HEMI6point1
Nitro Member
Maybe he doesn't want to see all the money he has going up in tire smoke?
Alan Johnson is wealthy and owns a plane because he has raced on someone else's dime, that's smart business .This is what I find humorous: He has a Jet and you guys are worried about him finding sponsorship! If he wants to race, Sell the jet, travel in a van/truck. Use a smaller crew/trailer. THOUSANDS of drag racers do it every weekend. ON Their own Money!
The problem is his ego won't allow it. I'm sure Shawn could show him how its done on a lower budget.
It might be tough, He would have to eat the domestic caviar,rather then the Imported Russian caviar.
Excuse me Don, do you happen to have any Grey Poupon?
So the question is: Do you want to race? or do you want to sit at the Country Club while some guy shines up the Jet for another episode of "The Rich and Famous"
Alan Johnson is wealthy and owns a plane because he has raced on someone else's dime, that's smart business .
This is what I find humorous: He has a Jet and you guys are worried about him finding sponsorship! If he wants to race, Sell the jet, travel in a van/truck. Use a smaller crew/trailer. THOUSANDS of drag racers do it every weekend. ON Their own Money!
The problem is his ego won't allow it. I'm sure Shawn could show him how its done on a lower budget.
It might be tough, He would have to eat the domestic caviar,rather then the Imported Russian caviar.
Excuse me Don, do you happen to have any Grey Poupon?
So the question is: Do you want to race? or do you want to sit at the Country Club while some guy shines up the Jet for another episode of "The Rich and Famous"
Shawn is a great driver but to think he could show alan Johnson how to run a Top Fuel team on a lower budget is ludicrous. I would love to be in the room when Shawn would teach Alan how to do that and hear Alan's response.This is what I find humorous: He has a Jet and you guys are worried about him finding sponsorship! If he wants to race, Sell the jet, travel in a van/truck. Use a smaller crew/trailer. THOUSANDS of drag racers do it every weekend. ON Their own Money!
The problem is his ego won't allow it. I'm sure Shawn could show him how its done on a lower budget.
It might be tough, He would have to eat the domestic caviar,rather then the Imported Russian caviar.
Excuse me Don, do you happen to have any Grey Poupon?
So the question is: Do you want to race? or do you want to sit at the Country Club while some guy shines up the Jet for another episode of "The Rich and Famous"
Whether or not he owns a plane ... I am sure AJ is in a good spot financially to support himself and family after racing. My guess is, if you don't believe he is parking his operation without further sponsorship, just check the TF pits at Epping and beyond.I wonder how much AJPE has to do with his affluence. And does he own the plane, or rent it?
Why should anybody have to liquidate personal holdings to support themselves. AJ has no responsibility to spend his personal $$ to fund a racing operation. Why do people go into business? To make money! Some choose to invest their life savings just to be racing and not competitive. Could others like Prudhomme and KB continued on using personal resources, they didn't. You saw Force ready to park a car if more $$ weren't found. Its smart business.John Farr:
The same thoughts went through my mind that if you have your own jet but cannot afford to race maybe it's time to think about your priorities.
Jimbo
http://www.nostalgicracingdecals.com
With Alan's other business interests, perhaps the jet isn't only for getting back and forth to the races.John Farr:
The same thoughts went through my mind that if you have your own jet but cannot afford to race maybe it's time to think about your priorities.
Yes, he wants to race - Top Fuel, to the best of his ability and to showcase the greatest potential of the products of AJPE. Regardless of personal opinion of what the Pro teams use for towing equipment or personnel, its absurd to think that he's going to go with less. That would be akin to asking LODRS teams to go back to smaller C.I.'s, no throttle stops, no weather stations, or even flat towing.This is what I find humorous: He has a Jet and you guys are worried about him finding sponsorship! If he wants to race, Sell the jet, travel in a van/truck. Use a smaller crew/trailer. THOUSANDS of drag racers do it every weekend. ON Their own Money!
The problem is his ego won't allow it. I'm sure Shawn could show him how its done on a lower budget.
It might be tough, He would have to eat the domestic caviar,rather then the Imported Russian caviar.
Excuse me Don, do you happen to have any Grey Poupon?
So the question is: Do you want to race? or do you want to sit at the Country Club while some guy shines up the Jet for another episode of "The Rich and Famous"
No Jim, if he is parking his operation he has every right to liquidate his racing assets. What he DOES NOT have to do is re-invest those proceeds into racing. He can do with the $$ as he sees fit. If that is time away from racing (either temporarily or permanently) and live off the proceeds, so be it. I was strictly referring to people stating he should sell the jet and downgrade his equipment to fund the racing operation.The question: "Why should anybody have to liquidate personal holdings to support themselves".
I had to read this comment a few times to make sure I was reading it correctly!!!
Do you think he should keep all his equipment if no sponsors step up to the plate? or is he then allowed to sell some of the stuff?
Jimbo
http://www.nostalgicracingdecals.com
It's his stuff to do what he wants to do with and he doesn't need permission from you or me to do so.Do you think he should keep all his equipment if no sponsors step up to the plate? or is he then allowed to sell some of the stiff?
I wouldn't spend my own money either. I know that he was trying to keep his team intact, but if Alan Johnson wants to race, I'm sure that there are many offers on the table to keep him out there tuning a racecar.Whether or not he owns a plane ... I am sure AJ is in a good spot financially to support himself and family after racing. My guess is, if you don't believe he is parking his operation without further sponsorship, just check the TF pits at Epping and beyond.
He is too smart a business man to pi$$ away everything just to keep racing and keep people working. Some people can walk away easily, others cannot. I am betting AJ can walk away and easily work in his shop without all the travel and BS..
I wouldn't spend my own money either. I know that he was trying to keep his team intact, but if Alan Johnson wants to race, I'm sure that there are many offers on the table to keep him out there tuning a racecar.
I doubt that ... AJ would not come cheap and I don't necessarily see him "working" for someone else again. I am sure he does not need to work, so why would a guy that has owned his own operation go back to taking direction from someone else.If he does have to liquidate and possibly move back into a tuning role for another team I'd bet my lunch money that JFR is going to be one of the first teams to call him.
John is getting much smaller deals on a per race basis than what he had with Castrol and Ford. Money is still tight over there since his car is still not funded for roughly half of the races. He is 85%-90% funded at the new lower levels. Paying AJ a ton of money to join the team will likely not sit well with those who were asked to take pay cuts to remain. Only a few will be able to afford AJ's services.Didn't John Force say in one of the last races that he is 90% back to being fully funded again?