When Steven Johnson shone in the capital

Today Steven Johnson has celebrated his 50th birthday, so to mark the occasion rewind back to when he ruled the streets of Canberra in 2001 to score his first big Supercars success.

“Those are three monkeys off my back,” smiled an elated Steven Johnson, “a pole position, a race win and an overall SCS round win.”

Johnson’s debut victory around the Canberra streets at the GMC 400, round five of the 13-race championship, came in the 26-year-old’s 30th career start – much to the satisfaction of his spectating parents Dick and Jill.

The hard fought win came narrowly ahead of Garth Tander and new championship leader Mark Skaife after a typically fraught trio of races won respectively by Johnson, last year’s winner Steve Richards and Skaife.

With points leader Jason Bright finishing sixth overall (behind John Bowe and Paul Radisich), Skaife and his teammate now hold a commanding margin over Johnson in the series points, Russell Ingall, an unlucky Marcos Ambrose and Richards.

Steven Johnson on his way to victory at Canberra in 2001. Image: Mark Horsburgh

Johnson was naturally excited after his breakthrough win.

“Everything has gone really well all weekend, the team has done fantastic jobs. Darwin was a shocker for us but we kept a positive attitude.

“Although it feels like I have been around for a long time (Johnson made his SCS debut in 1995), apart from Ambrose and Craig Lowndes, not too many young guys have come into this series and won right away.”

His five-time championship-winning father Dick proudly quipped:

“I’ve had 35 years of getting nervous, but this (watching) is harder than driving. It looks like I’m going d to get nervous a lot more often!” In a reversal of last year’s fortunes at Canberra, Tander rebounded.

the cover of Auto Action issue #943.

“We learned a few lessons and didn’t want a repeat performance,” said Tander.

“The car was good after we had bad luck at Darwin and we just made sure we got some good points. The car looked after its tyres and we employed good strategy – but now we have race speed we need to work on qualifying speed “

Once again HRT rebounded from adversity, Bright coming from out side the Top 15 Shootout (qualifying 17th) to accumulate 11th, 14th and fourth place results while Skaife recovered from losing six laps in the second race to score sufficient points to lead the championship.

“My luck hasn’t been great this season,” Skaife said.

Mark Skaife ran into trouble. Image: Mark Horsburgh

“The crash fest in Adelaide, my Eastern Creek poor qualifying and a stop-go at Darwin – but we’ve resurrected ourselves each time.

“I was very irate after the ash in race two; really upset. But we regrouped and the guys did a great job to get the car out.”

As for his championship aspirations, Mark merely remarked: “It is fantastic to take the lead.”

Bright meanwhile said: “I felt I was quicker than either Steve (Johnson) or Garth (Tander) in the ‘winding’ stuff, where I struggled for set-up to start with but not quite quick enough onto the long straights. I tried to stay close but have to keep finishing, even though I still want to attack.”

Bowe went exceptionally well from 18th in qualifying to fourth.

“I could easily keep up with those ahead and the CAT AU was really good under brakes if lacking a little in power down,” he related.

Problems afflicted several leading contenders, Radisich saying, dropped a ‘lung’ (onto seven cylinders) after eight laps of the final race and thought that was the end of it. It didn’t get any worse when I dropped the revs down but I had to keep my foot flat through the corners, which killed the rear tyres. I’m surprised the engine kept going!”

John Bowe had a remarkable round, rising from 18th to fourth. Image: Mark Horsburgh

Craig Lowndes was heading for a podium until staying out too long and getting caught by a Safety Car intervention. Trying to fight back after setting a new lap record, the black AU was suddenly silenced by an unspecified electrical gremlin.

Ambrose snapped a gearbox input shaft while well placed in race one.

He then came from 28th to runner-up in the reverse grid race. His points return was limited though, by losing a wheel not long after changing a punctured tyre to DNF the third race.

Overall, varying strategies over the longer duration spiced the action. Several team managers elected successfully to pit on consecutive laps to complete their compulsory fuel/tyre stops.

This had the effect of drivers coping with 35-lap plus old rubber towards race-end, which only served to close positions up rather than reshuffle them on a track notoriously hard to pass on.

Despite the GRM VK Commodore suffering some damage, Garth Tander enjoyed a return to form. Image: Mark Horsburgh

In the context of the championship, HRT continues to forge ahead courtesy of superior stops, speed and consistency, while Johnson now heads the depleted spare part charge of the Fords.

Poor points from Ingall, Glenn Seton (bent steering arm), Greg Murphy (accident damage),

Lowndes, Ambrose and Todd Kelly were crucial at a round where points are there for the taking (only Bathurst and Adelaide offer more).

With barely a fortnight to the next round all the way across the continent, the teams will be hard pressed to take stock, re-fettle their cars and fill depleted spare parts.

2001 Canberra GMC 400 round results

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