Race Flashback: Win in the Wet at the 500

Arguably Steven Johnson’s most exciting win in a V8 Supercar took place at the circuit the series travels to this weekend.

In 2001, Queensland Raceway was home to the 500km endurance event, the VIP Petfoods Queensland 500 – and that year it was a drama filled race, which had to be red flagged before scheduled completion because of extreme wet conditions.

Russell Ingall and Larry Perkins were in the #11 Perkins Motorsport Holden Commodore while Johnson and Paul Radisich steered the Shell Helix Racing #17 Ford Falcon AU.

First it was John Bowe – still on slicks – who danced off track from what was third position, still on slick tyres. Radisich was next, losing the lead. Steve Ellery spun out from sixth.

Though the #17 had led the race earlier on, it was just two laps before the end it passed for the lead with a quicker pit stop than #11.  

Ingall/Perkins were the assumed winners when the race ended – but as the leaders of the lap prior to the red flag being shown, it was in fact Radisich/Johnson who were victorious. The last full lap was 156 of a scheduled 161.

Johnson reminisced with v8supercars.com.au about the win.

“Radisich and I were racing for the lead all day and it was a really good day for us,” he said.

“We got to the stage we’d gotten to the lead – it was a long stint – and the heavens opened up and it just bucketed down.

“We were out on slicks and we ended up getting caught out – Paul (Radisich) ended up getting caught out more than most and ended up sailing off the track backwards in a pool of water and burying himself in the sand trap. And there were cars going off left, right and centre.

“As we were in the sand trap, Russell Ingall and Larry Perkins went passed us. We were running second at the time, so they were thinking they won the race, but luckily for us they red flagged the race and took it back a lap, to when we were leading. We were able to get the win.

“I guess the biggest thing about it was, even though it wasn’t as big a win as Mark Skaife and Jim Richards at Bathurst in 1992, it was almost like karma coming back to us. Dad (Dick Johnson) and John Bowe lost that race in ’92 – Mark and Jimmy (were) in the fence and they red flagged the race, so it went back a lap.

“So it wasn’t until Radisich – who ended up getting out of the car – heard it on the radio that we’d won because they red flagged it.

“We were pretty ecstatic! It was almost like déjà vu but it actually went our way for a change! It was a pretty amazing time – the finish; and an amazing year for me getting my first race win, round win and pole position; and finishing fifth in the Championship, one of my best finishes in the Championship.

“It really was one of those races – to win on home soil was fantastic and to do it that way, the crowd was going off and it was amazing.”

The crowd was excited, alright – one spectator got down to the car and Radisich, barely keeping his shorts on.

“There was a guy who ran out through the sand trap with a flag and half his pants handing down! He fell over in the sand and gave Radisich a big hug I think. It was actually quite funny and got caught on TV.

“We were having a bit of a chuckle about it in the garage, but we were high fiving and yelling and screaming and carrying on, knowing we’d won the race.

“I think Larry and Russell were pretty dirty on it. But we were dirty on it in ’92 when it happened to us as well, so what goes around, comes around!”

This year’s event at Queensland Raceway returns to the 60/60 Super Sprint format, seeing Saturday’s 120km race run in two halves, the second beginning with a double file rolling restart.

There have been three other events this year that have employed the format, with Fabian Coulthard, Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup having won the previous attempts in Tasmania, Perth and Darwin.

Tickets for the event are available through Ticketek.