Sunday you were on fire.
Dave: Yeah, in the third one I got to third as well, so in the last two of the races I got up to third, so that I ended up fifth in the last one, but yeah, she missed gears a few times and needs a new selector fork and the other things. So when it started missing gears in weird spots I got a bit scared, but I just let the front boys go and I was just happy riding around.
RRR: You’ve been riding in England for so long in the BSB but what’s your opinion on how the ASC series was looking for the finale on the weekend?
Dave: Oh, yeah, it was awesome, it was really professionally set up obviously, they’ve been doing it for a while now and the level of riders in the main superbike championship is unreal, the times they were doing and how close they all were, I was real happy to be watching those guys and yeah, a lot of them can go overseas and do really well straight away, it’s just that a matter of getting used to the circuits. But if they ride like that at every track over there, they’d be up near the front in almost any class on a competitive bike.
RRR: Well, people say that the BSB is actually one of the most cut-throat championships anywhere in the world, Dave, but I reckon you’d go probably pretty close in seeing how cut-throat the Superbike Championship was on Sunday. I think at one stage there were 15 or 16 guys, they’re all A graders and when Wayne Maxwell dropped back to last place when he ran off the track in the first race, he’s got to start over taking guys that have won Australian Championships, five New Zealand Superbike Championships for Robbie Bugden, and that’s all the way back through the field into the 13th and 14th places.
Dave: Yeah, for sure, the speed of all the boys down there and all the way through I’d like to say it’s… I mean Robbie Bugden was having a bad weekend, and years ago if you were on a factory bike and had a bad weekend and you ran fifth or sixth or something, but now if you have a bad weekend here, you’re outside the top 10, so yeah, full credit to the guys, they’re all riding really well and I was definitely impressed with the lot of them. Cru Halliday is riding really well and..I always keep in touch with a lot of those guys, I’ve been mates with them for years and I like looking at their results and stuff and their progression is unreal.
RRR: So, Dave, the off season now for you, I guess there’s probably not a lot of racing, you’ve come back for your traditional end of season holiday. So what does Dave Johnson do to keep himself busy over the summer break in Adelaide?
Dave: Oh, I do a lot of cycling. Because I’ve been injured, I’m still injured now, I’ve just actually just been to the doctor, because my left elbow is still giving me grief from a crash I had at Brands Hatch, like halfway through the season, just after the TT, and that really affected my second half of the season. The last half of the season I sort of fell a little bit out of love with racing and the way the teams are as well, like I was injured, but I’m not one to shout. “I’m injured, I’m injured!” But everyone’s always scrutinizing results, I went from being on the podium and after the crash, straightaway I had another crash and then I was sort of just in the top 10, which is, if you are riding with a big team, in the top 10 at the Superstock Class is really high level for anyone, but if they are expecting me to be winning then it was bad, so it was affecting my love for the sport. So I wanted to go and do that race and just sort of have fun and do laps and have a few beers with the boys as well. So I want to do as much riding as I can over here, for sure. And I’ll be doing the Island Classic pretty soon, that will be good, there’s another race at Mallala, which is the track where it all began for me over here in Adelaide and I always like riding around there and helping out all the young boys in there, just riding motorbikes and that’s what I really want to do as much as I can while I’m back, getting my love back, so I can hit it full hard next year and focus on the job I need to do.
RRR: So what are your plans for next year, Dave? In the Superstock and the BSB again?
Dave: No, it’s changed over the last week. I’ve got a team that wants to run me, they basically sorted a deal out to ride for them back on a BMW, which is my favourite bike to ride really, it suits me perfectly and last time I rode one I got five pole positions over there and a few race wins and so I just wanted to get back on a BMW.
RRR: And the new one’s supposed to be even better, isn’t it, for next year?
Dave: Yeah, well, they’re going back to a similar chassis to which they had in 2011, which I really enjoyed as well and it is a bit steeper on the head angle, changed a little bit of the swing arm change as well, the positioning of it. But yeah, the team actually want to run me on a superbike, but it’s not 100% finalized, there’s a meeting going on there at the end of this week. But yeah, it’s pretty certain that I’ll be back in the big boys’ on the Superbike, which is sort of almost not what I wanted, I wanted to stay in Superstock and just ride and win races and be at the front and on a superbike obviously you’ve got to put in a lot of effort and you can’t have any friends during the week, you’ve got to train every day. Which I am well up for , I don’t have much longer left, so I thought maybe I’ll agree to it, I have agreed to it if it all works out. (NB: It has now worked out and David Johnson confirmed his new BSB ride at this link)
RRR: I was going to say you’ll have haste of Aussie mates, it looks like next year half the field is going to be Australian.
Dave: That would be awesome. And yeah, we’ve got Jed Metcher, who’s just confirmed, as well as in my old team, I helped sort him that ride.
RRR: And Broc Parkes as well. Jason O’Halloran, he’s moving up to the superbikes as well. And Josh Brookes already a star there.
Dave: And Billy McConnell. But he is actually my training partner as well, we do a lot of training, a lot of cycling, a lot of fun off the track as well, that’s what we do. Billy lives within a mile of my house, so we’re going to train. I sent him a motivational text the other day just about how much we’re going to focus this next year and give it our all. He’s well up for it though. It seems like that’s going to be the plan, so get back in the big boys on the superbike. I haven’t been in the main class since 2010, so it will be good fun.
RRR: We’ve only got about a minute left, Dave, but you might want to let us know what bike you’ll be riding at the Island Classic this year, because it’s not the bike that you’ve been riding for the last couple of years, it’s a bit of a change for you.
Dave: Yeah, yeah, I’ve been on a Paton for the last few years, but yeah, I’m still on Ron Angle team and he’s got me a ZXR750 to ride in the Period six class.
RRR: Nice one.
Dave: Yeah, so I’ll be going a bit quicker than on the Paton.
RRR: Well, Dave, can’t wait to catch up with you at the world’s greatest circuit down there at the end of January for the International Island Classic. When are you going back to Great Britain?
Dave: Hopefully as late as possible.I want to stay for the Adelaide 500, Clipsal. I’ll go back after that, hopefully they’ll let me stay that long.
RRR: Oh, cool, we’ll have you on before you go home then, mate!
Dave: For sure, mate, that’ll be good!
RRR: Good stuff, thanks, Dave! All the best, mate!
Dave: Cheers, guys!
