ID :
168665
Wed, 03/16/2011 - 12:03
Auther :

Johnson sends warning to Holden


Ford legend Dick Johnson has told Holden that buying the marque's champion drivers won't guarantee V8 Supercar success.
Johnson's Jim Beam Racing had star driver James Courtney poached by Holden before the last swig of champagne disappeared from Courtney's 2010 V8 Supercar championship trophy.
Courtney's defection followed Holden pinching 2008 and 2009 title winner Jamie Whincup the previous season as his Team Vodafone switched from blue to red.
Holden also raided Johnson's team in 2009 for his then-star driver Will Davison, who went to Holden Racing Team before eventually being replaced by Courtney.
Johnson said V8 racing was a team game and spending the most money on the driver-go-round would only get you so far.
"If Holden think they're going to win every race by buying people, they're certainly on the wrong tram," Johnson told AAP.
"James won the championship, but to me it was the team that won the championship.
"Although James was up front, it's the people he had behind him that gave him the result."
It's hard to recall a championship-winning team having as much off-season upheaval as Jim Beam Racing going into this weekend's Clipsal 500 in Adelaide.
They have lost their championship-winning driver, several key staff and only just resolved a messy ownership dispute which lasted for months and nearly tore the team apart late last season.
Johnson, who now owns the majority of the team after former co-owner Charlie Schwerkolt's exit, admitted the difficulties of the last six months had taken a toll on him.
"I feel as though I'm in a never-ending bloody steeplechase - another hurdle coming up, then another one coming up and another one coming up," he said.
Adding to the problems - Johnson's son and lead driver Steven is also fighting for fitness going into Friday's first day of V8 practice around the Adelaide street circuit.
He has been battling a virus which has laid him low since the middle of last week, but hopes to be 100 per cent for Saturday's first of two 250km races.

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