{"id":426522,"date":"2026-08-07T15:36:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T15:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/426522\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T15:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T15:36:10","slug":"police-and-fire-chiefs-smash-rvs-at-oc-fair-to-raise-money-for-childrens-hospital-orange-county-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/426522\/","title":{"rendered":"Police and fire chiefs smash RVs at OC Fair to raise money for children\u2019s hospital \u2013 Orange County Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

Burnt rubber and a haze of dirt filled the Action Sports Arena in Costa Mesa as six customized motorhomes collided. Behind the wheels were police and fire chiefs from across Orange County, strapped in to raise money for the local children\u2019s hospital.<\/p>\n

The promoter, Sunnyside Promotions Racing, has staged motorsports at the OC Fair<\/a> for 25 years. Its Motorhome Derby began with civilian drivers in 2009 before the company collaborated with Southside Towing owner Dave Padua in 2014 to build RVs and invite local police and fire chiefs to smash into each other for bragging rights.<\/p>\n

\"Newport<\/p>\n

Newport Beach Fire Chief Jeff Boyles, who won the event for the second year in a row, tries to take out his competitors as he drives in the annual Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Five<\/p>\n

Five fire and police chiefs from around Orange County try to smash into their competitors and be the last motorhome still running during the annual Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby, benefiting Rady\u2019s Children Hospital \/ CHOC, in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Newport<\/p>\n

Newport Beach Fire Chief Jeff Boyles, who won the event for the second year in a row, leans against the hood of his motorhome before driving in the annual Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Orange<\/p>\n

Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes stands in front of his painted motorhome before participating in the annual Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Brea<\/p>\n

Brea Fire Chief Dan Mielke stands in front of his motorhome before driving in the Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Costa<\/p>\n

Costa Mesa Police Chief Joyce LaPoint stands in front of her motorhome before driving in the Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Orange<\/p>\n

Orange Fire Chief Alan Velasco stands in front of his motorhome before participating in the annual Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A fire crew puts out an engine blaze before the action can resume during the annual Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby, featuring five Orange County police and fire chiefs competing against each other, at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"City<\/p>\n

City council members from around Orange County compete in the first heat of a figure eight race in the dirt of the Action Sports Arena during the demolition derby at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Pieces<\/p>\n

Pieces of motorhome are strewn around the dirt of the Action Sports Arena as five Orange County police and fire chiefs compete against each other during the annual Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Firefighters<\/p>\n

Firefighters and police officers from around Orange County compete in the second heat of a figure eight race in the dirt of the Action Sports Arena during the demolition derby at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Five<\/p>\n

Five fire and police chiefs from around Orange County line up their modified and decorated motorhomes as they get ready to compete in the annual Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby, benefiting Rady\u2019s Children Hospital \/ CHOC, in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Five<\/p>\n

Five fire and police chiefs from around Orange County try to smash into their competitors and be the last motorhome still running during the annual Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby, benefiting Rady\u2019s Children Hospital \/ CHOC, in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Firefighters<\/p>\n

Firefighters and police officers from around Orange County help their chiefs make dramatic entrances before the start of the Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby, featuring five fire and police chiefs trying to be the last driver still rolling, in the Action Sport Arena at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Newport<\/p>\n

Newport Beach Fire Chief Jeff Boyles, who won the event for the second year in a row, finds himself in the last motorhome still running during the annual Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"City<\/p>\n

City council members from around Orange County compete in the first heat of a figure eight race in the dirt of the Action Sports Arena during the demolition derby at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"City<\/p>\n

City council members from around Orange County compete in the first heat of a figure eight race in the dirt of the Action Sports Arena during the demolition derby at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Brea<\/p>\n

Brea Fire Chief Dan Mielke drives a modified and decorated motorhome while members of his entourage help him make a grand entrance before the start of the Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Five<\/p>\n

Five fire and police chiefs from around Orange County try to smash into their competitors and be the last motorhome still running during the annual Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby, benefiting Rady\u2019s Children Hospital \/ CHOC, in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Trophies<\/p>\n

Trophies await the winners of the annual Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby, featuring five fire and police chiefs trying to be the last driver still rolling, in the Action Sport Arena at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Newport<\/p>\n

Newport Beach Fire Chief Jeff Boyles, who won the event for the second year in a row, celebrates with runner up, Joyce LaPoint, the Costa Mesa Police Chief, during the annual Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 21<\/p>\n

Newport Beach Fire Chief Jeff Boyles, who won the event for the second year in a row, tries to take out his competitors as he drives in the annual Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Participating on the popular event\u2019s<\/a> first night Wednesday, Aug. 5, were Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes, Cypress Police Chief Mark Lauderback, Costa Mesa Police Chief Joyce LaPointe, Orange Fire Chief Alan Velasco, Brea Fire Chief Dan Mielke and Newport Beach Fire Chief Jeff Boyles.<\/p>\n

For the second year in a row, Boyles helmed the last vehicle still moving. He drove an RV custom-wrapped with a colorful Wahoo\u2019s-themed design, featuring three surfers riding a wave and a pelican wearing sunglasses.<\/p>\n

Departments customize their rigs with elaborate paint jobs, marking their entrance to the crowd with K9 units, helicopters, sirens and other special touches.<\/p>\n

LaPointe, who came in second, said she signed up for the demolition derby because of her long history with CHOC, now Rady Children\u2019s Hospital after a recent merger.<\/p>\n

Early in her career, LaPointe responded to calls at the hospital and was struck by the dedicated medical staff, she said. She and her team later visited pediatric patients and handed out police-themed teddy bears to critically ill children.<\/p>\n

When she learned the derby supported the hospital, she was \u201call fired up,\u201d LaPointe said. She added, \u201cFor me, this is all about raising money for CHOC. It\u2019s all about the families and the medical staff there. I\u2019m just trying to do my part.\u201d<\/p>\n

A mannequin dressed in a firefighter uniform sat on the left side of her van \u2014 LaPointe said her fire chief retired last year, and she wanted him there in spirit.<\/p>\n

Sheriff Don Barnes said this was his third year strapping into an RV for the demolition derby. Barnes customized his motorhome through a partnership with the Orange County School of the Arts, contributing $5,000 and event tickets so students could paint an American-themed eagle design commemorating the country\u2019s 250th anniversary on the vehicle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many variables. Will this start? Will it run? How long will it run? And if all those things line up, I just want to put on a good show for the spectators,\u201d said Barnes.<\/p>\n

The event raised roughly $53,000 so far, with checks still coming in, according to Padua, who helped organize the competition and donated the vehicles alongside Aliso Viejo Towing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re all custom-painted, smashing into each other, backing into each other. And you just see these little kids jumping up and down,\u201d said Padua, who added it was his son, then 6 years old, who gave him the idea.<\/p>\n

\"BreaBrea Fire Chief Dan Mielke drives a modified and decorated motorhome while members of his entourage help him make a grand entrance before the start of the Motorhome Madness Demolition Derby at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)<\/p>\n

From its inception, the competition has been framed as a fundraiser, with early editions supporting the Police 999 Foundation and the National Firefighters Burn Institute before all proceeds were directed to the children\u2019s hospital. The schedule has grown to two Motorhome Derby nights, each preceded by a Figure-8 race starring local police officers, firefighters and city council members.<\/p>\n

San Clemente Councilmember Steve Knoblock\u2019s car Wednesday night, a 1989 Lexus, was a regular on the Newport Beach Police Department\u2019s firing range before it was fixed up and painted for the event \u2014 though the bullet holes stayed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looked like a dog, but we had it painted,\u201d he said. \u201cThey dialed up the\u00a0holes with the paint job to make it look dramatic.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the roof, as a nod to San Clemente holding the LA 2028 Olympic surfing competition at nearby Lower Trestles, the car had a foam board and surfer mannequin on top.<\/p>\n

The only in and out of the vehicle was through the driver\u2019s side window \u2014 a bit unnerving, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m told it\u2019s relatively safe in terms of possibilities for injuries,\u201d Knoblock said. \u201cIt\u2019s a figure eight so you don\u2019t have a lot of open space to crank it up. It\u2019s mostly banging people and pushing them off the track. When you get into the center, that\u2019s when there can be some nasty impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other participants in the race this week included Newport Beach councilmembers Noah Blom, Joe Stapleton and Sara J. Weber, Lake Forest Councilmember Scott Voigts and Laguna Hills Councilmember and Orange County Fire Authority Board Chair Joshua Sweeney.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen someone came to us asking, \u2018Hey, do you want to do a charity event?\u2019 we always say yes,\u201d said Blom. \u201cIf you ask if we want to do a charity event and smash cars together, then the answer is emphatically yes over and over again, especially when it benefits children.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next Motorhome Derby event will be Aug. 12, with Laguna Beach Police Chief Jeff Calvert and Fire Chief Niko King, Fountain Valley Police Chief Craig Heredia, Anaheim Police Chief Manuel \u201cManny\u201d Cid, Fire Chief Pat Russell, and Garden Grove Police Chief Amir El-Farra set to drive.<\/p>\n

But the fair\u2019s motorsports spree doesn\u2019t end with the chiefs. On Aug. 8 is Damsels of Destruction<\/a>, on Aug. 9 and 15 is Orange Crush, a Minivan Crash-Up Derby is set for Aug. 13, followed by a car smash-up that puts police officers behind the wheel of junkyard-bound cruisers on Aug. 16.<\/p>\n

Staff Writer Erika Ritchie contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Burnt rubber and a haze of dirt filled the Action Sports Arena in Costa Mesa as six customized…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":426523,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164,7,179,23,17455,611,136],"class_list":["post-426522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-california","tag-community","tag-local-news","tag-oc-fair","tag-orange-county","tag-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426522\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/426523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}