Cody Walker Reveals Why The Final Fast & Furious Movie Will Feel More Like The Original
With the announcement of the final Fast and Furious movie earlier this year, the excitement around the franchise has been palpable. Fast Forever is set to close a quarter-mile-long, ahem, quarter-century-long adventure, but until the movie’s 2028 release date, the best way to experience the Fast and Furious world is at FuelFest. While you may have gone to some stateside shows, there are no FuelFest meets quite like FuelFest Japan. Held at the iconic Fuji Speedway racetrack, this is where you’ll see some of Japan’s best JDMs in action. Between looking at all of the insanely accurate movie car replicas and watching them drag race on track, the day goes by quickly, but I was able to catch up with Cody Walker, FuelFest co-founder and Reach Out WorldWide (ROWW) CEO, to talk about his favorite JDMs, and to ask him about the meaning of FuelFest, beyond the Fast and Furious symbolism. We wrapped up our chat with a quickfire round of questions, so make sure to check those out at the end!
On Bringing FuelFest to Japan
Claire-Kaoru Sakai: This is now the fifth FuelFest here in Japan. What has made you want to host FuelFest in Japan, and what have been some of the challenges?
Cody Walker: As an American who likes tuning culture, [Japan] is Mecca! This is the place to be. I knew I wanted to do a FuelFest here in Japan. There’s the language barrier, the cultural barrier, but the bottom line is, we share a passion, we share our love for cars. […] I came to Japan in 2018, and we held “Drive4Paul” for ROWW and actually, this Supra behind me with the ROWW stickers was there. Every time I come to Japan, all my car friends back home are most interested about the Japan show. In the US there is such an allure to Japan as far as car culture is concerned, so I always knew I wanted to do a show here.
CKS: What car at FuelFest Japan has caught your attention today?
CW: Over at Drift (the drift section of FuelFest), there was this really cool Nissan Laurel, that was widebodied and that had a big old V8 in it. It looked awesome. So awesome that I had to get out of the car to take pictures of it! I don’t get to see so many of the cars throughout the day, because I want to engage with the fans that come here from all over the place and give them as much time as I possibly can. It’s what it’s about!
On The Upcoming Fast Forever Movie
CKS: I cannot not ask about the upcoming Fast Forever movie. It’s very much under wraps but is there anything you can share about what fans should look forward to?
CW: All that I can say is what Vin said on the FuelFest stage in LA, in 2025. He wants it to be more grounded, about the street racing, and he wants to bring back a lot of the filming to the streets of Los Angeles. They are actively working on the story and the script right now, they are working super hard at it and Vin is pouring everything he has at it because he really doesn’t want to let everyone down. It’s really important to him as it is coming to its final conclusion. He knows there’s a lot of anticipation, so he is working with the studio to make it the best that it can be.
CKS: I think it’s what everyone wants to hear: “more street racing.”
CW: Yeah! Bring it back to what made it what it was, an overnight success, because it was grounded in reality and people could actually see themselves as one of these characters. We have so many superhero movies now and it kind of went in that direction, but it’s not lost on them. They’re very well aware of it; it’s just a big machine and everyone has to come to an agreement. Vin has a lot of influence, a lot of influence, but it’s still not just one person. It’s a big undertaking! And that is all that I can say.
Bring [the franchise] back to what made it what it was […] because it was grounded in reality and people could actually see themselves as one of these characters.
On Reach Out WorldWide, The Organization Behind FuelFest
CKS: Because of the magnitude of FuelFest, it’s easy to forget that behind this, there is Reach Out WorldWide, with some of the FuelFest proceeds going to the organization founded by your brother. What are you most proud of?
CW: Thank you for asking me this question, because it gets lost. A lot of people don’t understand what the catalyst for FuelFest even was. When Paul passed away in 2013, ROWW had only existed for about three years. He started it in January 2010, he just funded it on its own and kept it mostly private. He just had volunteers, firefighters and friends; people in his network that he knew. He would send them on [volunteer] missions and he would go. So when he passed away, there went the heart and soul of the whole organization. Paul was only 40, he didn’t expect to go and none of us expected to lose him. And unfortunately, things were not put into place for it to continue to function without his involvement. People don’t know that, but I was a paramedic up in the State of Oregon when he passed away. I just saw ROWW as a piece of him —we all do, my whole family does. It’s like a part of his legacy that he left behind, and I didn’t want to see it go away because it felt like that last piece of him that is still around. I wanted to create something that could give back because […] I can’t fund it on my own, so I wanted to create something that I feel like he would have enjoyed but that I also enjoy, because I love this [car] culture. And FuelFest was born. On my actual birthday, June 13th, we had FuelFest LA and we surpassed $1,000,000 raised for ROWW. It was very special and we couldn’t have timed that in a better way, for it to just happen to be in LA, where it started.
CKS: Congratulations!
CW: I’m proud of the whole thing, I’m so proud of [Paul] for creating it. I’m so grateful that he did because, again, that’s a little part of him that is still here and it is an honour to be able to do it.
Reach Out WorldWide […] felt like that last piece of [Paul] that is still around. […] I wanted to create something that I feel like he would have enjoyed but that I also enjoy, because I love this [car] culture. And FuelFest was born.
On His Brother, Paul Walker
CKS: Your brother Paul, I feel like his name is almost synonymous to the R34 Skyline GT-R…
CW: Honestly, yeah, the GT-R and the Mark4 Supra!
CKS: But aside from the car world, what do you wish people knew more about your brother?
CW: I guess it’s all the parts of Paul the world didn’t get to see. Paul is just very normal, very normal. And actually, I think a lot of people know that. When you think about people that you like to be around —at least I know the people I like to be around are the people who are fun and who include everybody else. They make everyone else feel special, wanted and part of the group, and Paul was so gifted at that. You would meet the guy for the first time and you felt like you’ve known him for years. He was such a warm soul and he lit up the room, but he was so humble and so modest in his lifestyle. He had some very amazing cars, don’t get me wrong, but they were largely kept away. Some of them were his track toys, but the majority of the time the guy is driving around a Toyota Tundra, or Tacoma. He loved his Toyota pickups. He wasn’t seeking attention or validation. He loved to serve, he loved people and he wanted to make a difference.
CKS: If Paul could see what FuelFest has become, what do you think he’d say to you?
CW: I know he is proud, very proud. He never realized the impact that he made. He didn’t realize that he impacted so many people around the world, so he would be blown away by the people who come to the events. He would be super touched by that. He would be super proud of the event and all of the work that everybody is doing to make it possible. I’m just one person, I became the face of it because I’m his brother, but I am [just a small part] of that.
Rapid Fire Questions
CKS: R34 Skyline GT-R or Mark4 Supra?
CW: I’m a GT-R guy!
CKS: Favorite Fast and Furious movie?
CW: The original.
CKS: Modified or stock?
CW: Modified. You can’t keep it stock! You might think you want to but it never works out that way.
CKS: JDM or American muscle?
CW: JDM!
CKS: Favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
CW: Playing with my kids.
CKS: If you had one day to drive in Japan, where would you go?
CW: I had the opportunity to go to Hakone last year which was super fun, but I’d like to go down South, and I’d love to go to Okinawa too!
This article is dedicated to my late husband, Ayesh Seneviratne, a passionate automotive photographer, and to everyone who keeps the memory of their loved ones alive by carrying forward the passions that they shared.
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