Johnson uses winter driving skills to win Production GT
Steamboat Springs , CO (September 27, 2007)
Courtesy: Luke Graham, Steam Boat Pilot
There wasn’t a driver with a bigger smile on his face than Matthew Johnson when the conditions for Sunday’s Rally Colorado turned overcast and gloomy.
For Johnson, the conditions made it just another day at the office.
With the course slippery and muddy, Johnson used his knowledge as a winter driving instructor to navigate his way to the top of the podium in the Production GT class.
The Production GT class consists of production cars with minor safety upgrades.
“Teaching here in the winter is great because you need to slow down for conditions,” Johnson said. “It’s the same out here. When you see a slippery corner, you have to tell yourself, ‘you know what, you don’t have to be a hero here. Just slow down and pick the line where you get some traction.’ It’s not so fancy, but it works.”
Johnson finished just minutes ahead of Patrick Moro of Dublin, Ohio and four minutes ahead of Colorado Springs’ Nathan Conley.
Johnson said when he first looked at the course Sunday, he knew it would come down to driving the right speed for the conditions.
He knew he’d have to take it slow, but still make up time in certain parts of the course.
“It was so slippery at this rally — just incredibly slippery,” said Johnson, who makes Steamboat his residence from November to March. “So, you have to take it slow. I mean you still have to drive fast, but you have to take the level of attack down to be safe and not crash.”
In the open division, Ken Block overtook day one leader — and former Steamboat Springs resident — Tanner Foust to win.
Last year’s season champion Travis Pastrana finished third. Point’s leader Andrew Pinker finished fourth.
With only one race remaining in the Rally America National Championship season, Block, Pastrana and Pinker figure to decide the overall champion at the Lake Superior Rally on Oct. 26 and 27 in Houghton, Mich.
Coming into Rally Colorado, Pastrana trailed Pinker by a single point in the series standings and Block sat eight points back.
For more information, a schedule of events and television coverage visit www.rally-america.com.