Johnson driving third Shell Mustang at test

Steven Johnson will today have his first Supercars laps in five years, driving a third Shell V-Power Racing Mustang at the squad’s Ipswich test.

The son of team co-owner Dick Johnson, Steven is lending his experience to a 2020 engine evaluation program running alongside its main test day.

Shell V-Power Racing has followed Walkinshaw Andretti United’s lead in testing an engine built to the revised 2020 rules, complete with the optional drive-by-wire throttle.

Primary drivers are not permitted to take part in the 2020 engine test outings, leaving the team to call on Johnson, who raced full-time for the team from 2000-12, and currently drives a 1969 Mustang in the Touring Car Masters.

The 45-year-old has not driven a Supercar since his last enduro campaign with DJR in 2014, after which the squad morphed into DJR Team Penske.

Johnson's last Supercars appearance at the 2014 GC600

“Stevie J was a logical choice,” DJRTP managing director Ryan Story told Supercars.com.

“Obviously his father is still an owner of the team and his name is above the door, but Steve’s feedback over the years has been very, very good.

“It’s the first time he’s driven a Supercar since 2014, since he last drove for us in the enduros, so it’s a bit of a milestone in that respect, but in many ways he’s a known quantity.

“The engine shop has an enormous degree of faith in his feedback and know he’ll give us a good direction and understanding from the drivers’ seat of what those changes do.”

The car is being run in Shell V-Power colours, sporting Team Penske’s #66, which DJRTP used for the Sandown retro round in 2016.

It is the chassis built-up by Shell V-Power Racing for Mustang homologation duties last year, which Dick drove in a series of demonstration runs at the Superloop Adelaide 500.

“It’s a pretty cool story, it’s one of a couple of chassis in the team’s history that have been driven by both father and son,” said Story.

Now in Shell colours, the spare car was driven in Adelaide by Dick Johnson

The 2020 engine rules are centred around reducing in-season rebuilds to three per season, estimated to save teams approximately $50,000 per car.

They include a control ring and revised rocker ratio, resulting in a loss of around 15bhp from the current peak figure of 650bhp.

While Supercars has elected against making drive-by-wire compulsory, Story says the team is keen to evaluate how it performs.

“We don’t have any intention at this stage of running it [in 2020],” he said, noting that the technology is currently optional and will remain so next year.

“But because we’d already done some research and development into how to install a fly-by-wire throttle motor in there, we’re running it as part of evaluating some of the other changes to the engine for 2020.”

Shell V-Power Racing’s full stable of drivers are taking part in the team’s main test day today, ahead of the PIRTEK Enduro Cup.

Scott McLaughlin’s co-driver Alex Premat already cut laps during the team’s ride day on Friday, while Tony D’Alberto again slots in with Fabian Coulthard this season.

The Red Bull Holden Racing Team, Matt Stone Racing and Kostecki Brothers Racing are also testing, ahead of the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 on October 10-13.