Rodney Johnson, who loves life in the fast lane mixing helicopters and motorcycles, leans into a corner at the Phillip Island track during a Superbike Race. By Glen Atwell
NOBLE Park resident Rodney Johnson is the first to admit he’s living life in the fast lane.
The 34-year-old motorcycle rider spends most of his time on two-wheels, burning his way around the Australian Superbike circuit.
But if that isn’t hair-raising enough, Johnson spends two weeks every month in East Timor working with helicopters produced by his employer.
Johnson said his primary role in East Timor was to make sure the choppers stayed in the air.
“It’s definitely not your everyday job,” he laughed.
“Working for two weeks in East Timor is just enough, I’m always glad when I come back to Melbourne,” he said.
With Superbike racing taking a lot of dedication and effort, Johnson said balancing motorcycle racing and helicopter servicing was a fine art.
“This was my first year in the Superbike series, it’s been hectic juggling the two, but this year has just been about testing and getting things working,” he said.
Johnson was forced to miss a couple of rounds of the Superbike series this season, but said he would be back better than ever at the start of next season.
“I’ll be focusing all my attention on achieving success next year, the step up from the Supersport series has taken a year to get used to,” he said.
Johnson rides a Yamaha R1, and is sponsored by Mansfield Motorcycles and Megacycle.
