A massive car fest is coming to SoCal with drift rides that feel like 'throttle therapy'

After stops successful Dallas-Ft. Worth and the Bay Area, FuelFest, a planetary car-enthusiast festival, volition cruise into the OC Fair & Event Center successful Costa Mesa connected June 13.

Those successful attendance volition get to ticker the rubber deed the roadworthy connected a drift course, gawk astatine much than 700 performance-built cars connected show and behold immoderate of the vehicles that introduced Japanese tuner cars to the American marketplace successful “Fast and Furious.”

“FuelFest is wherever bully people, car-culture people, travel to conscionable 1 different due to the fact that they stock a communal interest, a communal passion,” said Cody Walker, laminitis of FuelFest and the member of precocious histrion Paul Walker, who was known for his relation successful Universal Studio’s “Fast and Furious” franchise.

Audience members get to thrust successful the rider spot of a nonrecreational driver’s drift car.

(FuelFest)

Organizers expect thousands of radical to flock to the OC Fair & Event Center for FuelFest, moved not conscionable by the show and sounds of musculus cars, but by what surprises are successful store to observe the 25th day of the archetypal “Fast and Furious” movie.

“This is simply a emotion missive to the metropolis of Los Angeles and Orange County,” “Fast and Furious” histrion Tyrese Gibson, a co-sponsor of the event, said connected a caller video telephone astir FuelFest.

The lawsuit volition beryllium thing of a homecoming for Walker, Gibson and the “Fast” franchise. Walker, raised successful the Sunland-Tujunga area, said the lawsuit volition see tributes to cars made fashionable by the seminal Southern California car scene, including a lowrider and exotic car display.

Of course, FuelFest is besides a tribute to Paul Walker. To proceed his brother’s legacy, Cody Walker discontinue his occupation arsenic a paramedic and took complaint of Reach Out Worldwide, a disaster-relief foundation founded by Paul successful 2010, and helium created FuelFest arsenic a means to rise wealth for his brother’s initiatives.

“[Paul] was 40 years old, and we thought helium had astir 70 to go,” Walker said connected a video call, referring to his brother’s fatal car clang successful 2013. “He didn’t attraction astir being this important person; helium didn’t spot himself that way. The foundation is the benignant of worldly helium cared about.”

As for this variation of FuelFest, Walker and Gibson said they didn’t privation to spoil each of the surprises, but present are six things to cognize earlier you caput to the event.

1. ‘Fast and Furious’ cars volition beryllium connected display

Some of the Japanese Domestic Market and American musculus staples seen successful the “Fast and Furious” films volition beryllium astatine FuelFest.

Gibson mightiness not cognize specs similar RPMs oregon cylinders, but helium said helium appreciates the “Fast and Furious” characters’ gorgeous cars, including Dominic Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger and Brian O’Connor’s precocious ’90s Mitsubishi Eclipse. Those cars and different iconic “Fast” wheels volition beryllium astatine the fest.

“It was due to the fact that of these films that radical successful the United States became acquainted with the tuner civilization of Japan, which was ace niche up until that point,” Walker said. “We’re talking astir 25 years. There’s iconic cars from the franchise, from a clump of the movies that volition beryllium there.”

2. Children property 12 and nether get escaped admission

As children, Cody and Paul Walker were practically programmed to emotion cars. Their maternal gramps was a race-car operator and mechanic, and their begetter was a lensman for Street Chopper Magazine. An lawsuit similar FuelFest, Walker said, tin beryllium formative successful fostering a lifelong passionateness and originative outlet for car-curious children.

Gibson said organizers wanted to marque tickets escaped for children truthful that full neighborhoods successful the Los Angeles and Orange County areas could person a low-cost time out. Therefore, a wide admittance summons for SoCal FuelFest costs $58.24 including taxation and fees, but children property 12 and nether get successful escaped with a ticketed adult.

“If you’re a azygous parent and you person 3 kids each nether 12 and you privation to bring your friends successful the vicinity with you, whether they’re you’re kids oregon your neighbors, they’re getting successful for free,” Gibson said.

If you privation to splurge, there’s a meet-and-greet with Gibson positive VIP Platinum admittance for $739.38, including taxation and fees.

At FuelFest, a planetary car-enthusiast festival, much than 700 cars volition beryllium connected display.

(FuelFest)

3. Performances by DJ Quik, Flesh-n-Bone and more

In summation to DJ sets and unrecorded performances, ’90s rap legends DJ Quik and Flesh-n-Bone volition big an evening performance connected the festival stage.

Walker and Gibson are mum astir who other mightiness amusement up during the concert, but they promised that audiences driving successful from L.A. volition find the travel down to Orange County worthy it.

“There are nary limits to the West Coast friends that DJ Quik has,” Gibson said.

During FuelFest, ’90s rap legends DJ Quik and Flesh-n-Bone volition big an evening performance connected the festival stage.

(FuelFest)

4. A Lucha Libre sideshow

If that’s not enough, determination volition besides beryllium a Lucha Libre amusement with, according to Walker, a “full-blown” communicative that has extended crossed FuelFest locations.

Lucha Libre Voz, an autarkic nonrecreational wrestling institution based successful California and Arizona, volition big its worldwide title lucifer betwixt Tigre Uno and Septimo Dragon.

“It’s gonna beryllium insane,” Walker said. “Best amusement of the year.”

5. Ride rider successful a drift car (with a helmet)

After signing a waiver, strapping connected a helmet and paying a $30 fee, assemblage members tin thrust on successful the rider spot of a nonrecreational driver’s drift car. Walker calls it: A “full-blown throttle therapy session.”

Reservations for the drift car ride-along volition beryllium handled on-site. Pro tip: Get determination aboriginal to bushed the lines.

6. Reach Out Worldwide’s lawsuit goal

A information of the gross from the event, mostly from on-site activities specified arsenic the drift car ride-along, volition spell to charitable efforts astatine Reach Out Worldwide, which has assisted with cleanup, repair and assets efforts for victims of earthy disasters, including Hurricane Melissa successful Jamaica and the Los Angeles County fires successful 2025.

FuelFest has raised astir $1 cardinal for Reach Out Worldwide since the foundation resumed successful 2024, much than a decennary aft Paul Walker’s decease paused the group’s work. Cody Walker predicts the gross from the SoCal amusement volition assistance Reach Out Worldwide walk the $1-million milestone.

“I gave up everything to marque definite that Reach Out Worldwide could function,” Walker said. “FuelFest started arsenic this elemental idea, but present we’ve held implicit 30 events and we’re successful 11 markets. … Paul would beryllium precise blessed with wherever this has each gone.”