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Third-generation racer Jett Johnson is confident in his pace after his best performance to date in the Turtle Wax Trans Am series.
Johnson drove his Ford Mustang to a pair of podiums and a fourth place finish, in the latest round of series held as part of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championship event at Queensland Raceway.
All the more impressive was that he did so while racing against Supercars regular Brodie Kostecki, who made his debut in the series in the #66 Shaw Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro.
The youngest Johnson was elated with his performance over the weekend.
“It was great, finally being at the pointy end of Trans Am,” he told Speedcafe.com.
“It’s always good to see yourself moving in quite big steps forward.”
He embraced the opportunity to race with Kostecki, who is fresh off a podium finish at The Bend Motorsport Park in Supercars.
“Being able to battle with guys like Brodie [Kostecki] all weekend, learn from him, and see what was different in our driving styles was also really good,” Johnson added.
“Battling with him was really, really good for me, especially to learn what he does, and try to base my driving around that.”
He was supported from the sidelines by his father Steve Johnson, grandfather Dick Johnson, his mum Bree Johnson, and grandmother Julianne Johnson.
Supercars Hall of Famer Dick Johnson is impressed by his grandson’s rapid progression.
“He’s doing a good job, he’s obviously learning fast but it’s just good to see that he races fair without running into people, and racing with guys like Brodie [Kostecki] will be good for him,” the three-time Bathurst 1000 winner said.
“The more racing he does, the better he’ll get.”
Father Steve Johnson credited the way his son drove over the weekend.
“The way he raced was probably what I was most proud with,” the former Supercars full-timer told Speedcafe.com.
“He was very smart in the races, he looked after his tyres, he was fast at the end of the races, and he looked after his brakes when he needed to.
“To be able to run with and pass probably, arguably one of the best Supercar drivers around in Brodie Kostecki, he’s definitely in the top half-dozen if you want to call it that on the field.
“To race him, pass him twice for the weekend, beat him for the round, and finish only second to the current champion Nathan [Herne], I think this is a massive step forward for him.”
The 17-year-old is quickly building on his Trans Am racing experience, due to also taking part in the TA2 Muscle Car Series, where he leads the standings on 630 points.
