JETT Johnson has spoken of the next step in his blossoming career after a breakthrough event at Queensland Raceway.
The grandson of Australian motorsport royalty Dick Johnson last year flashed his talent on his way to securing the TA2 Northern Series title.
The graduation to the Australian Racing Group-owned Turtle Wax Trans Am Series this year has provided a stiffer challenge, with the teenager having been just 14th in the points after four rounds.
But a return to familiar settings at QR, in front of his family, saw Johnson shine on the weekend as he took his first and second podiums in the category and beat five-time Repco Supercars Championship podium finisher Brodie Kostecki to be runner-up for the round.
“It’s unreal. I have got to get used to this style of racing anyway so I think the biggest thing at the moment is trying to get the experience up, try to learn tracks I’ll be racing on for years to come,” Johnson told V8 Sleuth.
“It’s always good when you can come home with a smile like this.”
Already with a Supercars evaluation day under his belt in a Shell V-Power Racing Team Mustang, Johnson has a fairly clear picture of how his 2023 is shaping up.
“At the moment we’re looking at doing Trans Am again next year, looking to try to focus on results,” he said.
“This year we were just focusing on learning all the tracks and getting more experience, so next year we are going to be focusing on results and if we can get another drive in, let’s say, a Super2 car or another category, then we’ll take that as well.
“Just trying to get as many laps as we can but at the moment for us, it’s looking like Trans Am.”
While 2021 Trans Am title winner Nathan Herne won all three races at QR, the opportunity to go door-to-door with Kostecki was particularly special.
“I think it’s good having Supercars guys come into the category and joining in on all of this,” said the #117 NAPA Auto Parts Ford Mustang driver.
“It’s giving extra exposure to the category and they can give their opinion on what they think of the cars.
“I think it’s good being able to put myself around guys that have done the amount of laps that they have done and I get to gauge myself off of how they drive.”
In light of the dramas between ARG and Supercars which saw Shane van Gisbergen blocked from competing in Trans Am, Kostecki largely steered clear of media all weekend.
In a mandatory post-podium television interview, however, he did reserve praise for the “awesome job” Johnson did.
Kostecki placed third, sixth and second in his debut Trans Am event.
He’ll return to the cockpit of his #99 Boost Mobile ZB Commodore for Round 9 of the Repco Supercars Championship at Sandown across August 19-21.
Before then, he’ll appear at Erebus Motorsport’s open day this Sunday at its Dandenong South headquarters.
