On Track Off Road No. 187

FEATURE
FINDING
FREEDOM
LEE JOHNSTON HAS
BEEN THE ‘COMING
MAN’ OF ROAD
RACING, ONCE A
FACTORY HONDA
RIDER WITH LOTS OF
EXPECTATION ON HIS
SHOULDERS. NOW
HE’S BACK IN A ROLE
THAT’S MUCH MORE
SUITABLE FOR A ROAD
RACING MAVERICK
Ten years ago Lee Johnston
was the up and coming man of
Road Racing. He was a 20 year
old British national champion
who had started to race on the
roads and was showing a lot
of promise. Fast forward a few
years and he had become a
winner. He was on a path that
would lead straight into a factory
Honda pit box. He was on
a path to everything any rider
would ever want. Any rider that
is, except for Johnston.
He’s always had a maverick
streak. Fermanagh sits close
to the border between Northern
Ireland and the Republic
of Ireland. Johnston was born
into a town that had been hit
by The Troubles; a time of
conflict when life and death
was an every day fact for his
country. Now, 30 years later,
he still has to factor life and
death into his decisions.
“You have to have the right
of frame of mind to go racing,”
reflected Johnston at the
recent Northwest 200. “I did
my first Northwest by accident,
but I absolutely loved it.
I remember going back to the
British Championship after
and after doing about ten laps
I just thought: ‘this is shit.’ I
was going absolutely flat out
but thinking ‘f**k me, I’ve no
interest in this at all.’ Road
Racing was totally different
for me. Over the next four or
five years I absolutely loved it.
There’s no feeling like it. We’re
lucky to be doing it. You can’t
book a track day at the Northwest.
You can’t do a track day
at the TT. There’re not many
people who get to do this. It’s
so special.”
“After starting on the roads
I really wasn’t interested in
racing short circuits again. If
there was no buzz I saw no
point in racing at British national
level again. I had won
the Superstock 600 championship
and been at the front
in Supersport, but I was happy
to just focus on the roads. I
lost all interest in short circuit
racing.”
“I instantly fell in love with
the roads and I instantly fell
out of love with short circuits.
So in 2011 I stopped racing
in the British Championship.
I’m back racing it again this
year and it’s been a lot of fun
again. At the time I was probably
a bit lazier; if I didn’t enjoy
something I’d not do it. Now
though I know that you have
to do it. You can’t compete
against the best guys on the
roads now if you’re not riding
every week. You also can’t just
race at the short circuits with
the goal of getting ready for
the roads. These are some of
the best riders in the world so
if you race you need to give it
everything. I want to be there
and I want to do well racing in
Britain. I’m back doing it and
I’m back enjoying it again.”