Some 20,000 fans turned out for an impromptu tribute rally for late actor and racer Paul Walker.
Hollywood and the racing community remain in a state of shock over the sudden loss of actor and accomplished racer Paul Walker, who was killed, along with his friend and business partner Roger Rodas, in a November 30 single car crass in Los Angeles. To honor the late star best known for The Fast and the Furious film franchise, some 20,000 fans turned out at an impromptu rally in the LA suburb near the crash site.
Promoted via Facebook and Twitter, the rally attracted thousands of drivers in souped up cars including modified Porches, Corvettes and Camrys – all in a nod to Walker’s love for all things automotive. The actor was an avid car enthusiast who competed in the Redline Time Attack racing series. He raced an M3 E92 for the AE Performance team and reportedly was preparing for an auto show in the months before his death.
“Race in Paradise Paul Walker,” read a tribute site spotted in the rear window of a white Honda Accord. Traffic crept at a slow pace for several miles as fans piled up flowers, lit candles and posted messages of condolence at a makeshift shrine on Hercules Street.
Late actor and racer Paul Walker was killed in a November 30 crash in Los Angeles.
Walker was a passenger in a high-performance red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT that Rodas was driving after leaving an event for Reach Out Worldwide, Walker’s charity dedicated to providing skilled personnel in post-disaster situations. Rodas lost control and the car hit a light pole and tree before bursting into flames. Police suspect the car was speeding at upwards of 90 miles per hour when it crashed. Some speculated that Rodas may have been racing at the time, because the site is a popular drifting spot. But police have found no evidence of a second car in the area at the time of the crash.
“I think he represents a lot of us,” fan Andrew Kellogg told reporters. “He had the same mantra we all live by: We enjoy the kind of lifestyle we have with the cars and the kind of passion we all have for them.”
Walker, 40, leaves behind a 15-year-old daughter. He had started in five of the six Fast and the Furious movies and had been filming the seventh when he was killed. Producers say filming will continue.
We hear at E3 Spark Plugs sends condolences to Walker’s family, friends and fans.
