LM24: Johnson in awe of first Le Mans experience

The look of stunned amazement on Billy Johnson's face told a tale of its own on Sunday. The American (above, left, with with Joey Hand), drafted into Ford Chip Ganassi Racing's four-car Le Mans program, was taking part in his first scrutineering session, could feel the energy of the hundreds of fans who turned out in a downpour, and came away from the experience with a sizeable appreciation for the event.

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"This is my first Le Mans, I've never gone through scrutineering before, and this is, for me, quite a turnout, given the weather, and to be here, in town center in Le Mans, on the 50th anniversary of Ford's first big win, and to be one of two Americans on the four-car team, representing America, I have to keep pinching myself to be sure this is really happening," Johnson told RACER.

Johnson has built an impressive resume in road racing without the benefit of great exposure, which makes Ford's recognition of his talent the greatest career boost to date for the Californian. And with his avid passion for racing anything that's put in front of him – from stock cars to tin-tops, Johnson has apparently built a cult following that was only recently revealed.

"The European fan base for Ford is amazing," he said. "The fact that they have picture of the cars I raced a long time ago – from my first NASCAR race to a time trial car I haven't driven in seven years...it's not even a mainstream thing. I was blown away. It was seven years ago; I can barely remember it, but people knew about it, had a photo of it, and found me to have it signed...I never imagined that would happen."

Johnson and teammates Stefan Mucke and Olivier Pla still have a few days to go before they find out where their No. 66 Ford GT stacks up against the rest of the GTE-Pro field, but he's seen enough in the reception the team has been given to know the Blue Oval is winning the hearts and minds of those who've interacted with its sports car program.

"Ford's presence around the world is just incredible," he continued. "Driving around Europe in new Ford Mustangs has been amazing, and with the new Ford GT, I think everyone is seeing how incredible it is and they are taking such a great interest in everything we do."