Jim Beam Racing News
Johnson fires home a fourth whilst burning up the track
21 March 2009
Photos from the Clipsal 500
Steve Johnson has taken 4th position in what was an eventful first race of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship in Adelaide today.
Johnson looked comfortable from the outset with a consistent run through the first 10 laps. The new FG Falcon cruised through the corners of the Adelaide track, with no sign of the problems that appeared within the set up yesterday.
“I felt great through the first half of the race, just sat back and made careful opportunities to gain position. I had a great pit stop that didn’t see me lose position and the team worked amazingly to get me back out there quickly”.
Lap 18 saw Johnson hit his stride and consistency was the key to staying safe in this race. Maintaining his track position through much of the final parts of the race, Johnson hit a hitch in lap 58 when his air tube started to throw fumes into the cabin.
“I was starting to get fumed out, not sure yet what it was, but was bad enough that I had to turn my air tube off and my cool suit is on the same switch. I sat out the last 20 laps without the cool suit, it was a tough day at the office”.
Luck was on Johnsons side with a kiss of the tyre barrier on the hairpin causing the team to hold their breath, but leaving no major damage or change to his track position. “I thought it was just going to be a small nudge, but it ended up sucking me in. Was scary for a minute, but maintained my position, which is all that matters”. With two more contenders pulling out with mechanical problems, Johnson was launched into fourth finishing position and a great result for the team.
“Steve did an amazing job to maintain his pace throughout the race, we had great fuel economy, the car was fantastic, but today it came down to the commitment of the driver and the team. We are all really proud of the way he finished today. He deserved the result he got.”
Due to the new qualifying rules Johnson will still start from 14th position on the Grid for race 2 tomorrow, regardless of today’s result.
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