The 2017-18 season has certainly been somewhat of a breakthrough season for Tristan Johnson, with the youngster’s consistency, which has improved out of sight, currently being reflected in his results.

Having admitted to overdriving his car in previous seasons, due to putting added pressure on himself to succeed, Johnson has grown significantly in both maturity and composure in 2017-18 and continues to learn and improve each time he takes to the track.

Working on his mental preparation and car package over the off season, Johnson has been focused on keep his head down and improving throughout qualifying in each race meeting; a strategy which has more than paid off, with the 19-year-old racer collecting an impressive three runner-up results and a pair of third-place finishes in his six contested KRE F500 Championship Series rounds so far.

While he feels himself getting closer to achieving a feature-race win, Johnson’s pleasing results have banked enough points to place him second behind current and three-time Australian Champion Liam Williams in the current KRE F500 Championship Series point standings.

“Second in the series point standings with a few rounds still to go is a pretty good position to be in at this stage of the season,” said Johnson, who joined the Formula 500s class in 2015 at the age of 16, after contesting five season in Junior Quarter Midgets.

“Before the start of this season, we’d only placed second once, so to be able to do it so consistently is a real credit to the team and a testament to how much work has gone into not only the car, but also my skills as a driver.

“The aim for the rest of the season is to continue improving and trying our best to win a feature race and if that’s not possible, we just want to collect as many podium finishes as we can and keep up our current momentum.”

The Nudgee, Queensland-based racer will hope to score as many valuable points as possible throughout the remaining three KRE F500 Championship Series rounds, which are set to take place at Archerfield Speedway on April 14, May 5, and May 26.

Dependent on work and financial commitments, Johnson is also hoping to contest the Australian Title at Darwin’s Northline Speedway in the Northern Territory on July 27 and 28.

Johnson would like to thank the following 2017-18 season sponsors for their support: JCB Construction Equipment main, Brims Coastal Cement, Downs Mini Digs, Snap Fitness - Redcliffe, Ausdeck, and Johnson Plumbing and Roofing. Special thanks go to his dad Brad and step mum Janelle, his grandfather Noel on Brad’s side, and crew member Wayne Maclean, along with Stewart Craig and Andrew Scheuerle for their sponsorship and support since his early Junior Quarter Midget days.

To find out more about Johnson and his team, LIKE them on Facebook by searching Tristan Johnson Racing.

Photo courtesy of The Carrells