Hannah Johnson #21
- shifter kart and Spec Miata driver for Hudlett Racing
Welcome to HannahJohnsonRacing.com !
My Story:
My parents took me to my first ever motorsports event when I was about four years old. It was a flat track motorcycle race somewhere in Indiana. When we finally arrived at the stadium, I remember that it was cold outside, but that didn’t matter. Nobody stopped to warm up with a cup of hot chocolate or curl up with a blanket someplace quiet. There was racing going on. It was loud. It was busy. There was so much action going on around me that I had never witnessed before. I was intoxicated by the sounds, the smells, the lights, the crowds. We found our spot in the stands, and then I finally found them. The racers. They were wearing brightly colored suits and helmets, and were sliding sideways around the track. They were flinging their motorcycles around like toys, and nothing could stop them. They seemed superhuman to me. I fell in love. I wanted to be one of those guys when I grew up.
That was twenty years ago. Since then, I’ve tried my hand at racing bikes, and I have the scars to prove it. I moved to south Florida, following my career as a high-performance motorcycle technician, factory trained for Ducati, MV Agusta, and KTM motorcycles, among other things. Working with Ducati, however, is how I met Jeff Hudlett. I’m sure you’ve heard of him. Multi-time national shifter kart champion and world-famous Honda shifter engine builder. Turns out he’s a Ducati motorcycle racer, as well. That’s how I met him. I helped him with his Ducatis, and he introduced me to karts. He had an old Easykart 100 laying around his shop that we took to Opa Locka a few times. I had a blast! I soon grew tired of it, and I needed more. So he pulled out an old Tony Kart with a Vortex shifter engine for me. Here we go, this is more my speed! That was a little over a year ago. Since then, I followed the Florida Karting Championship Series for the 2009 season, competing in the ICC Shifter class. I accrued the most points of the season, but, after points drops from my competitors, I came in 3rd in the championship. Yes, 3rd place in my first ever full season of motorsports competition! I was also awarded as the 2009 FKCS Rookie of the Year. I have competed in a few other club races at local tracks such as Immokalee, PBIR, and Homestead. Winning at some, having bad luck at others, and learning tons about four-wheel racing.
It has taken me these past twenty years to re-focus my dreams of being a professional racer. I have finally found my “thing,” my true passion, my talent. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel as if I’ve wasted my time with the bikes. What I’ve learned is invaluable. My experience gives me a competitive edge, be it with two wheels, rather than four. Regardless, I need to continue with it. My childhood dream, to be a racer, is still coming true. Only now I know that I will race cars professionally someday soon, rather than the bright, flashy, loud, sliding, dirt-flinging motorcycles I once dreamed of.
That was twenty years ago. Since then, I’ve tried my hand at racing bikes, and I have the scars to prove it. I moved to south Florida, following my career as a high-performance motorcycle technician, factory trained for Ducati, MV Agusta, and KTM motorcycles, among other things. Working with Ducati, however, is how I met Jeff Hudlett. I’m sure you’ve heard of him. Multi-time national shifter kart champion and world-famous Honda shifter engine builder. Turns out he’s a Ducati motorcycle racer, as well. That’s how I met him. I helped him with his Ducatis, and he introduced me to karts. He had an old Easykart 100 laying around his shop that we took to Opa Locka a few times. I had a blast! I soon grew tired of it, and I needed more. So he pulled out an old Tony Kart with a Vortex shifter engine for me. Here we go, this is more my speed! That was a little over a year ago. Since then, I followed the Florida Karting Championship Series for the 2009 season, competing in the ICC Shifter class. I accrued the most points of the season, but, after points drops from my competitors, I came in 3rd in the championship. Yes, 3rd place in my first ever full season of motorsports competition! I was also awarded as the 2009 FKCS Rookie of the Year. I have competed in a few other club races at local tracks such as Immokalee, PBIR, and Homestead. Winning at some, having bad luck at others, and learning tons about four-wheel racing.
It has taken me these past twenty years to re-focus my dreams of being a professional racer. I have finally found my “thing,” my true passion, my talent. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel as if I’ve wasted my time with the bikes. What I’ve learned is invaluable. My experience gives me a competitive edge, be it with two wheels, rather than four. Regardless, I need to continue with it. My childhood dream, to be a racer, is still coming true. Only now I know that I will race cars professionally someday soon, rather than the bright, flashy, loud, sliding, dirt-flinging motorcycles I once dreamed of.
