Paralyzed Racer ‘Just Another Driver’

Paralyzed Racer ‘Just Another Driver’
Johnson has to work throttle, brake, and clutch controls, plus shift lever, brake bias, and anti-roll bar levers all with his hands. Chris Jasurek/The Epoch Times
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<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/A3953MJohnsonCarSeb12Web.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-211988" title="A3953MJohnsonCarSeb12Web" src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/A3953MJohnsonCarSeb12Web-674x450.jpg" alt="Paralyzed USF 2000 driver Michael Johnson exits Turn 17 at Sebring. (Chris Jasurek/The Epoch Times)" width="750" height="501"/></a>
Paralyzed USF 2000 driver Michael Johnson exits Turn 17 at Sebring. (Chris Jasurek/The Epoch Times)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Michael Johnson is not your typical 18-year-old. Unlike most teens, Johnson figured out at an early age what he wanted to do—in this case, race—and he has spent his youth doing it, and doing it well.

Johnson, a natural athlete, developed exceptional skills as a motorcycle racer, and until age 12, he competed successfully in races all over North America, winning regional and national championships. “As long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a professional motorcycle racer,” he says on his website.

After motorcycles, the Michigan native moved on to racing karts, and then formula cars, again proving his skills by winning. He currently drives the No. 54 Universal Coating/Coloplast car for JDC Motorsports in the IndyCar USF 2000 series; the first step on the Mazda Road to Indy, a ladder-style series that develops open-wheel drivers into IndyCar drivers. Johnson intends to climb the ladder to the top, to one day win the Indy 500.