Hidden Valley’s Rossi Johnson inks professional V8 SuperUte’s deal

The future is looking bright for the Top End’s Rossi Johnson as the young driver embarks on a fresh challenge in his journey to the Supercars Championship.

A renewed sense of self-belief and a healthy injection of determination is all the fuel Rossi Johnson needs with a new challenge on the horizon.

With three years of professional racing experience behind him, the Territorian will be joining the world of SuperUte's over the next 12 months.

“I’m super stoked to pick up a seat in the utes,” Johnson said.

“I’m really excited to land a drive with Apogee Motorsport Services in the V8 SuperUte Series.

“After spending three years in the Toyota 86 Series, picking up this drive was really important in stepping-up towards Supercars.”

Johnson’s new partnership arose while at Bathurst weekend last year, with Apogee in desperate need of a driver for their ute ahead of the upcoming season.

The two parties got talking and as luck would have it, the young driver was gifted an opportunity to test drive Apogee’s new vehicle a few weeks later.

“When I was racing at Bathurst, Apogee were looking for a driver to add to their V8 SuperUte team for 2024,” he said.

“We got talking, and then the chance to race their brand new ute in the final round of the Adelaide 500 presented itself.

“Despite the problems you’d expect with a brand new ute, I was stoked on my debut and gelled really nicely with the team from on there I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity for the whole 2024 season.”

A proud Rossi Johnson holding up his new team polo after receiving a full-time seat in the 2024 V8 SuperUte Series. Picture: Contributed.

Not only will Johnson be competing in a different category, he’ll also have to quickly adapt to the lifestyle of a full-time driver.

“The SuperUte is a whole different beast and obviously a big step up from the Toyota 86 as it’s heavy, loose and has very little downforce,” Johnson said.

“With a 6.2 litre V8 and six-piston brakes it’s a proper race car.

“My goals for my first year are consistent top fives and at least a few podiums, but more importantly to get a good understanding of the car set up and the driving style required to maximise one of these unique cars.

“We have such an exciting calendar this year going to Bathurst twice, Sydney, the streets of Adelaide and Gold Coast, but I know I’m the most excited about racing in front of my home crowd at Hidden Valley.”

Still in the infancy of his career, Johnson is still building and name for himself in the scene, and explained that any bit of help from the NT community will go a long way.

“You can follow my racing at Rossi Johnson Racing on Facebook or Instagram or if you want be apart of my SuperUte’s campaign this year,” he said.

“I’m always on the look out for sponsors and it would be great to fill the ute with some local Territory businesses.

“We’ve got some really exciting packages on offer and some crazy ideas for my sponsors this year including Hot Laps, meet and greets, promotions and heaps more.”

Originally published as Hidden Valley’s Rossi Johnson inks professional V8 SuperUte’s deal