Johnnie or John Walker was born in 1944, in Adelaide, South Australia and will be remembered as a highly competitive driver in the Tasman Series and the Australian Drivers Championship.
He began racing in the early 1960s at Mallala in an FE Holden. In 1965 he competed in the ADC in an Elfin with a best overall result of fourth in 1968. Two years later he was second outright in the Australian Formula 2 Championship.
Then he stepped up to Formula 5000 in 1972 where he drove an Elfin MR5/Repco Holden before a move to a similarly powered Matich A50. In 1975 he was highly competitive in the Tasman Series going into the final round at Sandown as equal series points leader. But a crash on the first lap, demolished 50m of the horse track’s running rails as well as his car.
He first entered the AGP in 1970 when the annual event was held at Warwick Farm. He drove an F2 Ford twin cam powered Elfin 600B, and against the stock block 5.0lt V8s finished seventh outright. He had another shot in 1973 at Sandown, this time in a Lola T332/Repco Holden and finished third which helped him to second in Gold Star, which he repeated in two years later.
In 1979 Walker won the AGP when it was held at Wanneroo Raceway. It was an exciting and dramatic race. There was a start line crash that eliminated two of the front runners and Walker looked to have the race in his keeping aboard the T332/Chev. But, he was black flagged with a dragging exhaust, before he fought back to snare the victory.
The year of 1979 was a good one, for it was supposed to be his last and it was fitting that he should win the Australian Drivers Championship for the Gold Star. He became just the fourth at the time to win both the AGP and the Gold Star in the same year.
Walker also drove several touring cars and contested four Bathurst 1000. The first was in 1970 in a Ford XW Falcon GTHO Phase II with Kym Auger before an early retirement. He drove a Holden Torana XU-1 the following year with Malcolm Ramsey and finished 11th.
For 1975 he was with the Holden Dealer Team with Colin Bond in the team’s lone Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34, they finished third. His last Bathurst was in 1978 with Warren Cullen where their Torana A9X Hatchback placed seventh. Some years later (1981) he contested the Australian Sports Car Championship in a Porsche and finished fourth.
A racing hero to many, Johnnie Walker became a household name when he competed successfully against some of the world’s best, in the sport which didn’t have near the coverage it does today.
He passed away early on Monday May 6 at age 79. Speedcafe extends its condolences to his family and friends and will feel the same loss as all those who admired him and his accomplishments.
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