Dear F-Chat racing 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 (outside my close friends and family) my motorsports plans. 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. I wish all of you the very best and would love to hear any ideas, suggestions, or contacts who might be able to support this endeavour. 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 world’s 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.
Good luck Michael with your plans, i hope you enjoy the UK Weather At least you will get lots of practice racing with a wet track !!!
Good luck Michael. Racing in the UK will definitely make you a better racer. May your dreams come true!
Best of luck to you Michael! May you have all the success in the world. Carolyn and I look forward to hosting the F1 watching party when you make your debut.
Michael, That's great news! Push for your dreams--just watch out for some hotshoe coming out of the "Formula SAE/Heritage" division!
...No, he´s the real deal, He has a story here that "chaparralman" tryed to copy, with absolutely hilarious results... MJDRIVE is for real. Good luck...May the cavallino be with you, Looking forward to buy a hat with your name embroidered!
The best of luck to you Michael. British FF is a very good place to be and shows your seriousness. For each race; try to find someone not racing that day, that knows each track, and pick their brain.
NO. Good luck Michael! As a former Texas karter and UNT alumnus all I can say is you've got the right background.
There is far too much fill and not enough content in that press release imho. Ditch that 'quadruple threat' quote from whoever and spotlight the info concerning your karting championships and elaborate on the experience you gained in the NZ Toyota series. And Kill,Kill Kill the last paragraph. Fast, or rather fastest lap times ARE what's important to people in the know. No amount of being marketable will matter to anyone who is serious. They've heard it all before. My guess is more than once. All the best in your endeavours.
Results? I agree with Isabelle. What the press release says, between the lines, and reading it with the website, is: no significant successes in open wheel racing. O'Brien Racing and Pro Mazda are mentioned in the site, but I can't track that down. I'll look for the NZ stuff.
2007 results: http://www.toyotaracing.co.nz/default.aspx?pageid=217&yearflag=2007 Is that our guy, 29th? No listing in 2006 or 2008.
That's him - 29th with 36 pts. Gaunt, the champ in the series in '07 with 1448 pts apparently has affliation with Newman Haas. Christina Orr must be pretty good, in 2007 she was 5th and thus far is 7th. I was impressed with one of the drivers being from Iceland. Isabelle has a valid point. Interesting. Carol
Dear F-chat friends, Thank you all for the encouraging notes and also thank you for the ideas on the press release! It will be 'officially' going out on Monday and I will definantely be implimenting many of your suggestions. On a side note in regard to a few notes the mjdrive.com webdesigner, Ken Johnson of State of Art web design, has 11 pages of updates right now in his possesion that he has promised to get up very soon! I believe those updated will answer some questions a few of you had. In regards to my speed, I am as fast as anyone, period. Admitidly, my car racing experience is limited. Unlike Marco Andretti, Nelson Pique jr, Graham Rahal, or Nico Rosberg my father was not a world champion or world class rich guy. The opportunities I have earned in cars have been limited but I feel I have maximized those opportunity. I won 2 out of 4 SCCA races I was entered in, completed 12 laps (count them) in a try out for O'Brien Racing, they handed me a contract once I stepped out of the car (unfortunantely the team wasn't able to secure funding and were forced to withdraw their entries). When I was in New Zealand I beat 50% of a field of more experienced drivers on a track I had never seen before. Two other teams in attendance were also impressed, they called me later offering me a seat (with the available funding of course). The only reason I am not in F1 now is because I haven't had the benefit of a parent who can buy me a seat in FF, FRenault, F3 etc. That isn't an excuse it is just simple racing facts, and in the United States I am one on a VERY short list of drivers who have moved up with sponsor support as opposed to parents forking out money. I know where I started from, I have a plan, and I am doing everything I can to get to F1. Those who know me, understand I am completely commited to the cause of formula 1. Thank you again for all of the notes and encouragement, I read every single one, and sincerely appreciate the advice. Warmest regards Michael
Honestly, best of luck to you. Formula racing is unbelievably difficult without a recognizable last name in these days. But at the same time, that should motivate you to do everything you can do to get the funding you need. Use your business skills, writing abilities, and personality to SELL yourself and your situation. Don't forget that lap times are lap times, and a good machine obviously makes a huge difference, so try and get a test with a top team, or make friends and do anything you can to get affiliated with a top team. Without that, I'm sorry but no one is interested in sob stories with lackluster material. Good luck making your big break, keep pushing to drop your lap times, especially if it means taking risks. Do anything you can to stand out from the crowd, don't just be a driver trying to follow a scheme to make it. Show everyone that you CAN make it, and get those friends in high places! Without them, you're not going anywhere...
Michael, best of luck. You sound determined. That's a really important component in your equation for success. But only one component. I pulled for Jerry Nadeau when he beat JPM for the Skip Barber Championship. He slept in his Old Cutlass Diesel in Charlotte looking for a NASCAR ride and got it. He even ran up front for awhile before he was hurt. He was one of the finest open wheel drivers my colleague Bruce MacInnes ever saw (out of 20,000 people over the last thirty years at SBR). I hope you believe you can beat anybody. Jerry believed, and more than that, he DID that! But I hope you know that it's not because your parents can't buy you a ride that your not in a higher series than a few one-offs in NZed. My friend and colleague Guy Cosmo is a guy who has really climbed the ranks and done something with nothing. Check him out. His formula is working. I'd advise you to work through the ranks instead of hoping that lightning strikes and you get a front-line BF3 or GP2 drive that catapults you into F1. Try and arrange a "National Class" ride in BF3 and show your stuff. If you're that good, someone will call you. There are scouts at every racetrack in the world... Good luck and thanks for keeping us up to date on your plans. Here's looking forward to hearing your accomplishments... -Peter
"My friend and colleague Guy Cosmo" I know Guy, met him back in his FM days when he drove for Racers Edge Motorports! Guy truly is a class act, first rate young racer who has worked unbelievably hard to make a career as racing driver. I have mentioned him as an example to other young prospects, and am glad to see that others admire him, too.
