Our history…

Thanks for visiting our website.  While the RJ Speed name is new to R/C, the owners, Rick and Linda Jordan have been involved in R/C for over 35 years.

Rick went to work at Champion Slot Racing part time in 1966 and went full time to manage their motor production after completing a two year engineering degree later that year.  In 1971, Bob Rule, who had previously worked at Champion, started BoLink R/C Cars, making accessory parts for Jerobee radio controlled 1/12 scale gas cars.  Bob bought Champion and merged it with BoLink R/C.

Rick designed most of BoLinks products and managed their production.  He carved almost all of their body molds and remained at BoLink until 2003, when the company failed under new ownership.

Many things that are common in R/C now were begun first at BoLink throughout the years, including the first 1/12 stock car body, the first 1/10 scale pavement car (pan car), the first 1/10 scale stock car body, the first “Classic” R/C car and truck body styles, the first left turn only “LTO” oval chassis with all batteries on the left side, the first (and possibly only) wind tunnel to actually test the aero dynamic properties of R/C bodies and wings/spoilers (begun with 1/12 scale bodies as 1/10 scale did not exist at the time).

Linda Jordan worked some at BoLink, and traveled with Rick helping at trade shows and many R/C races.  She was one of the first in the USA to score races with the AMB autocount transponder system imported by BoLink.  She ran the scoring at many national R/C car races and all of the major R/C races at Bob Hosch’s Lake Whippoorwill oval track in Orlando, Florida.  Lake Whippoorwill was the first major concrete oval track for R/C racing and put 1/10 scale oval racing on the map.  Rick, Linda, and two more BoLink employees spent their Saturdays in the summer and fall of 1988 at Lanier Raceway (a 3/8 mile asphalt oval near Gainesville, Ga.), doing the first U.S. testing of the AMB transponder scoring system for full size race cars.  This was an early version of the system later used by NASCAR and most other major racing organizations

Rick and Linda’s sons, Shane and Ricky both worked at BoLink some as they were growing up.  They both have full time careers in other industries now, but help at RJ Speed when they can.

Shane has years of experience in CNC production, programming, and layout.  He also set up the inventory system using his experience in industrial purchasing.  He sets up the programs for RJ Speed metal and fiberglass CNC parts.

Ricky raced R/C cars beginning at age 7.  He and Rick raced for BoLink on road courses, dirt ovals, and mostly paved ovals until the mid 1990’s when Rick retired from racing and Ricky went off to college.  Ricky racked up an impressive list of wins and high finishes as he moved through stock, modified and Pro divisions at ovals across the USA including a ROAR Oval National Championship in 1990 and a second place in the last Novak 500 Lap Super Speedway Race at the US Oval Masters at Lake Whippoorwill Speedway in 1995.  Ricky now does 3D cad (solidworks) design and helps RJ Speed with exploded view drawings and cad renderings.

The goal at RJ Speed is to continue designing, manufacturing, and selling quality US made bodies, cars, and accessories for today’s R/C, and bring back some of the products Rick designed at BoLink including the Legends spec racing kits (licensed by 600 Racing, Inc.), the improved version of the 1/10 scale drag kits, the Sport 3.2 kit, and others.

2019 UPDATE: RJSPEED HAS BEEN HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL IN CONTINUING TO MAKE RC LEGENDS PLUS OUR NEW SPEC MOD, SPEC 10, AND OTHER SIMPLE, FUCTIONAL CAR KITS FOR RC CAR RACING. OUR CHASSIS COMPONENTS ARE VERY POPULAR FOR SCRATCH BUILDIERS AND WE MAKE BODIES TO FIT MANY TYPES OF CARS AND TRUCKS.

2021 UPDATE: AFTER 54+ YEARS IN THE HOBBY BUSINESS, RICK AND LINDA HAVE REACHED THE TIME TO RETIRE. LAST FALL, RJ SPEED WAS SOLD TO MSA DISTRIBUTING, A COMPANY THAT HAS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN MANUFACTURING AND SELLING RC CARS AND PRODUCTS. MSA WAS ONE OF RJ SPEED'S DISTRIBUTORS, ESPECIALLY FOR THE EVER POPULAR RC LEGENDS SPEC RACING CARS.

THEY WILL CONTIUNE THE RJ SPEED PRODUCT LINE OF QUALITY BODIES, CAR KITS, AND ACCESSORIES THAT HAVE HELPED SO MANY PEOPLE GET STARTED IN RC RACING. WE ARE STILL WORKING WITH THEM ON NEW PRODUCTS THAT ARE IN PROCESS.

WE WILL MISS OF THE GREAT PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE WORKED AND RACED WITH FOR ALL OF THESE YEARS.