The major headline has been “Fast and the Furious” actor Paul Walker died in a terrible car crash but the story gets even more coincidental. The driver of the car has been identified as Roger Rodas. He’s not only a longtime friend of Walker, but he’s also a former race car driver.
According to a story in Wealth Management, the two met when Walker, at a track event, noticed that Rodas was driving a Porsche GT3 that Walker used to own. They ended up racing together at events like the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, but his schedule limited Walker’s racing mostly to time attack-type events at Buttonwillow or other California tracks.
Rodas, though, moved up through the ranks from Porsche-only series like the Pirelli Driver’s Cup, where he won twice in 2012, into the Pirelli World Challenge, leading a two-car Ford Mustang Boss 302S team, sponsored by Always Evolving and charities that he and Walker supported.
Walker and Rodas co-owned a car customization shop called Always Evolving in Santa Clarita, California. The two raced together, did charity work together and did business together. Both lives were taken too soon. My condolences to the family and friends of both victims.
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