DJR in big trouble

[Bundy]

DJR driver and sponsor arrangements for this year have finally been announced - Blanchard in the Advam #17 Falcon while NZ rising star Johnny Reid will drive the #12 Wilson Security Falcon.

I rate Johnny Reid, so good move by Dick and Jnr.

www.v8supercars.com.au/news/jonny-reid-completes-the-new-look-djr-driving-line-up

[donk]

Yeah good signing!
Reid goes ok!

[hypnotize]

Goodluck to them, they will need it this year. Theyre good steerers but not great.. Unless their cars are rockets I cant see DJR doing much this year!!

[Bundy]

Blanchard is the unknown for me, Reid less so.

Last couple of years Blanchard has been in and out of pretty aged equipment including a stint with Kelly Racing and in Todd's car. But before this, I found him to be pretty impressive and definitely a prospect for the future.

Whether this move to DJR will boost his career, well time will tell...certainly there is a chance that given it's generally accepted that DJR will struggle, Blanchard may find himself in a position that isn't too dissimilar to how it has been for him the last couple of years.

[crikey]

Good move to put Reid in the car.

The only problem I can see is whether DJR have the engineers to give him the car he need's, Or the budget to get through the year.

[Bundy]

Feb 26, 2013 16:57:48 GMT 10 crikey said:

The only problem I can see is whether DJR have the engineers to give him the car he need's, Or the budget to get through the year.

It would be fair to say that the budget would provide for the 'bare bones' of a racing operation. The thing that may propel the team forward is the technical assistance that FPR will provide.

[wrighty05]

They are now an irrelevance really.

Quite sad for their supporters.

[hypnotize]

Mar 2, 2013 19:48:54 GMT 10 wrighty05 said:

They are now an irrelevance really.

Quite sad for their supporters.

Yep, just seem to be grid fillers now.

Should sell to Finance Ezi and get some Mazda 6s on the track!!

[Redforever]

Surely DJR are jut treading water until their eventual demise. Dick hs had more chances than just about anyone to exit the sport with some dignity and cash in his pocket. Charlie wanted to buy him out an take over unning th team and leave Dick as the figure head. Johnson would have been cashed up and seen his team's name continue and no doubt be in a strong financial position and able to attract the talent required to be front runners. But Johnson steadfastly refused to sell or give anyone control of 'his' team and now the whole thing is on life support.

I get that he loves racing and loves th sport, but there's a point where you have to look at the bigger picture. The Johnson's have made too many stupid decisions in the name of pride and family 'dynasty' and all that is likely to be left is memories the way things are going....

[Bundy]

Mar 5, 2013 8:39:34 GMT 10 Redforever said:

Surely DJR are jut treading water until their eventual demise. Dick hs had more chances than just about anyone to exit the sport with some dignity and cash in his pocket. Charlie wanted to buy him out an take over unning th team and leave Dick as the figure head. Johnson would have been cashed up and seen his team's name continue and no doubt be in a strong financial position and able to attract the talent required to be front runners. But Johnson steadfastly refused to sell or give anyone control of 'his' team and now the whole thing is on life support.

I get that he loves racing and loves th sport, but there's a point where you have to look at the bigger picture. The Johnson's have made too many stupid decisions in the name of pride and family 'dynasty' and all that is likely to be left is memories the way things are going....

The problem for Dick I see is that he can't just pack it away and sell up shop as what he hoped he could sell it for just isn't there. He is caught in a very sticky bind IMO.

[Redforever]

Mar 5, 2013 10:07:15 GMT 10 Bundy said:

Mar 5, 2013 8:39:34 GMT 10 Redforever said:

Surely DJR are jut treading water until their eventual demise. Dick hs had more chances than just about anyone to exit the sport with some dignity and cash in his pocket. Charlie wanted to buy him out an take over unning th team and leave Dick as the figure head. Johnson would have been cashed up and seen his team's name continue and no doubt be in a strong financial position and able to attract the talent required to be front runners. But Johnson steadfastly refused to sell or give anyone control of 'his' team and now the whole thing is on life support.

I get that he loves racing and loves th sport, but there's a point where you have to look at the bigger picture. The Johnson's have made too many stupid decisions in the name of pride and family 'dynasty' and all that is likely to be left is memories the way things are going....

The problem for Dick I see is that he can't just pack it away and sell up shop as what he hoped he could sell it for just isn't there. He is caught in a very sticky bind IMO.

Agreed Bundy. His choices appear to be limited to trying to get through this season and hopefully build the team back up to some degree or put it on the market and offer to stay on as figure head for branding and marketing purposes.

I'm not across the complexities of the ownership structure or the teams debts and other commitments, but from the outside it looks grim.

Part of me wants to see the team just fold up and disappear, but part of me wants to see Ford show some corporate backbone and sense of history and help Johnson out.

He has brought Ford tens of millions in publicity and advertising and branding and they probably sold hundreds of millions worth of Falcons as a result of Johnson's public exposure.

It would be nice if someone in that company had the balls to aknowledge Johnson's contributions to Ford and help out.

You just know that if Brocky was around and in a similar situation Holden would help. And that was, is and will always be the difference betwen the two companies. Holden has a sense of history and passion for racing. Ford don't give a ****...

[Bundy]

Mar 5, 2013 11:17:51 GMT 10 Redforever said:

Holden has a sense of history and passion for racing. Ford don't give a ****...

Hey look at the bonnet on the HRT car for a reference

[jamolad]

Still not out of the woods...

www.speedcafe.com/2013/03/06/djr-seeking-longer-commercial-agreement/

Dick Johnson Racing is working on shoring up its commercial arrangements until at least the end of the financial year.

The team only just made the pre-season test by the skin of its teeth after finalising sponsorship from Wilson Security and ADVAM for its Falcon entries raced by Tim Blanchard and Kiwi signing Jonny Reid.

The arrangements only extend to the Melbourne Grand Prix but DJR general manager Steven Johnson says talks are taking place for a possible extension.

“At the moment the sponsorship was only for Adelaide and the Grand Prix but we are in discussions with John McMellan (Wilson CEO and a key player at ADVAM) to possibly extend it to the end of the financial year,” Johnson told Speedcafe.com

“They have been happy with what we have been able to do and achieve in such a short period of time with regards to branding and giving their customers a good experience at Clipsal.”

DJR’s campaign kicked off under difficult circumstances at the Clipsal 500. Blanchard finished 18th and 15th and Reid failed to finish both races after turning 53 and 52 of the 78 laps in each.

“We just need more track time now to get the boys used to everything and a bit of a test day and improve the performance,” Johnson said.

“We’ve got the information from FPR because we’ve got an association with them so it won’t be long before we get the boys up the front.”

Johnson confirmed that the longest running professional race team in Australia is taking steps to secure its future.

“It’s a matter now of making sure we get back up to speed and gaining that commercial backing that we need and lock it in for a number of years so that we’ve got the future of DJR assured,” Johnson said.

Johnson, who has stood aside from driving duties from the team to focus on leading its administration, says the team is also in talks with other companies outside Wilson and ADVAM.

ADVAM is a leading provider of integrated global card solutions for private enterprise and government agencies, and backed Brad Jones Racing’s Adelaide Dunlop Series entry in a one-off deal. BJR also has a full-season deal with Wilson Security for its David Wall-driven V8 Supercars Championship entry.

“We are talking to other companies and we’ve made it clear to Wilson and ADVAM that we are looking around for that major (backer),” he said.

“Whoever it is … we may well come to an agreement with John McMellan but if we don’t whoever it’s going to be are going to have the full commitment of DJR to achieve their goals and help them grow their business.

“We still have a good relationship with Jim Beam and my hope is that we have them back involved at some stage.

“I’d love to get Norton back involvement and we still have a good relationship with them. It was just all circumstances the way it all happened (the sponsor departing DJR and taking on two cars at Nissan Motorsport) and it wasn’t great circumstances for us.

“We know that we can do things a little bit differently.”

Johnson admitted that DJR had lost direction commercially in the past but he insists structural changes within the team will make it work more efficiently and effectively.

“We’ve lost sight of the fact that 95 per cent of the sponsors want to deal with Dick Johnson,” he said.

“We need to get back in and get our hands dirty and take the reins ourselves again.”

“In the past if there was something wrong we were never made aware of it.”

Not sure all of that makes sense - particularly the stuff at the end re sponsors

[Bundy]

“We’ve lost sight of the fact that 95 per cent of the sponsors want to deal with Dick Johnson,” he said.

“We need to get back in and get our hands dirty and take the reins ourselves again.”

“In the past if there was something wrong we were never made aware of it.”

With this part, I reckon Jnr has thrown in the old sucker ball - let's see if any sponsor falls for it

[crikey]

Always someone else's fault with DJR and there supporter's

Sounds very fragile on sponsor money, Like I said earlier in this thread, I had doubt's they could keep a budget up for the full season, Let's see how Jr stacks up running things, Rather than those other nasty people that tried to screw his dad's business

[Bundy]

Well when you think that Wilson Security are already sponsoring David Wall for the whole season at BJR, you would have to ask where this additional money to support a whole 1 year campaign for a DJR car is coming from...

[Bundy]

This reference here by Jnr:

We still have a good relationship with Jim Beam and my hope is that we have them back involved at some stage.

“I’d love to get Norton back involvement and we still have a good relationship with them. It was just all circumstances the way it all happened (the sponsor departing DJR and taking on two cars at Nissan Motorsport) and it wasn’t great circumstances for us.

He's practically doing a disservice to his intention below when he says also:

“We’ve lost sight of the fact that 95 per cent of the sponsors want to deal with Dick Johnson,” he said.

“We need to get back in and get our hands dirty and take the reins ourselves again.”

No good dwelling on the past and hoping that past sponsors will come on-board again if they are tied up elsewhere or have given a firm indication that they have moved on for good, Jnr needs to get his message clear - focus on the future, don't look back and make sure that all future sponsors know that they will have full confidence that DJ will be at their beck and call.

[Bundy]

Wilson Security to adorn both DJR cars for the GP races. However, the arrangements are in place for this weekend only.
More work for DJR ahead.

m.speedcafe.com/2013/03/12/djr-ditches-split-signage-on-two-falcons-for-agp/

[hypnotize]

I cant help but laugh at this situation over what happened in 2008/9.

Two teams were dropped by Ford due to their teams colours. One team stayed loyal and one didnt. I guess its worked for DJR being so loyal huh?

And is this how Ford treats its loyal teams? Im glad 888 jumped!

[Bundy]

Mar 12, 2013 18:52:21 GMT 10 hypnotize said:

I cant help but laugh at this situation over what happened in 2008/9.

Two teams were dropped by Ford due to their teams colours. One team stayed loyal and one didnt. I guess its worked for DJR being so loyal huh?

And is this how Ford treats its loyal teams? Im glad 888 jumped!

DJR had no choice, they were never blessed with engineering prowess post the AU era.

So, hence they were never the target and still aren't of any other manufacturer interest!!

SBR, 888, and to a lesser extent the Kellys can certainly attest to being better equipped in this department.

I can't see DJR seeing out the season if they haven't already got a budget in place to pay the bills week by week - they certainly don't have the money of a Webb or Dumbrell family to just rely on that type of funding.