Gary Johnson
It’s easy to make a bad decision, but sometimes it pays to take that tougher path. I’ve had a lot of decent offers on the table for the 2017 season, but not one of them has ticked all the boxes. With every deal there’s always been something missing, which I knew from experience would eventually bite me on the arse when it comes to crunch time. This is my tenth year of road racing, so I guess it’s fair to say I’ve been around a bit. I know how this game works and I know exactly what I need to get the job done. Big trucks and corporate hospitality’s are bloody lovely to have in your team, but I’d trade them any day for a group of mechanics who know how to make a bike safe and fast. That’s essentially what I’ve done, by deciding to set up my own superstock and superbike team for this year. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I already know it’s the right one. I’ve got some of the best lads in the industry on-board for the season, having made the call to run Suzuki’s new GSX-R1000s. I’ve been watching all the hype about them and I’ve yet to hear someone say a bad word about one. I’ve not yet even sat on one, but I’ve placed an order for two road bikes down my local dealerships, which I reckon I’ll have by the time you’re reading this. The piggybank’s taken a hammering, and it’s guaranteed to get a hell of a lot more abuse in the coming weeks because there’s a shed load of goodies needed to make these bikes competitive, but it’ll be worth the investment. I’m already sure of that.
In theory, going about things this way makes me a privateer racer, and I like the idea of being a bit of an underdog. If anything, it’ll make me scrap harder, but it’ll also mean I’ve got the exact bikes I want beneath me. That’s the main appeal to this choice. I’m excited, and I can’t wait to get out there and kick start the scheduled testing programme we’ve got planned. It’s nothing fancy; just plenty of testing in the UK at the right kind of tracks. Speaking of testing, the plan’s to get out on my WK for the first time in a few weeks. It’s an all-new bike for 2017, and it looks proper mint. I’ll let you know how things go next month, but I’m sure it’ll be a cracking debut. It looks smart, if nothing else. And to keep me looking smart, I’ve just been over to RST to get measured up for some new leathers. We’ve not decided on team colours yet, because we’ve yet to find a main sponsor for my big bikes, but I’m hopeful we’ll have someone occupying that space in time for the first major road race of the year; the Northwest 200. It’s still a few months away, but I know it’ll be on us in no time. So on that note, I best shoot and do a bit more.