Phillip Island Classic race two winner David Johnson labelled his 1.398 second victory over Glen Richards as one of his best wins in his motorcycle racing career.
In race two, Johnson got an average start, as UK’s Jeremy McWilliams snared the holeshot. However, as wanted to lead, he passed the 53-year-old Northern Irishman on the first lap into turn four.
Johnson explained to bikesportnews.com that he just wanted to lead, as he changed the tyre pressures for the second six lap race, as race he mucked up in the first one, which saw him finishing 1.578 seconds behind McWilliams.
“When I went for it, the likes of McWilliams, Glen Richards and co were still there. I looked around on the second last lap and Glen was right there and I thought – ohh sh*t! I knew he was going to have a go at me somewhere around the track,” Johnson told bikesportnews.com.
Throughout the race, Johnson was busting his arse to get right on the Irishman’s rear wheel after he hit the lead on lap four down the main straight. There were a couple of spots the Aussie rider could have got McWilliams, but the race winning move was the place Johnson ended up getting McWilliams, which was a ‘dive bomb.”
“Jeremy still made a gap out of Southern Loop, but I got the run through turn three and went for it. However, I forced him wide and held my line and passed him at turn four on the last lap and simply rode my arse off to hold him off.”
With Johnson leading the merry way in terms of the Ken Wootton Perpetual Trophy, with 79-points to his name, one point clear from McWillams and two points clear from Richards, does Johnson feel any pressure leading into the final races tomorrow?
“No. The only pressure I have is in my tyres, in the words of Troy Bayliss,” joked Johnson. “I’m just going to do the final two races the same. The only difference is we will try and make the bike a little bit better for tomorrow’s races.”
Johnson gave nothing away in terms of what difference setup changes he will make apart from saying that he 'will tweak some things and move in a forward motion and end up at the end of the lap faster than what I was here today'.
