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Epilogue
Sadly for drag racing the world over, Brian retired from the sport soon after that epic Santa Pod meeting.
Finances, as always, were a factor but also more physical help was needed with the prodigious workload needed to maintain and develop the bike in order to keep the team one step ahead of the game.
But even in retirement there was one more World first to set. Brian conjured up his magic one last time and sold the bike turnkey to Jimmy Brantley in the USA. Have you ever heard of a drag bike or car being sold into the US?
Me neither, but then what would you expect? He is a wizard after all.
When you have won as many trophies as Brian Johnson has
you have to have a very large, custom-built cabinet to house them all
Brian has done a 'stock-take' of his monster trophy cabinet and has come up with the following list of major trophies :
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1980
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BDR & HRA Pro Stock Champion
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NDRC Pro Stock Champion
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BDR & HRA Best Appearing Bike and Rider
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1981
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BDR & HRA Pro Stock Champion
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NDRC Pro Stock Champion
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Pennine Raceway Pro Stock Winner
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Roy Phelps Challenge Trophy
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1982
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BDR & HRA Pro Stock Champion
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NDRC Pro Stock Champion
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Drachten Pro Stock Winner
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Mantorp Pro Stock Runner-Up
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Bike Magazine Pro Stock Trophy
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1983
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Santa Pod Quickest Drag Bike
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Le Mans Top Fuel Winner
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Le Mans Eighth Mile World Record Elapsed Time
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Crowd Pleaser Trophy
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Top Fuel Winner (meeting unknown)
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Top Fuel Winner (meeting unknown)
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1984
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IDBA Spring Nationals Gulfport Mississippi Winner
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IDBA Super Nationals Louisville Kentucky Winner
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IDBA Sunshine Nationals Cincinnati Ohio Winner
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IDBA American Nationals Atco New Jersey Winner
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IDBA World Champion
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1985
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Top Fuel Winner (meeting unknown)
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Top Fuel Winner (meeting unknown)
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Top Fuel Winner (meeting unknown)
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Top Fuel Winner (meeting unknown)
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Top Fuel Champion
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Angus Nitro Fuel Rose Bowl
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1986
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Santa Pod Quickest Drag Bike
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Top Fuel Winner (meeting unknown)
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1987
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Santa Pod Summer Nationals Top Fuel Winner
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Santa Pod Euro Finals Top Fuel Winner
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Hockenheim Top Fuel Winner
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Zandvoort Top Fuel Runner-Up
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1990
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Santa Pod Quickest Drag Bike
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Top Fuel Runner-Up (meeting unknown)
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1991
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Santa Pod Quickest Drag Bike
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Pro Star Atco New Jersey Top Fuel Runner-Up
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Avon Park Top Fuel Winner
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1995
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Pro Star Rebel Nationals Atlanta Georgia Top Fuel Runner-Up
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1996
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Pro Star Rebel Nationals Atlanta Georgia Top Fuel Winner
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1999
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Santa Pod Cannonball Top Fuel Winner
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Santa Pod Euro Finals Top Fuel Winner
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Pro Star Gainesville Florida Top Fuel Winner
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2000
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Santa Pod Cannonball Top Fuel Winner
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Santa Pod Main Event Top Fuel Winner
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Pro Star Gainesville Florida Top Fuel no. 1 Qualifier
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2001
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Gumball Top Fuel Runner-Up
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Santa Pod Euro Finals Top Fuel Winner
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Generally
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Member of the APE 6 Second Club
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Member of the APE 200 mph Club
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Multiple holder from time to time of British, European and World Records for Top Fuel Motorcycle elapsed time and terminal speed at both eighth and quarter mile
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However, even this impressive list is not the sum total of Brian's achievements because there were several years when no trophies or prize money given out due to financial pressures within the sport.
As a final, and very fitting tribute to Brian Johnson's distinguished racing career, he was inducted into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame on the 2nd of February 2008.
British Drag Racing Hall of Fame logo by Darren West
Copyright Roger Gorringe
The following is an excerpt from Brian's citation which sums up the enormity of his achievement over six years (at the time of writing) after his retirement from the sport :
"With personal bests of 6.101 seconds and 234.11 mph he still stands as the eighth quickest and fastest Top Fuel Bike racer on the planet." (exerpt courtesy of the British
Drag Racing Hall of Fame)
You don't achieve the sort of success that has been described in this article on your own. Brian would like to pay tribute to his wife Ann and crew members Tony Adlam, Colin Musk, Neil Smith and Jon Morton for all their fantastic efforts over the years for without their
unstinting support none of his achievements would have been possible.
Brian and Ann Johnson, Colin Musk and Jon Morton with The Imperial Wizard Mk III
Brian would also like to take this opportunity to thank his commercial sponsors and associates for all their generous assistance and support :
Brian apologises if he has inadvertently omitted any of his sponsors
(of which there were many) from the above list.
This article is dedicated to the memory of
two great figures in motorcycle drag racing.
To the late Carl Ahlfeldt
for giving me the chance to race in Top Fuel,
and
To the late Elmer Trett
for pushing me so hard in competition
and for making Ann and I so very welcome.
Visit Brian Johnson's website by clicking here
UK timing data courtesy of Andy Marrs of TSI Timers
© Alan Currans 2008
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