Dick Johnson has given his endorsement to the news that friend and long-time team-mate John Bowe will be inducted into the Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame presented by Speedcafe.com.
Bowe enjoyed three of his greatest successes with Dick Johnson Racing, namely Bathurst 1000 wins in 1989 and 1994 and the Australian Touring Car Championship title in 1995.
He and Johnson, who was himself inducted in 2016, were co-drivers for Bowe’s two victories in The Great Race.
“Rightfully so,” Johnson declared to Speedcafe.com when asked for his thoughts on the news.
“It’s deserved with the number of championships the guy’s won, and still at the ripe old age of 65 or 75 or 95 or whatever he is, he’s still going,” mused the fellow touring car legend.
“He’s still very much a competitive person and not only that but he still hasn’t lost it.
“I think he deserves every accolade the guy gets because he’s dedicated his life to motorsport and has achieved an awful lot; (in) sportscars, open-wheelers, touring cars, and old clunkers like the Touring Car Masters.
“He’s ‘I’ve been everywhere man.’”
Bowe, now 63 years old, spent 11 seasons with DJR in a career which continues to this day predominantly in Touring Car Masters.
He has won the popular national series on five occasions and last year finished runner-up to Steven Johnson, who campaigned the Ford Mustang that Bowe previously owned and raced himself in TCM.
A strictly limited number of General Admission tickets for the Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame Induction Gala presented by Speedcafe.com are now on sale at https://camsshop.myshopify.com/collections/tickets for $295 each (incl GST).
The dinner will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday March 23, 2018 at 1900 for a 1930 start.
See below for the current list of members of the Hall of Fame
2016 inductees
Circuit Racing
Sir Jack Brabham
Alan Jones
Phil Irving
Harry Firth
Bob Jane
Peter Brock
Dick Johnson
Allan Moffat
Frank Matich
Motorcycling
Lionel van Praag
Jack Young
Jason Crump
Kel Carruthers
Wayne Gardner
Mick Doohan
Casey Stoner
Gregg Hansford
Troy Bayliss
Stephen Gall
Jeff Leisk
Speedway
Ray Revell
Garry Rush
Rally
‘Gelignite’ Jack Murray
Colin Bond
Ross Dunkerton
Karting
James Courtney
Drag Racing
Ash Marshall
Off-Road
Mark Burrows
Land Speed
Norman ‘Wizard’ Smith
Administrative Services
Donald Kingsley Thompson
2017 inductees
Circuit Racing
Alexander Nicholas ‘Lex’ Davison
Jim Richards
Mark Skaife
Frank Gardner
Kevin Bartlett
Larry Perkins
Vern Schuppan
Motorcycle Racing
Keith Ronald Campbell
Thomas Edward Phillis
Troy Corser
Rallying
Peter ‘Possum’ Bourne
Neal Bates
Coral Taylor
Motorcycle – Speedway
Arthur George ‘Bluey’ Wilkinson
Leigh Scott Adams
Motorcycle – Motocross
Ken Rumble
Drag Racing
Jim Read
Karting
John Pizarro
Speedway Cars
Johnny Stewart
Special Category
John Large – Administration
Ron Tauranac – Engineer
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