Iconic Ford team pairs with V8 Sleuth to sell James Courtney 2010 championship winner
ICONIC V8 Supercar team Dick Johnson Racing has placed its 2010 V8 Supercars Championship-winning Jim Beam #18 Falcon on the market, instantly making the car a must-have for any serious car collector or savvy investor.
DJR has engaged the V8 Sleuth himself Aaron Noonan to act on its behalf for the sale of the car.
James Courtney took the Triple Eight-built FG Falcon (chassis 888A-018) to the 2010 championship in a dramatic final round on the streets of Sydney Olympic Park at the Sydney Telstra 500.
It was raced by Courtney throughout the 2009 and 2010 championships as the #18 Jim Beam entry, culminating in his first – and DJR’s seventh – championship crown.
Appropriately, the car raced throughout its three-and-a-half year racing career under the competition number 18 in addition to also being chassis 18.
The car was also raced by James Moffat – son of four-time Bathurst winner Allan – in his impressive debut season in the 2011 V8 Supercars Championship and last used at Queensland Raceway last season by the now-Nissan driver.
Its endurance pilots include 2012 Sandown 500 winner Warren Luff (who co-drove Courtney to the 2010 championship at Sandown, Bathurst and the Gold Coast), 2010 Sydney winner Jonathon Webb, Kiwi international Matt Halliday and American factory BMW driver Joey Hand, who co-drove with Moffat to finish fourth at the 2011 Gold Coast 600.
The chassis made three Bathurst 1000 starts, including a fifth place in Courtney’s 2010 championship-winning season with Luff co-driving.
It is one of seven racing FG Falcon chassis built by Triple Eight Race Engineering; five are presently racing in the Dunlop Series while the other is a bare shell that has lay idle since 2011.
“As much as we’d love to retain each and every car that we’ve raced, the simple fact is that we can’t and no team is in a position to do so,” said team boss Dick Johnson.
“The change to Car of the Future this year in the V8 Supercars Championship means that we can’t race this particular car anyway.
“It has fantastic history and was part of what I reckon was one of the most gripping championship finales we’ve ever seen in this country.
“The drama that surrounded that last event in Sydney was the sort of stuff you couldn’t even script.
“We’d like to find the car a new home. It will always retain a special place within the walls of DJR for its achievements and the work put into it by everyone in our workshop.”
A wide range of supporting documentation will be included with the car, including setup sheets and data sheets from its 2010 championship-winning season, original sales invoices and associated records.
Interested parties are asked to send expressions of interest via email to: aaron@v8sleuth.com.au
888A-018 CHASSIS RECORD
Debut: 2009 Clipsal 500, Adelaide – James Courtney
Last Event: 2012 Queensland Raceway – James Moffat
Years Raced: 2009-2012
Sponsors: Jim Beam (2009-2010), Norton (2011, 2012)
Drivers: James Courtney, Warren Luff, Jonathon Webb, James Moffat, Matt Halliday, Joey Hand
V8SC Race Wins: 7
(James Courtney, 2009 – Townsville and Sydney; 2010 – QLD Raceway x 2, Winton x 2, Sandown)
V8SC Pole Positions: 1
(James Courtney, Winton 2010)
V8SC Podiums: 14
(James Courtney, 2009 – Hamilton (2nd), Townsville (1st), Sandown (2nd), Queensland Raceway (2nd), Gold Coast (3rd), Sydney (1st); 2010 – Adelaide (2nd x 2), Hamilton (3rd), Queensland Raceway (1st x 2), Winton (1st x 2), Townsville (2nd), Sandown (1st)
Bathurst Starts: 3
Bathurst Results: 2009 (Luff/Webb – DNF), 2010 (Courtney/Luff – 5th), 2011 (Moffat/Halliday – 25th)
