DAVID JOHNSON: THE BEST IS YET TO COME
It was in the Centenary year of 2007 that David Johnson made his first visit to the Isle of Man TT Races, where he saw fellow Aussie Cameron Donald finish a memorable second in the Senior. As he was congratulated by his friend and countryman, Donald asked if he’d be racing on the Island in the next year. As Johnson explains to Chris Pritchard and Steve Plater on his appearance on The TT Podcast, he thought that invitation was ridiculous.
Fast forward 15 years and he’s now competed at nine TTs, including a year with the factory Honda team in 2019 where he recorded his first TT podium. Like everyone, COVID kept him away in 2020 and 2021, but a late injury in 2022 meant it was three years out for the popular Aussie. His loss was the fans’ fain though, as David joined the live commentary and delivered entertainment and insight in equal measure.
In the podcasts recorded during this year’s Manx Grand Prix event, he tells Chris and Steve how his experience racing at the August meeting compares to the TT itself.
He also takes us back to his very first experience of two-wheel racing; as a 4-year old on a BMX. An engine was brought into the mix when he was 16, and by the time he was 18 he had relocated to the UK to pursue a career in racing. How did he find the move from BMX to motorbike? “All I had to learn how to do was change gears and go through corners really, really fast!”
David talks Chris and Steve through how he went from a BMX kid to a TT podium finisher, via circuit racing in the UK and Europe. Why did he decide to take on the Mountain Course? “I was always good at learning circuits - I just love going on tracks and being fast straight away, and I thought well this is the ultimate challenge for that.”
He also tells Chris and Steve why he missed the TT in 2011, where he got his first taste of commentary from, why he enjoys the Glen Helen section of the course so much, what’s changed in his life and on the roads since 2019, and what his plans are for 2023.
You can either watch the full Podcast by subscribing for free to TT+ or listen to The TT Podcast through your favourite podcast provider.
Listen now to Part One: Three Years Out
Listen now to Part Two: The Best Is Yet To Come
