User:Donnie Park/Joel Johnson (radio-controlled driver)

Joel Matthew Johnson (born December 5 1967, Hawaii) is a retired radio-controlled car racer from San Jose, California

He was the first foreign driver to win at the JMRCA All-Japan Championships in 1984 on his first visit to Japan

said to have won over 35 ROAR Nationals

Today, he and his fellow compatriots Gil Losi, Jr. and Mark Pavidis run AKA Products, a model tire company.

Biography
The son of a hobby shop owner, Joel Johnson began his hobby when he managed to persuade his family to buy him a radio-controlled car

began racing in 1976

JoMac Cox Jerobee 1/12 model of a Dodge Challenger

that he later converted to run on electric

1989: San Jose State University majoring in business and marketing

he later put his studies on hold to focus in his racing

Accolades
RCCA Top 10 Drivers list in 1989 1993

He retired from serious racing as he struggled to devote his time racing with his job as a sales engineer and as a result, his performance began to dwindle.

to work in Silicon Valley and New York City before he shortly returned to the hobby industry where he served as Vice President for Kyosho America between 2005 to 2009 in addition to being the president of the US distributor to Team Orion.

He with his fellow IFMAR champions, Gil Losi, Jr. and Mark Pavidis, departed from Kyosho, buying its tire making side of the business with them to form AKA Products, where he held the position as president.