Family returns to Bathurst to honour wishes of late motorcycle champion

Mr Johnson's family were in Bathurst on Good Friday, the first day of the Bathurst 6 Hour, to spread some of his ashes on Conrod Straight.

They also used the visit as an opportunity to donate some of his trophies, a pair of his old leather riding boots, and a framed picture of him on track.

Mr Johnson made a name for himself at Mount Panorama in the 1980s during the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, winning the Unlimited class in 1980, 1983 and 1984, as well as the 500cc Class in 1983 and 1984.

He also set a lap record in 1983 and, now that motorcycles no longer race at Mount Panorama and the layout of the circuit has changed, it will never be broken.

Mr Johnson died on September 21, 2012 and in the years since the family has spread his ashes in two locations.

The final place they wanted to spread his ashes was at Mount Panorama over Easter, which was the time of year when he raced on the circuit.

Mr Johnson's cousin, Rosco Holden, said the COVID-19 pandemic had made it impossible to get everyone together at Easter, until now.

"He's a well-known legend and a Bathurst legend, so for us it was significant to complete the task and lay him to rest," he said.

Prior to spreading his ashes, they formally handed over four of his Bathurst trophies and other memorabilia to the National Motor Racing Museum.

The items, which have been sitting in boxes at Phillip Island, will be able to be displayed in the museum for fans of the sport to see.

"We thought it was time - and the right time now - to get them up here and donate them to the museum to have some piece of AJ's history in the flesh," Mr Holden said.

Importantly, Mr Johnson's son, Shannon Johnson, said, this honours the wishes of his late father.

"This was one of his pretty definitive wishes that we spoke about just randomly, a dad and son talk, so that feels good to be able to fulfil that wish," he said.

Mr Johnson's best friend, Gavin Holmes, also accompanied the family to Bathurst and said giving his mate's trophies to the museum was like they were "coming home".