Shop
Dick Johnson Racing has peeled back the covers on the retro Greens’-Tuf look that the #17 Ford Falcon will campaign at Bathurst this weekend.
Chaz Mostert and Dale Wood will drive the entry after a pre-event number swap with team-mates Tim Blanchard and Ashley Walsh.
The livery celebrates 30 years since Johnson’s 1983 James Hardie 1000 campaign was derailed by a heavy crash at the exit of Forrest’s Elbow in the Top 10 Shootout.
CLICK HERE for footage of the crash
With the original Greens’-Tuf destroyed, Johnson’s team subsequently leased another Falcon from privateer Andrew Harris and set about transferring its own running gear into the donor chassis ahead of the race.
Johnson and co-driver Kevin Bartlett completed just 61 laps on Sunday before falling foul of mechanical trouble, while Harris and his co-driver Gary Cooke managed a gallant 10th having switched to a Commodore that had been bought by Ross Palmer as part of the unique deal.
Johnson will complete parade laps of Mount Panorama this weekend in the Falcon that eventually replaced the crashed Greens’-Tuf entry for a successful attack on the 1984 Australian Touring Car Championship.
DJR’s Greens’-Tuf time warp comes just a year after the team brought the Tru-Blu colours back to Bathurst.
Johnson said he was overwhelmed by the fan reaction to Tru-Blu last year, which saw the team sell out of its retro-themed merchandise at the track.
“It shows you that the Australian people like underdogs,” he told Speedcafe.com.
“We’ve been up and down and round and round for some years now but we’re still here, and one of the main reasons we’re here is because of the support of the fans.”
DJR returned to the top step of the podium at Queensland Raceway in August, where Chaz Mostert took a maiden career race win.
Stay tuned to Speedcafe.com for video interviews with Johnson and Moffat from the launch.
See below for Speedcafe.com’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 Form Guide
