Gary Johnson
At last, the handbrake’s come off and this season’s finally got into a bit of a swing. If you were at Donny with Thundersport a few weeks back then you’ll already know about my Triumph(s). Basically, I was given a golden opportunity by Phil Read of East Coast Racing to buy his Daytona 675s that Lee Johnstone raced on the roads last year, and I couldn’t turn the man down. They’re mega bikes and to prove their pedigree, I bagged pole and a couple of wins on them straight out of the crate in the Elite 600 class. Things were looking set for a triple triumph until my bike’s clutch started slipping on my last outing, but I’d have sooner found that out there and then, than when I was giving it the berries in a road race. That’s all part and parcel of racing. No one got hurt, and it’s given my dad, Turbo Trev, something to keep him busy over the next few days. He’ll see it right. He’s a dab hand at making special parts for bikes, and he knows exactly what I need and how tough things need to be to take the abuse of the TT.
I’m proper pumped to be riding Triumphs again this season. They’re mega bikes and I know from my 2014 win that they’ve got the potential to reach the top step of the podium. The rest is down to me. But I’m feeling on pretty good form. I’m eating good, training hard and working flat-out to get all my ducks in a row before the first road race of the year. Right now, that’s theoretically the NorthWest 200, but owing to time, resources and cash flow, I’m not entirely sure I’ll be lining up on the grid. We’ll see. It’s a shame, because I love that place, but my priority has to be the TT, which will be on us in no time. Are you going? Have you been before? If not, get yourself over there. I can’t bloody wait to let rip. I was over on the Island a few weeks back for the TT launch. That was a mint gig, as ever, and I got the chance to put it to a few of my rivals on a clay shooting range. I didn’t finish first, but I certainly wasn’t last. Judging by how sketchy some of those guys’ shooting was, it’s a good job we’ve got laws against carrying guns over here!
Anyway, in more relevant news, I’ve finally got my Gixers from York Suzuki. They’re mint, brand new, and ready to be pulled apart and built back up into proper racebikes. There’s a shed-load of work to do, but with the help of my mechanic Youssef, we’ll have them on form in no time. Best crack on.