Lee Johnston claimed the first Isle of Man TT victory of his career in Monday’s Supersport TT Race 1. Having won the class at the North West 200, the Northern Irishman was expected to be a contender on his Yamaha YZF-R6, but after finally breaking his duck, it was clear just how special this was for The General.
“I’m so emotional,” said Johnston afterwards. “This place is so weird, and I feel like I haven’t done anything different, but it just clicked. In one way it’s frustrating, but in another it’s amazing. I’m absolutely over the moon.”
“I probably haven’t been the easiest person to live with because of all the stress, but this is what we do it for. It’s something I always wanted to do, and there’s one person [my dad] I wish was here to see that. He won’t be, but hopefully he’s looking down.”
Having been a factory Honda rider in recent years, expectation has been heaped on his shoulders, but now he’s finally delivered. His Honda tenure was one he endured rather than enjoyed, but the reward has been felt with this victory.
“Road racing is different to anything else. In short circuits, it’s like a desk job, and if everything isn’t perfect you can still do it. You’re spending time going through data to get it right. In road racing though, it’s not like that. When you head down towards Bray Hill, you need to trust the people around you to be able to perform.”
“After leaving Honda, we set up this team and sorted ourselves. Now, I don’t look at any other tent and think, they’ve got this, that and the other. I’m completely happy and I think that’s the biggest thing.”
“I probably used to look at factory bikes, and think maybe they’ve got this and that and the other, and now I look at them and I don’t envy anything. I’ve built all this from the ground up, picked all these men and all the sponsors and everything.”
“We bought everything. There’s nothing in our trucks from a manufacturer. We bought the BMW’s, we bought the Yamaha’s. Everything was bought by us, so none of the bikes have Yamaha or BMW stickers on them. They just say Ashcourt Racing.”
Effectively being a man with a van has freed Johnston. He’s now riding because he wants to ride. He’s enjoying life and the pressure cooker atmosphere has been lifted. Now the only pressure he feels is what he puts on himself.
That’s made a massive difference, because suddenly he’s been able to be free again. He’s able to say and do what he wants, and usually Johnston isn’t afraid to say a few choice words. That can rub a factory team up the wrong way, but with restrictions removed he’s now able to be himself again.
That’s also led to a return to short circuit racing. In the past he felt that racing in the British championship wasn’t worth doing because he wasn’t getting enjoyment from it.
The “boredom” of short circuits, after the buzz of the TT, was one that he struggled to overcome, but now that he knows is necessary. With the goal of winning races in the British championship, and helping him be ready for the roads season, he’s now been able to find the right balance.
“The days of racing for three weeks a year are gone now. Road racing has had to change, and now I’m racing in the British championship again. It was hard going back to the short circuit, though. It’s a different way of riding.”
“You’re on maximum attack all the time, rubbing and bumping. It makes you sharp and I’m enjoying it again. For years I wasn’t interested in short circuits, so there was no point in going. I want to be back now and I want to do well.”
He’s certainly doing well this year. A first TT victory, a North West 200 win and a regular top five runner in the British Supersport, The General is proof that a change is as good as a holiday.
Photos: © 2019 Steve English – All Rights Reserved
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