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James “Jim” Goff, the down-home restaurateur whose namesake diner has been a staple in Pleasanton for three decades, was one of two bystanders killed by a vehicle during the famed Baja 1000 off-road racing event in Mexico last week.
Goff’s son Dustin, who took over Jim’s Country Style Restaurant from his father several years ago, confirmed the news “with heavy, broken hearts” to the Pleasanton Weekly on Sunday.
“The Goff family is overwhelmed with grief but are comforted by the love and support of family, friends and the community that Jim loved so dearly,” Dustin Goff told the Weekly. “Because this is an extremely difficult time for the Goff family, we ask for privacy and prayers.”
Founded by Goff in 1994, Jim’s Country Style Restaurant built a reputation as a popular destination for American-style breakfast and lunch. Located on a prominent corner in the Oak Hill Shopping Center along Sunol Boulevard, the diner celebrated its 30th anniversary this year and was a frequent winner in the Weekly’s Readers’ Choice contest over the years, including earning Hall of Fame status for Best Breakfast.
Remembrances began to pour in this week as news of Goff’s death began to spread in the Tri-Valley.
“My heart aches for his family. He was such a good man, and a great kid, as we have been friends since we went to Kindergarten together in Castro Valley. My deepest condolences to his family,” Janeen Rubino-Brumm wrote on the Weekly’s Facebook page.
“Jim’s has meant so much to so many people and for so many reasons. My thoughts and prayers are with their family, in every sense of the word,” Michelle Newbould also said in a comment on Facebook.
Several San Diego-area and racing industry media outlets reported on the fatal collision, which is now making international headlines in part after video of what transpired on Nov. 14 started to spread on social media, but those initial articles misidentified Goff’s name.
The video shows an orange trophy truck in a slow-speed procession losing control after the driver revved its engine multiple times, propelling into bystanders on the spectator-lined roadway in Ensenada in Baja California, Mexico. CBS 8 in San Diego reported that the crash occurred in a mechanical inspection area of the Baja 1000 off-road race.
CBS 8 reported that four people were hit by the truck, and two of them were later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital – with the TV station and other media reporting the victims’ names as Fred Goff James and Esteban Velázquez. The Goff family confirmed to the Weekly that it was in fact Livermore’s James Fred Goff who died that day.
Juan Tintos, general manager of race organizer SCORE International, told The Drive that “The incident was due to the imprudence of a member of a competing team, which is why the vehicle was confiscated and the person responsible was arrested.” He described the truck as the No. 79 Jimco Trophy Truck out of Kansas City, Mo., and owned by Buehler Motorsports.
Tintos and other SCORE International representatives did not respond to the Weekly’s request for comment.
My condolences to the family. I loved going when they opened up because they made everyone feel like family, and they still do.