Ford Mustang GT # 17 1985 Sandown 500

1985 saw the introduction of the Group A rules, leaving Dick Johnson without a Ford eligible to race. This lead to sourcing the Mustang from Zakspeed, that was already out of date. The first running of the car was not up to speed with the engine requiring lots of work to make it legal and competitive. Johnson was able to finish the 1985 ATCC in 2nd place.
The ATCC season lead into the AEC (Australian Endurance Championship) and included Amaroo, Oran Park, Sandown, Bathurst and Surfers Paradise. After missing the first round, the Mustang had a upgrade to its suspension and brakes. The Mustang dominated the Oran Park 250 from Pole Position, but a stub axel failure caused a DNF
12 laps from the finish.
For the next race, the Sandown 500 he teamed with Larry Perkins, after Perkins walked out on HDT. The Mustang was looking good for the race, qualifying in 3rd position behind the parings of Brock/Oxton and Grice/Cullen, both in VK Commodores. The Mustang was again fast, leaping to the lead and setting the fastest lap of the race. But again the car was unreliable, with a broken axel costing the car its first win.
For the remainder of the 1985 AEC, the Mustang showed promised but couldn’t land its maiden win. Finishing 7th at Bathurst and 3rd at Surfers Paradise.