THE 30th anniversary of one of the most infamous incidents in the history of Mount Panorama, when a rock rolled onto the track and sent race leader Dick Johnson crashing from the mountain, was the big talking point all over again on Thursday night at a Legends Dinner in Bathurst.
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The dinner was also a celebration of Ford's 50th anniversary in the lead-up to the Supercheap Auto classic where Mr Johnson, now retired from racing, is managing a team ready to write yet another chapter in the history of V8 Supercars.
Sitting quietly trackside yesterday, Mr Johnson spoke of "the rock incident" as being one of the defining moments in his career as one of the most respected drivers, winner of five Australian Touring Car Championships and three times' winner of the Bathurst 1000.
"No, I don't think it was malicious," Mr Johnson said of the moment he charged his Tru-Blu Falcon up through the cutting.
"I had an e-mail sent to me from a resident, who was sitting with his wife that day, they were the only two there.
"Two guys on the booze came and laid down, one with his feet on rocks, the other sat on a rock. They had had a big night on the alcohol, dislodged the rock and took off.
"I came out of the cutting with only seconds to make a decision, the way it was there was a tilt tray truck picking up broken down Commodores. I'd slowed, there was a white flag and there was the rock."
Mr Johnson had been well into the race with the Tru-Blu Ford, "doing it easy, with a lap on Brocky, who went on to win the race".
Mr Johnson is now 65. His co-driver John French is about to turn 80.
Mr Johnson said he's long revelled in being part of Great Race folklore, even though he and Mr French had been denied their first Mt Panorama win in 1980.
"John was 50 at the time and said he wanted to win at Bathurst before he turned 51," Mr Johnson said. "I had been going round the mountain since Easter 1970."
As devastating as it was when the rock sent Mr Johnson and the Falcon careering from the track, the incident proved to be fortuitous. He went on to become one of the leading Australian touring car drivers of all time, eventually winning at Bathurst with John French and twice with another John, John Bowe.
"The annual Legends Dinner is an important part of the off-track events calendar during Race Week in Bathurst," Mayor Paul Toole said on Thursday, just before the dinner.
"We are very happy to have drivers of the status of Dick Johnson and John French as our guests, particularly on the anniversary of one of the most talked-about events in the history of Mount Panorama.
"This year is also the 50th anniversary of the Falcon. So it is very appropriate that these great drivers should be our Legends of 2010."
Johnson was born back in 1945 in Queensland and has always worn his allegiance to the north on his shirt front and during his driving career.
He first started driving with his father when he was a teenager attending Cavendish Road State High School in the Coorparoo area.
His old school community has since recognised his exploits as a champion racing driver, naming a school house Johnson in his honour and, not surprisingly, the house colour is blue, the same as his best-known Fords.
While Mr Johnson has usually been recognised as a Ford man, he started out racing a Holden EH in the mid-1960s. By the 1970s he had worked his way up to the Australian Touring Car Championship.
By 2008, Mr Johnson had claimed more than 20 awards and honours, including induction into the V8 Supercar Hall of Fame in 2001.
Despite being synonymous with driving Fords, Mr Johnson raced a FJ Holden and Holden Torana early in his career.
Last February, Ford Australia announced a new partnership with Dick Johnson's Queensland-based V8 Supercar team, Jim Beam Racing, for the 2010 season.
The team entered the series with direct factory support from Ford, in addition to the engineering and technical assistance the team received during 2009, following an internal review of its motorsport sponsorship.
Ford Australia president and chief executive officer, Marin Burela said at the time the company was pleased to expand its partnership with Jim Beam Racing for 2010.
"Dick Johnson is an icon of the sport and a motorsport legend," Mr Burela said.
"His name and his team have been synonymous with the Ford brand over a long period of time, so it's fitting that we can continue to be inextricably linked in the world of motorsport Australia."
