Nichols wins first-ever roadrunner pole race

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Fair night racing returned to Redwood Acres Raceway this past Saturday night for what was a thrilling night of racing action. DelReka Distributing presented A Night Of Destruction at the Acres which included the debut of pole racing in the roadrunner division. In spite of the late models having the night off, fans packed the grandstands to witness the other five divisions as well as the first boat race of 2016.

Qualifying for the California State & Federal Employees Credit Union roadrunner division was led by Steve Paiment with a 21.074 lap. Dominic Vogelsang won the first heat while Bethany Rapp took the second. The 20-lap main event featured the debut of pole racing in the roadrunner division. Drivers had to drive a complete circle around two giant tires placed entering and exiting the front straight.

The initial going was not good for several drivers. Rapp and Vogelsang fell out due to contact while trying to take the first tire and Paiment was also a victim of trying to slow down for the tire. Tyler Peach looked to be a contender before he fell out. The two drivers who seemed to have the best handle on the new format were James Nichols and Dylan Ford. At the halfway point, Ford held the lead but troubles forced him into the pits and off the lead lap. In spite of having significant front bumper damage, Nichols was able to maneuver around the tires and was able to cruise to his first ever feature win. Three other rookies followed in Patrick Sproul, Jake Keeling and Brandon Katri while Ford rounded out the top five.

The night in the Fortuna Wheel & Brake bomber division belonged to James Moore, at least for the most part. Moore set fast time with a 18.295 then went on to win the trophy dash. Moore looked to be on his way to victory in the heat but contact between he and Ryan Ahrens sent both cars spinning which handed the lead and the heat win to John Lally. In the 25-lap feature, it only took Moore three laps to get to the lead. At the finish, Moore had a substantial eight and a half second margin of victory over Lally in second place. Matt Simon took third, Jimmy Sorrels fourth and Ahrens fifth.

Gary Klinetobe set fast time in the highly competitive Humboldt Hydroponics mini stock class with a time of 19.143. Brian Murrell, Sr. took the honors in the trophy dash while the heat race wins went to Cole Peterson and Brett Murrell. The 25-lap main featured a thrilling duel between Peterson and Jarrett Mayo. The two raced nose-to-tail with Mayo filling Peterson’s mirror yet unable to mount a challenge on the inside line. With five laps remaining, Peterson spun off turn four. Mayo braked to avoid contact with Peterson which allowed Gary Klinetobe to sneak into the lead. Eugene Palmer mounted a late charge as he got by Mayo with three laps remaining but his time ran out. At the finish it was Klinetobe winning his first-ever mini stock feature over Palmer, Mayo, Brett Murrell and Brian Murrell, Sr.

Tommy Payne set fast time for the Thunder Roadsters with a 17.336. Paul Peeples, Jr. visited the Acres for the first time in 2016 and took the trophy dash win while Aaron Byers took the heat race victory. Peeples quickly got the lead in the 30-lap main but had to fight off a hard-charging Ronnie O’Neil all race long. O’Neil had the pace to keep up with Peeples but he did not have enough to put a serious challenge as the gap between the two remained around a car length for the majority of the rest of the event. Peeples margin of victory over O’Neil was a little over half a second. Payne placed third over Donnie Brown and Jett Taylor.

Robert Miller looked to be on a mission on the night in the Legends division as he set fast time with a 18.351. Miller followed up his fast time with wins in the trophy dash and heat races. The 25-lap main event was a different story though. Brad Curtice led from the drop of the green and faced the challenge of trying to hold off the faster and more experienced Miller for the win. Curtice was able to hold off Miller in the end as he took the win. Brent Mack and Anissa Curtice completed the field.

The night capped off with the thrilling boat race. Fans packed the stands and cheered for their favorite drivers and cars in what proved to be a destructive event. The top three finishers were decided by the noise from the crowd. Brian Murrell, Jr.’s entry was declared the winner over Troy Lee and Tim Roscoe.

Racing returns to Redwood Acres Raceway this Saturday night for what promises to be a memorable evening of action. The Mid City Motor World late models will return to the Acres for the Don Graham Memorial Firecracker 100. Following the races, RAR will host a thrilling fireworks show. Gates open at 5:00 PM while races begin at 6:00 PM.

The 2016 Acres schedule heats up as the summer progresses. On July 23rd, the North State Modifieds return to the track for the second and final time in 2016. One of the most anticipated events of the year follows on August 2nd when the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series returns to the 3/8-mile paved oval for the third time. For more information on all the upcoming races at Redwood Acres Raceway, visit the track’s official website www.racingtheacres.com

Curtice, Fuller Big Winners On Fair Night

By Matthew J. Sullivan

It was a special night for Redwood Acres Raceway outlaw kart drivers this past Friday night as the speedway hosted its first ever outlaw kart races during the Redwood Acres Fair. Drivers in the four divisions put on an exciting show for the fans in attendance, many of whom were witnessing their first outlaw kart races ever.

Qualifying in the beginner box stocks was paced by Taylor Fuller with a 10.409. T.J. Sorrels was the winner of the dash while the heat was won by Fuller. In the 20-lap main, Fuller got the jump into the lead and was gone from there. The best battle on the track was for second place between Drew Barry and Sorrels with Barry eventually gaining the upper hand in the latter stages of the race. At the checkered, it was Fuller winning by nearly a second over Barry and Sorrels. Jacob Boldway crossed the line fourth while Kai McCrady-Hirsch rounded out the top five.

Speedway karts returned to the Acres for the night with Ed Gurbb setting the fast time in qualifying with a 9.991. Nick Davis was the winner of the trophy dash and heat races. The 15-lap main event was dominated in the opening half by Larry Fuller. However on lap nine, Gurbb took the lead. Gurbb was able to pull out to a massive lead and was the winner at the checkered flag by over 3 seconds. Larry Fuller placed second followed by Davis and Lori Fuller.

The 250 and 500 karts were combined for another night with Daniel Whitley setting fast time at a 8.511. Redding’s Ken Mahoney won the dash while Sean Fuller took the heat race. Fuller led the opening six laps in the 30-lap main. Brad Curtice took over on lap seven and looked to be dialed in on the night. Nobody was able to mount a serious attack on Curtice even with a few restarts. At the checkered flag it was Curtice taking the win followed by Kyle Whitley, Mahoney, Anissa Curtice and Steve Rambo.

Lower Lake native, Dryver Dothage was fast time in the box stock class with a 9.814. Natalie Richard won the trophy dash while the heat races were taken by Brianna Fuller and Dothage. The first half of the 20-lap main featured a fantastic duel between Richard and Dothage for the race lead. Unfortunately on lap 15, the two collided with Dothage suffering irreparable damage to his kart. The restart saw the renewal of the rivalry between Richard and Fuller. With five laps remaining, Fuller was able to sneak by Richard for the lead. From there on out it was Fuller taking the checkered flag over Richard, Maleesa Miles, Derek Kessler, Jr. and Quintin Ikeya.

Outlaw kart racing at the Acres takes a break for a few weeks before returning Saturday July 16th. After that event, there will only be two more chances to see the karts in action. Saturday July 30th is the second to last event for the karts while Saturday August 27th is the final event of the year. For more information on the outlaw karts at Redwood Acres Raceway, please visit the track’s official website www.racingtheacres.com

Richard, Sorrels outlaw kart victors at the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The second outlaw kart event of the 2016 season at Redwood Acres Raceway took place this past Saturday night. It was Humboldt Performance and NorCal Automotive Night at the Races as drivers took to the .110-mile dirt oval.

Taylor Fuller was fast time in the beginner box stock division setting a 10.671. Fuller took the trophy dash win while T.J. Sorrels was the heat race winner. Jacob Boldway led the first two laps of the 20 lap main before Sorrels took over. Fuller looked to have the setup right on his kart and on lap nine Fuller took the lead. Fuller looked to have the victory in hand until getting tangled with slower traffic with three laps remaining. Sorrels regained the race lead and was able to hold on the remaining few laps for the win. Fuller got back to second over Boldway, Adrian Richard and Kai McCardy-Hirsch.

Four speedway karts visited the Acres for the night to help add to the show. Sean Fuller was quick time in qualifying with an 11.385 qualifying lap. Lori Fuller won the trophy dash with Nick Davis claiming heat race honors. Lori Fuller led lap one of the 20 lap main event before giving way to Sean Fuller. It was pure dominance from that point on as Sean Fuller was able to cruise to the win by nearly eight seconds. Davis, Lori Fuller and Larry Fuller rounded out the field.

The 250 and 500 karts were combined for the night with Sean Fuller setting a sub-10 second lap in qualifying with a 9.836. The night belonged to Brad Curtice who took the dash and heat race wins. Anissa Curtice led the first two laps of the 30-lap feature before her father, Brad took the lead. He was able to lead from that point to the checkered flag. Anissa Curtice and Fuller took second and third.

Timmy Walters was the only driver under 10-seconds in the box stock class as he set a time of 9.510. Natalie Richard won the trophy dash while the heat races were taken by Malessa Miles and Brionna Fuller. The 25-lap main featured a fantastic duel for the lead between Fuller and Richard. Fuller led the opening 11 laps before Richard utilized lapped traffic to take the lead. Fuller regained the lead on lap seventeen but got tangled with lapped traffic with five laps remaining. This gave Richard the lead and she was able to hold on to take the win. Jeremiah Boldway crossed the line second with Quentin Ikeya third, Miles fourth and Fuller placing fifth.

The 2016 schedule for Redwood Acres Raceway heats up this coming weekend. Friday June 24th the outlaw karts return to the dirt for a special fair night race. The following night, Saturday June 25th features a special Night Of Destruction. Both fair races are presented by DelReka Distributing with grandstand admission for the Friday event included with the price of fair admission. The late models will have the night off but the other five local classes will be in action. Feature events include a pole race for the roadrunners and the popular boat race which will cap off the night. Grandstands will open at 5:00 PM while racing begins at 6:30 PM.

The next race for the late models is the Don Graham Firecracker 100 on July 2nd. The 100-lap feature will be followed by a thrilling fireworks show. For more information about all of the upcoming races, please visit the track’s official website, www.racingtheacres.com

O’Neil Scores Second Win Of 2016

By Matthew J. Sullivan

It was Humboldt Motorsports Night at Redwood Acres Raceway this past Saturday night. For the first time in nearly a month, the late model division raced on the 3/8-mile paved oval along with the five other divisions of roadrunners, bombers, mini stocks, Thunder Roadsters and Legends.

Prior to the start of the racing action, Redwood Acres Raceway and its fans paid tribute to Don Graham, a former competitor at the Acres. Besides racing at RAR, Graham also made starts in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series and K&N West Series and was a familiar face on the west coast open competition scene throughout the 80s and 90s.

Bethany Rapp set fast time for the California State & Federal Employees Credit Union roadrunners with a 20.688 qualification. Patrick Sproul won the four-lap trophy dash while Dylan Ford took the honors in the first heat race. The second heat featured an incident that included Rapp, Richard Stancliff and Sproul in turn four. The volunteer fire and safety crew were on the scene immediately to tend to Stancliff who had to be cut from his car. Although Stancliff was sent to the hospital for precautionary measures but thankfully he was not seriously injured. Stancliff suffered a concussion from the wreck. Tyler Peach took the second heat race win.

Bob Ratzlaff took the lead at the start of the 20-lap main and led the first three laps before Ford took over on lap four. Ford was forced to surrender the lead and fall to the tail of the field after breaking the 21-second rule. This handed the lead to Peach. The story of the race was Ford’s run back through the field while Peach enjoyed the race lead all by himself. Ford got to second place on lap 17 but did not have enough time to mount a serious charge on Peach. At the finish it was Peach winning a few car lengths ahead of Ford. Jordon Paiment placed third followed by Sproul and Ratzlaff.

Fast time for the Fortuna Wheel & Brake bomber cars was set by Matt Simon at 18.272. As he has all season, Tyler Avelar was dominant on the night claiming victories in the dash and heat races. The 25-lap main proved to feature stiffer competition for Avelar in the form of James Moore. After taking the lead on lap two from John Lally, Moore did all he could to hold Avelar off. On lap eight, Avelar powered by Moore for the race lead. Moore did all he could to regain his lead and was able to close in on Avelar in the final few laps but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. It was Avelar winning over Moore, Simon, Lally and Ryan Ahrens.

Eugene Palmer was the fastest competitor in the Humboldt Hydroponics mini stock division qualifying. Palmer’s time was a 19.135. Gary Klinetobe took the trophy dash win while Brian Murrell, Sr. and Jarrett Mayo were the heat race winners. Sam Brown led the opening four laps of the 25-lap mini stock main before giving way to Brian Murrell, Jr. It wasn’t long before Murrell, Jr. had his hands full with Mayo who was able to get by for the lead on lap 14.
The race looked like it would be Mayo’s to lose as he pulled out to an insurmountable lead over Rick Estes, Palmer and the rest of the field. Sadly for Mayo, his lead would evaporate on a caution due to Troy Lee’s spin in turn four. The resulting restart was exactly what Estes needed as he got the jump at the flag to take the lead. At the finish it was Estes taking the win beating out Mayo, Klinetobe, Palmer and Murrell, Jr.

Quick time for the Thunder Roadster class was set by Ronnie O’Neil with a 17.221. Donnie Brown took the trophy dash while O’Neil was the heat race winner. Aaron Byers led the field to the green in the 30-lap feature and held the top spot for the majority of the race. The best battle for the first half of the event was between O’Neil and Tommy Payne who had a fantastic fight for the second spot. Eventually O’Neil secured the position and was able to challenge Byers for the lead. After a tough fight for the lead, O’Neil was able to maneuver by Byers for the top spot on lap 22. O’Neil was able to break away from the field to take his second straight main event victory. Brown finished second followed by LeRoy Marsh, Jr., Byers and Payne.

An 18.446 by Robert Miller was the fast time in qualifying for the Legends. Miller was the trophy dash winner while Brent Mack won the heat race. Mack led lap one of the main before Miller took the lead on the back stretch on lap two. The race was cut short due to time constraints after Mack and M’Kinzy Uselton made contact in turn three. Miller was declared the winner after 12 laps over Anissa Curtice, Mack and Uselton.

15 Mid-City Motor World late models qualified Saturday with Mic Moulton setting fast time with a 15.876. Luke Hall won the trophy dash while the heat race winners were Ken Hallis and Richard Knight. Mike Sackett was a scratch for the 50-lap main event. Kenny Demello took the lead and led the opening four laps before Ryun Leazer took the lead briefly. Leazer’s car suffered issues just after his move to the top position which allowed Luke Hall to move up front.

The biggest incident of the race occurred on lap 15 with several cars suffering significant damage. Among those who were out were Dustin Walters, Eddie Klein, Jedd Ambrosini and Shayne Demello. Luke Hall’s car failed to restart under the yellow and he was pushed to the pits for the night. This allowed Moulton to move to the lead, a position he would not relinquish. The race was clean and green from that point on with Moulton pulling out to a somewhat comfortable lead over Marty Walsh. At the finish it was Moulton winning by nearly two seconds over Walsh. Richard Knight, Tim Crenshaw and Kenny Demello rounded out the top five finishers.

Racing returns to Redwood Acres Raceway for Fair Night Saturday June 25th for a special Night Of Destruction. The late models will have the night off but the other five classes will be in action. Feature events include a pole race for the roadrunners and the popular boat race which will cap off the night. Grandstands will open at 5:00 PM while racing begins at 6:30.

The next race for the late models is the Don Graham Firecracker 100 on July 2nd. The 100-lap feature will be followed by a thrilling fireworks show. Also, do not miss out on the second outlaw kart race of 2016 this weekend Saturday June 11th. For more information about all of the upcoming races, please visit the track’s official website, www.racingtheacres.com

Championships still up in the air at the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The battle for the track championships in Redwood Acres Raceway’s six divisions is still up in the air. With the season nearly a quarter of the way done there are a lot of things that can change between this weekend’s upcoming race on June 11th and the final point races in September.

Redwood Acres Raceway’s newest division, the Legends are picking up cars as the season progresses. Current point leader, Brent Mack has managed to be the only driver to be able to start each of the four feature events this season and holds a commanding 28 point lead. Former Thunder Roadster racer, Robert Miller has used his experience to move into second. Brad Curtice is a point behind Miller in third while his daughter, Anissa Curtice is fourth only three markers behind. Denny Hadler, Jr. finished second in the most recent main event on May 29th and rounds out the top five in the standings.

Experience is paying off for Steve Paiment who leads the standings for the California State & Federal Employees Credit Union roadrunner division. Tyler Peach holds down second in the point standings and is 14 points behind Paiment. Bethany Rapp lies third and is an additional 13 points behind second place, Peach. Fourth position features a tie between Jennifer Murrell and Patrick Sproul.

Only two points separate first and second in the Fortuna Wheel & Brake bomber division. Tyler Avelar has been a force in the division in 2016 and leads the standings but James Moore is right on his heels in second. Ryan Ahrens is third but 39 points behind Avelar. John Lally is fourth in the standings, seven points behind Ahrens while Kim Sorrels is fifth.

With two main event victories in 2016, Jarrett Mayo leads the chase for the championship in the Humboldt Hydroponics mini stock class. Mayo’s advantage is 10 points over second place, Gary Klinetobe. Eugene Palmer is third and 11 points behind Mayo while Daniel Buell is farther back in fourth, 22 points behind Mayo. Brian Murrell, Sr. is fifth in points and 35 markers behind the leaders.

Another Acres veteran who has put his experience to good use in 2016 is Tommy Payne. The former Thunder Roadster champion is looking to add another to his resume and leads second place Ronnie O’Neil by nine points. Aaron Byers is third in the standings and still within sight of Payne as he’s 12 points behind. Fourth is Donnie Brown who is a single point behind third. LeRoy Marsh, Jr. rounds out the top five, 28 points behind Payne.

The Mid City Motor World late models have been off for nearly a month and it should be interesting this Saturday to see how the break has affected the drivers and teams in the division. Only fifteen points separate first to fifth in the standings with Mic Moulton leading second place, Marty Walsh by two points. Racing legend, Jim Walker is third and four points behind Moulton. Jedd Ambrosini is fourth while Kenny Demello rounds out the top five.

Racing at Redwood Acres Raceway returns this Saturday June 11th for Humboldt Motorsports Night at the Races. As noted, the Mid-City Motor World late models will return to the track to join the other five local classes of cars. Grandstands will open at 5:00 PM while racing begins at 6:30 PM. For more information on everything going on at Redwood Acres Raceway, please visit the track’s official website www.racingtheacres.com

Knight returns to Acres winner’s circle

By Matthew J. Sullivan

It was O’Reilly Auto Parts Night at the Races this past Sunday afternoon at Redwood Acres Raceway. Sunshine graced the 3/8-mile paved oval for what proved to be another intense night of action. While the local late model division had the night off, the five other regular classes of cars were joined by the North State Modified Series cars.

The Legends were joined by a few out-of-town drivers this week. Brian Kamisky set fast time with a 18.098 qualifying lap. Kamisky followed his quick time with a win in the trophy dash while Robert Miller took the heat race victory. Brent Mack led the opening three laps before Miller took the lead. Kamisky moved by Hadler to second on lap 20 and looked as though he was ready to give Miller a serious challenge for the race lead. Unfortunately, Kamisky got loose and spun in turns three and four. Miller was able to hold off Hadler’s final charge to claim his first Legend feature win. Kamisky took third over Mack and Brad Curtice.

Quick time in the California State & Federal Employee Credit Union roadrunner class was a 20.839 by Steve Paiment. Tyler Peach took the victory in the trophy dash. The heat race winners were Shawn Molloy and Paiment. The 20-lap feature proved to be a rough race from the drop of the green flag. Several cars got together right at the flag with Molloy getting the worst of it. He was out of action for the rest of the race. Because of the numerous caution flags, the event was cut down to 16 laps. The finish came down to a battle between Richard Stancliff, Bob Ratzlaff, Dominic Vogelsang and Paiment. Vogelsang led the white flag lap but Paiment was able to get by and win the race to the checkered flag. Ratzlaff beat Vogelsang for second followed by Standcliff and Bethany Rapp.

James Moore was the quick qualifier for the Fortuna Wheel & Brake bombers with a lap of 18.333. Visiting driver, Erick Ray took the wins in both the trophy dash and heat races. The 25-lap main event featured a fantastic duel between Ray and Tyler Avelar. The two traded the lead back and forth through the first 14 laps before Avelar was able to take the lead for good. Nobody had anything for Avelar on the night and at the finish it was Avelar taking the win followed by Ray, Moore and John Lally.

Qualifying for the Humboldt Hydroponics mini stocks was led by Gary Klinetobe who set the fast lap of 18.843. Rick Estes won the four-lap trophy dash. Heat race one was taken by Brian Murrell, Jr. while Estes took the win in heat two. Brett Murrell led the opening four laps of the 25-lap main before giving way to Jarrett Mayo who. Estes looked to be the man to beat as he got to the lead on lap seven. Estes and Palmer staged a thrilling duel for the race. On the final lap, both drivers tangled with Estes spinning into the infield dirt. Although Palmer crossed the line first, he was penalized for his involvement in the incident. This gave Mayo the win, his second of the year. Rookie, Daniel Buell took second over Brian Murrell, Sr. in third. Estes was scored fourth while Palmer placed fifth.

Robbie Nelson set the place in qualifying for the Thunder Roadsters with a 17.221 lap. Aaron Byers took the trophy dash victory while Ronnie O’Neil won the heat race. After winning the main event in the previous race, Byers suffered issues in the first lap as he hit the turn one wall hard. Fortunately he was okay. Donnie Brown led lap one by it proved to be O’Neil’s night as he took the lead on lap two and never looked back. Tommy Payne was O’Neil’s closest challenger but the veteran driver lost ground as he battled Nelson the majority of the race. At the finish it was O’Neil winning his first ever Thunder Roadster main event. Payne took second over LeRoy Marsh, Jr., Nelson and Brown.

The North State Modified Series visited Redwood Acres Raceway for the first of two times in 2016. 15 modifieds showed up but 13 qualified as Charlie Collins and Michael Mitchell both suffered issues that ended their day prematurely. Darrin Knight set fast time with a 16.184 lap. The $100 Lucas Oil Dash For Cash prize was won by Jay Lindstroth while Richie Potts took the $50 that came for second place.

Guy Young took the lead from the start of the Swartz Diesel Nor-Cal 60. Young pulled out to a tremendous lead while the faster qualifiers of Knight and Lindstroth maneuvered their way to the front. By lap 24, Knight was in the lead. On lap 28, Lindstroth moved to second. There were only two caution flags in the race, one of which involved David Lyndall in turn three on lap 43. Lindstroth was able to hang on to Knight’s bumper on the restarts but Knight’s car prevailed as the laps went on. At the finish, it was Knight winning by a little over a second over Lindstroth. Bryan Denton started dead last and was able to finish third while Young and Mike Collins rounded out the top five finishers.

Racing at Redwood Acres Raceway returns on Saturday June 25th for a special fair night event. It’s will be a Night of Destruction at the Acres featuring the first ever pole race for the roadrunners. Also featured will be the popular boat races. The Mid-City Motor World late models will have the night off but the other four local divisions will be in action. As always, the grandstands will open at 5:00 PM while racing begins at 6:30 PM. For more information on everything going on at Redwood Acres Raceway, please visit the track’s official website www.racingtheacres.com

R.I.P. Don Graham

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Former Redwood Acres Raceway driver, Don Graham passed away over the weekend at the age of 72. Graham was a regular at the Acres during its dirt track days in the 70s. In 1988, Graham raced on the pavement in the super stock division.

Graham’s racing exploits included starting three NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup) events. His best finishes came at Riverside International Raceway in 1978 and 1979 where he finished 22nd. Graham also made 55 starts in NASCAR’s Winston West Series scoring two poles, three top five finishes and 20 top 10s. He finished 10th in the standings in 1977 and eighth in the standings in 1978.

Graham’s career as a driver continued through the 80s and 90s, mostly in open competition events up and down the west coast. In 1994, Graham won the prestigious Rose Classic race at All-American Speedway. His career began to wind down as the decade progressed with 2000 being his final year of racing. He ran twice in 2000 in the Tri-State Series with a best finish of 13th at the Acres. Graham also made two starts in the Shell Tri-Track Series scoring a second place finish at Altamont Motorsports Park.

Don’s son, Eric also made a name for himself in racing. Eric raced in the street stock class at Redwood Acres in 1988 and 1989. Later on Graham made numerous starts in the North State Challenge Series and the Airport Auto Brokers Late Model Series. Eric was the 2001 series champion in the NSCS.

Don Graham will be remembered as one of the top drivers of the region as well as one of its toughest competitors. Race fans across Northern California join his family and friends in mourning.