Dick Johnson's grandson completes strong entry list for Trans Am at Symmons Plains

Third generation racer Jett Johnson headlines an impressive list of debutants at the opening round of the Turtle Wax Trans Am at AWC Race Tasmania. An equal mix of youth and experience will be aiming to knock off reigning Turtle Wax Trans Am Series winner Nathan Herne as part of a 26-car field for the opening round at Symmons Plains Raceway as part the opening round of the ARG SpeedSeries. To keep updated with Turtle Wax Trans Am like us on Facebook and to view the latest images follow our Instagram. Johnson makes his debut in the Turtle Wax Trans Am Series after contesting state meetings last year in preparation. The 16-year-old follows father Steven and grandfather Dick as he prepares to create his own place in motorsport history. “The goal for me in Trans Am this year is to just get experience at the tracks I’ve never been to and get used to racing that is going a little more hip and shoulder,” said Johnson. “I just want to get through the weekend cleanly, learn as much as I can and, obviously, have some fun. “I’m not looking to go out and win every race. If I get in the top three, I’d be happy. But I need to learn the race craft and think about what I’m doing when setting up passing moves. It will be a whole new thing for me to be in a pack of good cars racing against each other. “It will be interesting because you have a lot of people who are aggressive, pushing hard. The other Trans Am racing I’ve done is pretty cruisey, so it will be a good weekend of learning.” The event will mark Johnson’s first time at the Symmons Plains circuit, but he says that some sim driving has helped fast track some of the questions he has had about the 2.41km circuit. “I’ve never been to Symmons Plains. In fact, I’ve never been to Tasmania before!” He said. “I’m already down here now, getting ready for the weekend, and I’m going to the track on Wednesday for a track walk and then help the team unload and get ready. “If you look at the layout of Symmons, you’d think it’s simple, but it’s actually a pretty technical track, and then you are adding a whole bunch of other cars on the track, it will make for an interesting weekend. “I’ve done some running on the sim which has helped me get my head around it, so I’m really looking forward to it.” Johnson is just one driver continuing the motorsport lineage of his respective family, with Ben Grice, Nash Morris in addition to debutants John Harris and Dalton Ellery doing likewise. Marcos Ambrose protégé Lochie Dalton, Dream Racing Australia’s new recruit Jackson Rice, Super3 competitor Nic Carroll and Formula Ford race winner Cody Burcher further enhance the category’s depth, as does former Super2 competitor Jon McCorkindale. Last year’s series runner up Edan Thornburrow returns as does chief rival Tim Brook, Garage1’s Kyle Gurton, Brett Holdsworth for Ash Seward Motorsport as well as Tasmanian Owen Kelly. For 2022, three class titles will be contested; Outright, Hoosier Cup and Masters Cup, ensuring that the breadth of competitors have something to play for. Racing will be available to stream ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport, with live coverage also on the Nine Network. Turtle Wax Trans Am begins its season with three races as part of the second annual AWC Race Tasmania event held at Symmons Plains. CLICK HERE for tickets. Image: MTR Images See below for the full Trans Am entry list for the opening round of the Turtle Wax Trans Am Series.

Car #	CLASS	SPONSOR	DRIVER	STATE	MAKE	MODEL
1	Outright	Team Valvoline GRM	Nathan Herne	NSW	Ford	Mustang
2	Outright	Micale Cabinets/Nuveau Group	Kyle Gurton	QLD	Ford	Mustang
03	Outright	All American Driveline	Ben Grice	VIC	Ford	Mustang
4	Masters Cup	Crutcher Devlopments	Mark Crutcher	NSW	Ford	Mustang
6	Hoosier Cup	McAlister Motors	Hugh McAlister	NSW	Ford	Mustang
8	Hoosier Cup	Wealth Rite Racing	Chris Pappas	QLD	Ford	Mustang
12	Hoosier Cup	Road Rage Industries/RTC Group	Shaun Richardson	QLD	Dodge	Challenger
15	Hoosier Cup	Pacific Petroleum/Carroll Tyres	Michael Rowell	QLD	Ford	Mustang
23	Masters Cup	Holinger Racing	John Holinger	VIC	Chevrolet	Camaro
27	Outright	Dream Racing Australia	Elliot Barbour	VIC	Chevrolet	Camaro
31	Outright	Bruce Lynton Service	Dalton Ellery	QLD	Ford	Mustang
36	Outright	Cody Burcher Racing	Cody Burcher	NSW	Ford	Mustang
37	Outright	Dream Racing Australia	Jackson Rice	VIC	Dodge	Challenger
38	Outright	Tim Brook Motorsport	Tim Brook	NSW	Ford	Mustang
45	Outright	Up2/11 Motorsport/GRM	Lochie Dalton	TAS	Ford	Mustang
48	Outright	Nic Carroll Motorsport	Nic Carroll	VIC	Dodge	Challenger
66	Masters Cup	Shaw Motorsport	Tim Shaw	TAS	Chevrolet	Camaro
67	Outright	Supercheap Auto	Nash Morris	QLD	Ford	Mustang
69	Outright	Dial Before You Dig	Jon McCorkindale	NSW	Ford	Mustang
73	Outright	Owen Kelly Motorsport	Owen Kelly	TAS	Ford	Mustang
88	Hoosier Cup	Ownit Homes/Superior Jetties	John Harris	QLD	Ford	Mustang
99	Outright	TPS Group/Breeze Holiday Parks	Brett Holdsworth	VIC	Chevrolet	Camaro
116	Outright	Sydney Property Care	Edan Thornburrow	NSW	Ford	Mustang
117	Hoosier Cup	Team Johnson / Full Throttle BBQ	Jett Johnson	QLD	Ford	Mustang
321	Masters Cup	321 Motofit	Chris Sutton	NSW	Ford	Mustang
777	Masters Cup	Dream Racing Australia	Craig Scutella	NSW	Chevrolet	Camaro