Supercars
Own a replica of Dick Johnson's Bathurst rock
The infamous rock that nearly ruined, but then ultimately made, the career of racing legend Dick Johnson has been turned into a collectable replica.
Andrew van Leeuwen
Published: Nov 3, 2021, 7:42 AM
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Produced by Authentic Collectables, the 1:2 scale version is a faithful 3D-scanned replica of the actual rock that Johnson hit during the 1980 Bathurst 1000.
Back then Johnson was a plucky privateer, short on funds as he took on the might of Holden and Peter Brock in his Ford Falcon.
But a collision with a rock that was rolled onto the Mount Panorama circuit during the Great Race in 1980 left his car wrecked and, with no money to fix it, his career hanging by a thread.
However after a TV interview with broadcaster Channel 7, Johnson's plight sparked an outpouring of public support, Edsel Ford II, one of Ford Australia's senior executives, vowing to match donations to fix the car.
A total of $78,000 was raised to keep Johnson on the Australian touring car scene and he went on to win the Australian Touring Car Championship five times and the Bathurst 1000 three times during his incredible career.
He continues to be a Supercars team owner to this day, his Dick Johnson Racing team winning two of the last three races at Sydney Motorsport Park thanks to Anton De Pasquale.
The rock itself lives at the DJR factory museum on the Gold Coast.
The long-anticipated model of the rock, which is hand-painted and includes a certificate of authenticity signed by Johnson, is now on sale with a limited 350 units on offer.
“Hitting the rock was the best, worse thing to ever happen to me," said Johnson.
"[Wife] Jillie and I are forever grateful to Mike Raymond, Channel 7 and everyone who made a donation to get DJR started and back on track. No more so than perhaps my great mate and true friend Edsel Ford II, who matched every cent raised and maxed out Ford Australia’s marketing budget in the process!
"Hitting the rock made us the people’s team.
"I couldn’t believe it when there’s some fancy tech thing scanning it in 3D and in colour too. Technology is remarkable and this is the first and only time we have ever had the thing that started it all scanned, with replicas available for sale.”
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