Combined Effort leads to new beginnings

Friday, April 20, 2007
After having a large off that resulted in a totaled car at Rally in the 100 Acre Wood National Rally in late February, Matthew Johnson had some dark days. He was beat physically, emotionally, and monetarily.

As the reigning Production GT Champion, he knew he wanted to accomplish a repeat this year; however, with a totaled car, and only 6 weeks between events, he had no idea how he was going to pull it off.

With the same tenacity and determination that he applies to everything he does, he set to doing the nearly impossible – rebuilding a wrecked car from the ground up in record time.

“I was not willing to miss even one event because I want to win PGT class again this year” stated Johnson. “I believe in myself and in the sport and I was not willing to have a crash keep me out.”

Despite being tenacious, Matthew is but one man and a finite resource – in short, there are only so many hours in one day in which any one person can work. Matthew knew this was going to be a problem – “being a rally driver without support would have meant I would not be able to make it here to Oregon Trail Rally. I am so lucky and blessed, because so many great people supported me and are the reason I am here – they really allowed me to make something positive out of a bad situation and allowed me to have a new beginning” stated Johnson.

Some of the people Johnson is referring to are:
1) Hankook for continued support as well as new paint and tires
2) Lance Smith of Vermont Sports Car for finding a cage in record time
3) John Groo for going to Vermont to get the new shell and cage
4) Andrew Havas for all his hard work installing the cage
5) Andrew and Dan at ElitePro for much needed new parts
6) Peak Restoration in Apex, NC for quick work on the paint
7) Brad and Bobby at Syntech for the new graphics
8) Travis Benzing at Steamboat Detailing for the vinyl and use of the shop
9) Bob Wall for use of the shop and support
10) Dave Anton of Rallispec for getting spare parts
11) Chase Cam for the new camera equipment

“I just cannot believe the outpouring of help I received, it just would not have been possible without them” states Johnson.

Johnson did make it here to Oregon Trail Rally and will be starting 12th in the 76 car field sporting the new Hankook-themed Subaru, but this story isn’t just about the car, it is about a new outlook and mindset. It really is about new beginnings for the entire Johnson camp.

They are sporting a new box truck, enclosed trailer, and a closer bonding of driver and co-driver.

“The truck and trailer are a great addition for the team, but above all, I am excited about the trust that Jeremy and I have and continue to build as a team. I have had good relationships with my co-drivers, and I feel that Jeremy and I have a good relationship as well and will do even better going forward. Trust in a co-driver is essential to ‘pushing it’ and letting go of your safety margins – that is what I feel that I have accomplished with Jeremy,” stated Johnson.

As a final note, Jeremy is a graduate student as Virginia Tech, and Matthew would like to encourage people to keep Virginia Tech in their thoughts and prayers.