Dear F-Chat Texas crew, First and foremost I must appologize for my 'quiet' status on the site for the last few months. As many of you are with your own endeavours, mine has been keeping me moving! I wanted to let you all be the first to know my motorsports plans, before this hits the news desks. Tommorow afternoon I am boarding a flight bound for the United Kingdom and I am relocating to the Mecca of international motorsports and the home of Formula 1. My goal is to become involved in the British Formula Ford Championship this year, move to Formula 3 and GP2 in the next years. My expressed intention of this entire venture is to eventually land a seat in Formula 1. I expect it to take 3-5 years, but one way or another I am going towards my goal. Many of you have been extremely supportive of my racing and I wanted to thank you and wish all of you the very best. I would love to hear any ideas, suggestions, or contacts you can think of who might enjoy being a part of my program. I probably won't be able to make it back to a computer until Monday, but I will do my best to check ferrarichat at the next available opportunity. Sincerely Michael Ryan Johnson PRESS RELEASE AMERICAN RACING DRIVER SETS SIGHTS ON FORMULA 1 Dallas, Texas. February 20, 2008 - American racing driver Michael Ryan Johnson is launching a campaign to be the next American racing driver in Formula 1. Internationally Formula 1 is recognized as the pinnacle of world-wide motorsports; however, no American has won the Formula 1 World Championship since Mario Andretti in 1978. My goal as a racing driver has always been to race against the best. Internationally every talented driver has their sights set on Formula 1, so that is where I want to be, to race against the best, states Johnson. Although not closely followed in the United States Formula 1 stands as the 2nd most popular professional sporting event in the world after International Soccer. Every season race coverage from venues exotic and historic spans the globe to an audience of over two billion fans. Racing teams representing the worlds top automotive manufacturers participate in the high-tech, high-stakes environment of Formula 1. Ferrari, BMW, Honda, Mercedes, and Toyota all enter teams to compete for automotive supremacy. These companies put their top engineering minds to work developing technologies which utilize materials closely associated with the space program in order to achieve performance advantages measured in mille-seconds. The level of competition in Formula 1 is so great that a tenth of a second can spell the difference between becoming world champion and an also ran. Only the best drivers in the world can compete in Formula 1 and winning is not enough. Drivers have to be commercially savvy and marketable to attract and retain sponsors. Top teams such as Ferrari, McLaren, and Toyota all have budgets in excess of 400 million dollars per season, which is generated through team and driver sponsors. According to Dawn Stokes, president of Texas Driving Experience and Fort Worth Business Press Woman of Influence, Johnson has what it takes. Michael Johnson is a quadruple threat in motorsports, he has the heart, the looks, the ability to showcase sponsors, and most importantly the talent to succeed at the highest level. For the next step on the path to Formula 1 Johnson is relocating to the United Kingdom to become immersed in the European racing scene and take part in the British Formula Ford Championship. The Formula Ford championship is renowned for launching drivers looking to make their mark on the international racing scene. Ayrton Senna and Jenson Button both won the British Formula Ford championship before achieving international success in Formula 1. About Michael Ryan Johnson Johnson a racing driver from Dallas, Texas has been involved with motorsports since he was a child, literally growing up in a racing family. Starting his racing career in kart racing at the age of twelve, Johnson made a name for himself winning five kart national championships, an event in the world famous Red Bull F1 driver search and was an invited member of the 2005 United States Karting Team. This success propelled Johnson into the world of Formula car racing with the Sports Car Club of America. With the support of over twenty sponsors, Johnson made his professional racing debut in the New Zealand Toyota Racing Series (Formula 3). During his debut race at Johnson claimed a top ten finish scoring 36 championship points, gaining the attention of international racing media, teams, and fans. Outside of the racecar Johnson brings a radical approach to the business of motorsports. Realizing at an early age motorsports requires more than fast lap times Johnson has developed himself into a savvy businessman. To this end, Johnson attended and graduated from the University of North Texas where he studied marketing under Mike Gade, an executive in-residence who has established motorsports marketing programs on-behalf of Ford, Home Depot, and 7-Eleven. Furthermore Johnson speaks regularly and is a published journalist. With this unique formula to winning on and off-track, Johnson provides sponsors with an ideal image to communicate their brands and products.
That is great news Michael, congratulations! When you get to F1 we will definately have a dfw f/chat trip over to root you on. phil
That is excellent news Michael, you really have worked hard in a very tough industry to get where you are today & I wish you all the best.
Good luck getting to where you want to be. That has to be the coolest thing. I wish you the best, I love me some F1 so I will be looking for you're name in the next few years.
Dear Texas, Thank you for the notes, I have read everyone of them and sincerely appreciate your support. My plane arrived (ahead of schedule no doubt) this morning at Gattwick airport in London where there was a major fog. To my disbelief, the pilot announced after the fact the computer had automatically landed the plane. It was as smooth a landing as ever! I met with a representative from the largest European hedgefund discuss opportunities and it looks like there might be some sponsorship opportunities. Aside from that a young brazilian girl gave me a tour of London and I got to check out the tourist spots: London Bridge, Big Ben, Parliament... alright enough of that already, I am ready to get to a track! Thank you for all of your kind words, it is a great feeling to have this kind of support in my corner. If selling all my stuff, leaving my friends, and moving to England (away from Texas!) isn't proof enough that I am totally commited, you can be sure I have one daily purpose on this world. Warmest regards (from a soggy UK) Michael
Computer controlled landing huh. That would have been a bit creepy knowing pre-hand. haha. Your words are of someone whom will always remember where they came from and stay grounded. They speak volumes of who you are as a person. This is very cool to see an F-Chatter whose racing career is taking off. Again best of luck and we will all be keeping tabs of your career. God bless.
Congratulations on your decision, and good luck. It would be nice to see a fellow American land a drive in F1. Just out of curiosity, how much does a season in Formula Ford cost these days anyway?
