We sat down with David Johnson before the start of the Isle of Man TT races, and the Australian explained to us the pressures that come with a factory ride.
On Thursday though, Johnson took his factory-backed Honda CBR1000RR to the podium in the Superstock TT race, thus fulfilling a major goal in his road racing career.
It wasn’t an easy feat, especially considering the horrid weather that has been hammering the Isle of Man for the past fortnight.
“That was an unreal Superstock race! I didn’t get up to speed straight away on the first lap, but then I got up to fourth at the start of lap two,” explained Johnson. “I saw the gap and it was +0 the whole time I was in fourth. I didn’t know it was Michael I was dicing with but I could see the times to and fro and I just thought ‘I gotta get this.'”
“I just tried not to put a foot wrong on that last lap. Over the Mountain on the last lap was the best I’ve ever ridden over there on the Superstock bike, and that last sector was something else – I just put everything into it.”
“I was P4 at the Bungalow and still at Cronk Ny Mona, so I just pushed like mad over the last bit. The team did a fantastic job and the dynamic between us is always very good, so I’m just so happy to get this podium.”
Getting a chance to spend some time with Johnson’s Isle of Man TT superbike (we can tell from the white number plate that this is the CBR1000RR in Superbike trim, and not the Superstock machine), we can see in the details what it takes to get a lap done at this prestigious road race.
What is most interesting when looking at Davo’s CBR are the stock control pods on the clip-ons, complete with horn and turn signals. Of course, these aren’t equipped, but it shows how “stock” this Superbike race bike is in some regards.
Brakes are by Nissin, a company with close ties to Honda, while the suspension is by K-Tech – brand that isn’t as well known in the United States, but is a heavy player at the Isle of Man TT and in the UK.
Dunlop tires and an Akrapovic exhaust complete the package, though we can see a few places where some “custom” fabrication has occurred – most notably the larger fuel tank, which extends the fuel cell under the seat.
Photos: © 2019 Steve English – All Rights Reserved
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