A driver trying to set a land speed record at Utah’s famed Bonneville Salt Flats died Sunday after he lost control of his “Speed Demon” rocket-like vehicle when he reached a staggering 283 mph.
Chris Raschke, 60, crashed his streamliner — a narrow, aerodynamic car designed to reach high speeds — about two-and-a-half miles into a run during the annual “SpeedWeek” event in Tooele County, organizers said.
“Chris was treated by medical professionals at the scene. Unfortunately, Chris passed away from his injuries,” the event’s organizer, Southern California Timing Association, said in a statement.
Chris Raschke died Sunday after he lost control of his “Speed Demon” rocket-like vehicle. Speed Demon 715
Raschke hit speeds of 283 mph before his deadly wreck at the Bonneville Salt Flats. AP“The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.”
It wasn’t immediately clear what speed the veteran driver was aiming for.
The salt flats, a remnant of a prehistoric lakebed roughly 100 miles west of Salt Lake City, have long attracted thrill-seekers trying to set new records – sometimes topping 400 mph.
“Motor sports is inherently a dangerous sport,” Dennis Sullivan, the president of the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association, said.
“People get hurt. People get killed. That’s just the nature of the sport. It doesn’t happen a lot.”
One of the last racing deaths at the flats is believed to have occurred when Sam Wheeler, a renowned land speed motorcycle racer, crashed at 200 mph after his bike fish-tailed and went airborne.
Raschke had worked in motor sports for over four decades, according to the Speed Demon racing team’s site.
He was a respected driver who also worked for a company that makes fasteners for race cars, according to Keith Pedersen, the association’s president and Speed Week race director.
“He is one of the big ones. He had done all sorts of racing,” Pedersen said.
With Post wires
