Articles by James Phelps

Australian motorsport legend Dick Johnson has revealed he is broke after losing a staggering $9.1 million. A sporting icon who should be living in the lap of luxury following a famous 36-year racing career, the five-time V8 TouringCar champion is living off $300 a week and has not drawn a wage from his renowned race team Dick Johnson Racing (DJR) since 2008.Johnson, 68, has also spoken for the first time about his ailing health. "I lost nearly everything I owned,'' he said. "My house, my factory, my health and my famous cars. Even my dignity. I was conned out of $9.1 million.''Failed business deals forced Johnson to mortgage his $2.1 million property on the Gold Coast in 2008 along with the $1.3 million factory that contains the most successful team in the history of V8 Supercars.The three-time Bathurst winner also lost $4 million in savings and was forced to sell the race cars that helped make him one of the most iconic drivers in Australian history. "They had to go,'' Johnson said. "I was broke and busted and left without a choice."It hurt then and it still hurts now. I'm sure all this drama will eventually kill me. "It might floor you to know I haven't drawn a wage from my business since 2008. Some people think I am a rich racing legend worth a fortune."But my wife and I have been living on less than $1200 a month. That's for food, bills and petrol. Sometimes I have enough to fly my wife to races to watch our son Steve. "My only income comes from the factory space I rent to my team. I have nothing else. I lost it all in a dodgy deal.''Johnson's sad tale began in 2005 when major sponsor Westpoint collapsed, leaving him without a promised $12 million in sponsorship.The man who became a household name in 1980 when he was wiped out by a rock at Bathurst formed two businesses - V8 Telecoms and FirstRock Mortgage Centre. Both companies collapsed in 2007, forcing Johnson to sell his assets to pay out creditors and save his famous race team."I have had many lows in my life, none more so than walking into a hotel to plead with a bunch of knockabouts to take all I had to give to save my team,'' he said. "It was damn right embarrassing and completely terrifying. Thankfully, they accepted my deal and allowed my team to survive.''Johnson said the ordeal has made him an "old man''. "I am now 68 and I look old beyond my years,'' he said. "I am not a healthy man. The reasons stem back to that period of my life. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat and I constantly felt sick in the guts. From that day I have constantly battled through pulsating problems that have made me an old man. I was never a big drinker but I turned to the bottle to help me sleep and forget my troubles at night.''The Ford warrior was forced to sack his son, Steven, as a driver this year to make it to the season opening race. Johnson's iconic race team is now on the rebound, with the team securing one of the hottest young drivers in the sport. Things are looking brighter, with several new sponsors ensuring his team's survival. 

Mark Skaife has declared incoming manufacturer Volvo is not a replacement for Ford in the , with the V8 Supercars commissioner set to do everything he can to make sure the famous brand remains in the

Mark Skaife yesterday revealed there are another three car manufacturers lining up to join the newest player on the V8 grid after the Holden chairman and Supercars' commissioner announced Volvo would to take the fight to Holden, Ford, Nissan and Mercedes next year.On another landmark day for the sport that will ensure the category's long term viability, Volvo yesterday committed to becoming V8 Supercars' fifth manufacturer, with the Swedish giant joining Garry Rogers Motorsport for a two-car assault on the championship.But Skaife said there could be more than two V8 Volvo S60s on the grid from 2015, with the former champion revealing he is still in talks with another three manufacturers about joining the series.News Limited understands BMW and Chrysler are two of the interested parties."I can say that I am in discussion with three,'' Skaife said, "We have held talks and we will continue to, going forward. They have all said they are interested but whether or not they come and play I don't know.""Either way, we have to make sensible decisions to gain factory-backed support for race teams currently not receiving that support. This is about the viability of our sport.''With five manufacturers now committed to the series next year, Skaife said the sport could only sustain a couple more entries, with the new teams chasing success in an already competitive field."I think the clever way to go about it is to say will have five manufacturers for 2014,'' Skaife said.

... and today we can reveal the unlikely man who snared Pink for the V8 Supercars. Many suspected it was former rodeo and V8 Supremo Tony Cochrane who snared the biggest female name in would rock, but it was in fact race car driver and team owner Paul Morris who snared the music megastar. But Carsguide can reveal Morris approached a disbelieving Cochrane claiming he could secure her for the campaign, and with a budget he did. Morris spends a lot of time in the US and is believed to have formed a friendship with the star through his network of motorsport contacts. Morris is close to a number of NASCAR drivers and Pink is right into her motorsport with her boyfreind Cary Hart a professional motorcross rider. After coming accross this yarn, we were not surprised to see the greatest metal front man in Morris' garage at Sandown last round. Taking a break from his Australian tour, none other than James Hetfield watched practice with Morris before having a ride with Greg Murphy. Hetfield left in awe of the V8s and invited a host of Supercars to his final show in Melbourne.

...after doubts were raised over his team's all-conquering Falcons of Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes. Lowndes held on to win his second race of the weekend at Winton after Dane was asked to modify a front splitter by V8 Supercars technical directors. “We did it at their request last night because they wanted to stop everyone from getting excited about the splitter and trying to say that what we use as a money-saving system is helping the performance of our car,” Dane said. “We did that this morning by bolting it on to our car and then going and setting pole.” Rival teams were yesterday up in arms after V8 officials discovered seven Triple Eight-built vehicles were using a splitter with a unique mounting system. It is believed the system provides more flex than a fixed unit, but Dane said no unfair advantage had been gained. V8 officials were last night trying to determine if any rules had been broken. It is not known whether an official complaint has been made to stewards, which would prompt a review. “We have a mounting system on the front of the car that allows us, if we smash into a kerb, that doesn't smash the front splitter into pieces,” Dane said. “We are trying to save money and we came up with a system four years ago that is trying to help our splitters survive a weekend — that is the bottom line. “If it is helping us go quicker, then why did we not get any advantage this morning? There is no advantage. It is nonsense.” Dane was adamant the technology was no secret. “If the other people in pit lane are too thick to come up with a system to save money they can come and buy it off us,” he said. “They buy enough other stuff off us. The other teams in pit lane have forgotten how to win.” The drama overshadowed another brilliant weekend for Triple Eight. “We had good speed all day and it was a great win,” said Lowndes, who moves to seventh in the championship. “It is one thing to get good results and now I think we have had our bad results.” His teammate Whincup (13th) missed out on his first podium of the year after a pit-stop debacle. Whincup was left waiting for Lowndes to exit after both cars were ordered in during a safety-car period. Ford gun Mark Winterbottom roared back into championship calculations with a second, while Garth Tander finished third.  

The Ford star yesterday blasted his way to a come-from-behind victory in Hamilton to remain unbeaten for the year. It was his 14th win from 17 starts, making him the hottest driver in V8 Supercars history.The Daily Telegraph can reveal the off-contract Whincup is considering a move overseas.The V8 Supercars champion, who was yesterday robbed of pole position by a controversial red flag, last month knocked back a mega-rich offer to compete in Le Mans, one of the world's most prestigious races.“I had two offers for him to race in Le Mans,” his manager Matt Cousins revealed. “And racing overseas is something he may look at in the future.”Whincup is expected to field offers of up to $1million a year to leave Roland Dane's Team Vodafone. Yesterday, he proved he is worth every cent by crushing his rivals.“Right now longevity is the key,” Cousins said. “His future is here at the moment and he is concentrating on winning another championship. That is all that matters to him.“I think concentrating on the championship and his long-term future is better than a quick earn. Right now we are very comfortable at Triple Eight. It would have to be a very impressive offer to leave, but you can never say never.”Two rival V8 Supercars teams have already inquired about Whincup's services for 2010.On a horror day in Hamilton for Holden, Ford took out all three spots on the podium, with James Courtney and Steve Johnson taking the minor placings, as the 26-year-old drove his best race of the year.But Whincup was far from happy after the race, slamming V8 officials for a controversial qualifying session that saw him denied the fastest lap just 50m before crossing the line.A red flag was dropped on the session when Tim Slade crashed as the sport's big guns were making their final assault with four minutes to go.“It was a tough session because it got cut short,” Whincup said. “It got Steven Johnson up the front. I was angry and annoyed. It was a lottery.“We don't want to get to the stage where we are drawing numbers out of a hat. I don't want to be disrespectful to the guys who did a good job, but the fastest car did not qualify first.” 

The new king of Australian motor sport Jamie Whincup began his quest for back-to-back V8 titles in style, making it two from two at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide yesterday.The V8 Supercars champion admitted he was suffering from pre-season nerves, but showed no mercy as he blitzed his Holden rivals Will Davison (second) and Garth Tander (third).Whincup is hoping to become the first driver since Marcos Ambrose (2003-04) to win back-to-back championship crowns.“It has been a long three months since I won the championship at Oran Park,” Whincup said. “There was a lot of pressure coming into this round carrying the No. 1.“There were a lot of question marks over a lot of things. There have been big changes at the team with the new cars and it has been just such a different lead up to the season. I didn't know if I was going to run 25th or finish up the front.”Whincup was forced to dig deep early, with Tander leading a Holden fight-back on the first lap.As the second race fired to life in spectacular fashion, Tander ducked inside Whincup to take the lead in a gutsy move. But Whincup put his head down and stole the lead back on lap 10 with a classy pass on Holden's top dog.It was a horror start for last year's runner-up Mark Winterbottom, with another crash costing him valuable championship points.After fighting his way up to fifth, Winterbottom flew round turn 13 and ended up in the gravel when his steering failed. The mechanical malfunction sent him back to last place and all but ended a disappointing weekend for Ford Performance Racing.Davison is looming as a championship threat after an outstanding debut with the Holden Racing Team.After a strong year with Dick Johnson Racing last year, Davison is shaping as a genuine force with the Red Lion's backing.“It is just one step at a time,” Davison said.“For me it is just crazy to start thinking of the championship. I know what I want to achieve this year and this is a great start.”But the day belonged to Whincup.“My car got stronger and stronger,” he said. “The pace was massive. We were doing mid-22s, which was just huge. I had a great battle with Will. It was intense pressure the whole way and I am so happy to get a second win.” ROUND 1CLIPSAL 500, RACE 21 Jamie Whincup (Ford)2 Will Davison (Holden)3 Garth Tander (Holden)4 Craig Lowndes (Ford)5 Lee Holdsworth (Holden)CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AFTER ROUND 11 Jamie Whincup 3002 Will Davison 2673 Lee Holdsworth 2494 Steven Johnson 2225 Jason Richards 207 

Team Vodafone hotshot Whincup won a staggering 16 races on his way to the crown — but the day belonged to Mark Skaife who said farewell after a stellar 21-year career. “I was lined up at on the grid and my wife Toni and son Mitch starting crying,” Skaife said. “That was it, I burst into tears. “I didn't pull myself together until I finished the first lap.” On a day of high emotion at Oran Park, Holden's Garth Tander won the round but it mattered little for Whincup, who secured the championship on Saturday with two races to go. Whincup last night hoisted the trophy above his head after one of the most dominant years in Australian motor sport before thanking his team. “I wish the whole team could have got up on the podium,” he said. “They deserve it as much as me. “We will go and celebrate tonight and probably for the next week.” It was a chaotic start to Oran Park's last ever V8 race, with Steven Richards and Rick Kelly blasting to the front and leaving a sea of twisted metal behind them. Holden duo Paul Dumbrell and Todd Kelly turned in the middle of the track leaving a road block for the rest of the field. In his final race, Skaife took three places off the line while Todd Kelly's bad run continued when he hit a concrete wall. Whincup was sent to the back of the field when retiring veteran Paul Morris smashed him of the track and sent him flying sideways into a ditch. Skaife had a mixed farewell with the retiring Holden icon failing to finish the second race but clawing his way through the field to finish in 12th place in his final race. The touring car legend climbed out of his famous No.2 Holden Commodore after the race and embraced Toni in emotional scenes. “It is all a bit overwhelming,” Skaife said. “The support I have received is incredible. “Even Ford fans were thanking me for my career today.” Round winner Tander has predicted better things for Holden next year after finishing second behind Rick Kelly in race two to win the round. “I think things are looking good,” He said. “We will be back stronger and better than ever. We have had good speed over the past couple of rounds and I think that we have a good package.”   Final championship points 1 ..... Jamie Whincup ......... Ford ....... 3332 2 ..... Mark Winterbottom ... Ford ....... 3079 3 ..... Garth Tander ............ Holden .... 3048 4 ..... Craig Lowndes .......... Ford ....... 2871 5 ..... Will Davison ............. Ford ....... 2495 6 ..... James Courtney ....... Ford ....... 2446 7 ..... Rick Kelly ................ Holden .... 2430 8 ..... Steven Richards ....... Ford ....... 2416 9 ..... Russell Ingall ............ Holden ... 2236 10 ... Steven Johnson ........ Ford ....... 2163  

Holden Racing Team's Garth Tander yesterday took over the V8 Supercar championship lead after another day of heartbreak for Ford star Mark Winterbottom at Winton Raceway. The Ford Performance Racing (FPR) top-gun dramatically crashed out of contention in the final race after clawing his way to the front of the grid with the drive of the year in race two. Winterbottom looked to have put his race one woes behind him when he blasted out of the blocks and took the race lead. But, once again, disaster struck for the man dubbed “Frosty”. With only clear road in front of him, the Blacktown boy slewed into the kitty-litter after a wheel lock-up on turn one. He was smashed back into the mud by Holden's Todd Kelly after attempting to re-enter the track and was forced to sit helpless as his championship lead was lost to bitter rival Tander. “I am very disappointed,” Winterbottom said after the race. “Not because I lost the championship lead but because I made a mistake. It was just driver error. I couldn't see Garth there and when I turned in, it just locked the tyre. It was pretty tough conditions on cold tyres but you pride yourself on making no mistakes. You put a lot of pressure on yourself so you don't like to make errors.” Earlier in the day Winterbottom was described by FPR boss Tim Edwards as a “true champion” after taking out second place in race two. To do so he showed amazing skill and speed to claw his way back from 21st position after a flat tyre ruined his first race. But on a wild weekend of racing, Tander emerged from the carnage to take the round win and reclaim the championship lead. “It has been a tough time for Holden fans lately so it is great to be up here,” Tander said. “The car was very good. We obviously had some problems with the steering in race one but it was very good during races two and three today. I knew if we could get some clear air than we could do the job. It is disappointing for Mark . But at the end of the day you have to stay on the track.” In a chaotic start to race two, Supercheap Autos Russell Ingall, Tasman Motorsport's Jason Richards, HRTs Mark Skaife and Garry Rogers Motorsports (GRM) Michael Caruso all came to grief in a spectacular collision. All cars were unable to finish the race. Team Vodafone driver Jamie Whincup finished the Winton round in second place after taking out race one, while Jim Beam's Will Davison finished third after winning race two. Championship standings Garth Tander (HRT) ........................ 1844 Mark Winterbottom (FPR) ............... 1832 Jamie Whincup (Team Vodafone) .... 1758 Rick Kelly (Toll HSV) ..................... 1506 Will Davison (DJR) ......................... 1426 Steven Richards (FPR) ................... 1383 Craig Lowndes(Team Vodafone) ...... 1365 James Courtney (SBR) ................... 1343 Lee Holdsworth (GRM) ................... 1200 Russell Ingall (Super Cheap Auto) ... 1189

Wednesday 3.58pm: A journalist approaches racing legend Dick Johnson and tells him he is about to be dumped by Ford after more than 30 years of loyal service.Johnson picks up the phone and calls his good mate and Dick Johnson Racing (DJR) director Charlie Schwerkolt.He leaves a message: “Mate, don't bother f****** ringing back but a journalist just told me Ford are going to cut our funding. They're still going to give us minor support, but I don't know to what level so I'm not going to go off yet. Let me deal with the f******* first. Don't blame me if the shit hits the fan.”Ford's stance has left an Australian sporting icon stunned and angry.It has also enraged the fans, not to mention his race driver son Steven, who followed Dick to make his name with Ford.“He was in shock and so he should have been,” Steven said. “My God. The things he has done for Ford over the last 38 years or so.“It just goes to show that with a change of management, some companies will chuck you out the door.“Loyalty is dead when people don't understand what Dad and Peter Brock where all about in their day.“People come over and just don't understand the category or the history.”Johnson is still trying to get his head around the news delivered by a reporter and not by Ford itself.He will have to find another $1million to race next year after Ford decided to limit its cash commitments to just two teams, Stone Brother Racing (SBR) and Ford Performance Racing (FPR).“I'm still in shock,” Johnson said last week. “I don't know what else to say.”But as the reality was beginning to sink in yesterday as those close to the the three-time Bathurst winner and five-time touring car champion had their say for him.“It is devastating news, it really is,” said Schwerkolt, the millionaire forklift driver who bailed Dick out in 2000.“We didn't expect it. Dick was in Darwin and he found out off the media. He just couldn't believe it. He swore a lot and he was absolutely gutted. We are all part of the family at Ford.”Not any more. The man who fought off the might of Holden during the sport's glory years will no longer be sponsored by Ford.But after enduring a horror two years, prompted by the collapse of property group Westpoint, Steve says nothing can stop DJR or his father. Johnson was a major investor in the failed company and was forced to sell his famous True Blue Falcon, along with his green XE Falcon and Sierra, to pay off his debts.“If we can get through this, we can get through anything,” Steven said.“We have had a bloody tough two years.“It has been trying on everybody, on the team, on the family and all the employees of DJR. We just have to get some new cars next year and fire.“Hopefully we can make them jealous and be up the front.“He has been pretty down about it because it is a massive blow to him and my mum. I just said to him today to keep his chin up.“We have got most of the company back on its feet so we can't stop now.”But in a move that will stun Ford fans, Steven said he was open to driving another brand of car next year.“I just love the motoring industry in general,” Steven said. “I like anything that is built right, whether that is Ford, Holden or Toyota.“I am not a diehard who follows one team. What has happened might change what I drive on the road next year.”And the sentiment is shared by Team Vodafone, who were also axed by Ford.Team boss Roland Dane yesterday said he would court Toyota as a possible car manufacturer for the powerful Triple Eight team when the current contract with Ford expires.The Sunday Telegraph understands the sport's governing body is open to the idea of a third or fourth manufacturer entering the series. CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGSRank ... Name ....................... Points1 ......... Mark Winterbottom ... 11242 ......... Garth Tander ............ 10723 ......... Jamie Whincup ......... 10624 ......... Rick Kelly ................ 10285 ......... Craig Lowndes .......... 8976 ......... Steven Richards ....... 8397 ......... James Courtney ....... 8118 ......... Lee Holdsworth ......... 7609 ......... Will Davison ............. 75210 ....... Todd Kelly ................ 726* after 5 rounds "I am not a diehard who follows one team. What has happened might change what I drive on the road next year."Driver Steven Johnson after Ford's decision to withdraw funding for Dick Johnson Racing TEAM STANDINGS1 Ford Performance Racing ... 19632 Team Vodafone ................. 19593 Toll Holden Racing ............. 17024 Stone Brothers Racing ....... 15035 HSV Dealer Team .............. 14686 Jim Beam Racing .............. 14347 Brad Jones Racing ............. 12018 Garry Rogers Motorsport .... 11889 Tasman Motorsport ............ 110810 Jack Daniels Racing ......... 1080* after 5 rounds