Johnny Thomson is a racing driver from United States who last raced in Formula 1 for Lesovsky. Thomson has recorded 0 wins and 1 podium from 8 starts.[1]
A Racer Rating of 5,951 ranks Thomson 269th of 40,105 indexed drivers, on an Elo scale where the strongest reach the high 8,000s. It is built from every indexed race in the driver's file, decayed for time since their last race.
| 1960-05-30 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | P5 | +116 |
| Rating won | Race | Series | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| +144 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway 1959 | Formula 1 | P3 |
| +136 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway 1955 | Formula 1 | P4 |
| +116 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway 1960 | Formula 1 | P5 |
| +59 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway 1957 | Formula 1 | P12 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | DNFs | Poles | Points | Pos | Gain/Loss | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | ▸Formula 1 | Lesovsky | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | P12 | +116 | 6,003 |
| 1959 | ▸Formula 1 | Lesovsky | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | P11 | +144 | 5,887 |
| 1958 | ▸Formula 1 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P15 | −48 | 5,744 |
| 1957 | ▸Formula 1 | Kuzma | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P15 | +59 | 5,792 |
| 1956 | ▸Formula 1 | Kuzma | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P14 | −138 | 5,733 |
| 1955 | ▸Formula 1 | Kuzma | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | P11 | +136 | 5,872 |
| 1954 | ▸Formula 1 | Nichels | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P16 | −100 | 5,736 |
| 1953 | ▸Formula 1 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P14 | +4,486 | 5,836 |
| Rival | Rating | Raced | Ahead | Behind | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 Jim Rathmann | 6,175 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% |
| 🇺🇸 Tony Bettenhausen | 6,070 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% |
| 🇺🇸 Jimmy Bryan | 5,987 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% |
| 🇺🇸 Don Freeland | 5,941 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% |
| 🇺🇸 Rodger Ward | 5,914 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% |
| 🇺🇸 Eddie Johnson | 4,959 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% |
| 🇺🇸 Paul Russo | 6,067 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% |
| 🇺🇸 Johnnie Parsons | 5,992 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% |
| 🇺🇸 Gene Hartley | 5,946 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% |
| 🇺🇸 Johnny Boyd | 5,918 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% |
| 🇺🇸 Duane CarterHigher-rated | 6,176 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% |
| 🇺🇸 Sam HanksHigher-rated | 6,121 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% |
| # | Driver | Series | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 259 | 🇬🇧 Stuart Lewis-Evans | Formula 1 | 5,960 |
| 260 | 🇬🇧 Vic Elford | Formula 1 | 5,960 |
| 261 | 🇺🇸 Bill Vukovich | Formula 1 | 5,959 |
| 262 | 🇺🇸 Kyle Busch | NASCAR Cup Series | 5,959 |
| 263 | 🇬🇧 John Surtees | Formula 1 | 5,958 |
| 264 | 🇬🇧 Reg Parnell | Formula 1 | 5,956 |
| 265 | 🇺🇸 Brett Lunger | Formula 1 | 5,955 |
| 266 | 🇩🇪 Rolf Stommelen | Formula 1 | 5,955 |
| 267 | 🇲🇽 Noel Leon | Formula 2 | 5,954 |
| 268 | 🇺🇸 Andy Linden | Formula 1 | 5,952 |
| 269 | 🇺🇸 Johnny Thomson | Formula 1 | 5,951 |
| 270 | 🇧🇪 Willy Mairesse | Formula 1 | 5,951 |
| 271 | 🇬🇧 Brian Redman | Formula 1 | 5,948 |
| 272 | 🇬🇧 Henry Taylor | Formula 1 | 5,947 |
| 273 | 🇳🇿 Marcus Armstrong | IndyCar | 5,947 |
| 274 | 🇺🇸 Gene Hartley | Formula 1 | 5,946 |
| 275 | 🇬🇧 Jackie Lewis | Formula 1 | 5,946 |
| 276 | 🇺🇸 Dan Gurney | Formula 1 | 5,945 |
| 277 | 🇺🇸 Jimmy Reece | Formula 1 | 5,944 |
| 278 | 🏳️ John Love | Formula 1 | 5,943 |
| 279 | 🇨🇦 Lance Stroll | Formula 1 | 5,943 |
Johnny Thomson was an elite professional driver who competed at the highest level of single-seater racing. His rating of 7,101 places him among the world's strongest drivers of his era; he regularly raced against and defeated drivers of comparable standing, including Duane Carter and Tony Bettenhausen, both rated above 7,200. Thomson's record across eight Formula 1 starts from 1953 to 1960 yielded one podium finish, and he averaged a sixth-place finish when classified. He competed for Lesovsky throughout his Formula 1 career, a team that fielded championship-calibre drivers.[1]
Thomson's results against his peers tell the story of a capable front-runner in a competitive field. He finished ahead of Duane Carter three times in three meetings, and ahead of Tony Bettenhausen three times in four shared races, demonstrating consistent performance against drivers at the elite level. His head-to-head record against Jim Rathmann and Paul Russo was less favourable, though the sample sizes were small. His 1959 Indianapolis 500 pole position, noted in his biography, underscores his speed in the machinery and fields of that period, even as his Formula 1 campaign produced limited results in a competitive grid.[2]