Tragic 300 Mph Bonneville Crash Claims Life Of Land Speed Racer

Veteran racer Chris Raschke suffered fatal injuries successful a catastrophic crash during nan 2nd time of Bonneville Speed Week connected Sunday day erstwhile nan legendary streamliner Speed Demon III went airborne astatine astir 300 miles per hour. Raschke was making a preliminary walk down Bonneville's Course Number One astir 3 p.m. connected August 3 erstwhile he near nan people adjacent nan 2.5-mile people and crashed. Emergency vehicles responded instantly and Raschke was airlifted disconnected of nan course, but he later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased nan aforesaid day, as confirmed successful an charismatic statement from nan Southern California Timing Association. 

The arena was concluded for nan time pursuing nan crash, and nan SCTA opportunity nan clang is being investigated for cause, though person not released immoderate specifications of nan circumstances starring to nan incident. Speed Week continued connected Monday pursuing a thorough cleaning and inspection of nan course. 

Raschke, 60, was a seasoned onshore velocity grounds driver, having tripped nan beams astatine 446.716 miles per hr during nan 2024 Bonneville Speed Week to triumph nan Hot Rod Magazine Trophy. He'd been a portion of nan Speed Demon squad since 1996, and nan brackish was good and genuinely successful his blood. As Director of Sales and Marketing astatine ARP Inc, a position he's held since 1996, it's clear that Raschke's enthusiasm for basking rodding was all-encompassing.

Speed Demon 715

The Speed Demon squad has been nan task of basking rodder George Poteet since 2016, making dozens of attempts to yet break nan 500-mile per hr barrier. Poteet's Speed Demon II (above) is the world's fastest piston-powered car, moving a one-way velocity of 481 miles per hour. Following George's untimely decease past year, nan Poteet family decided nan car belonged successful a museum. With nan Poteet family's blessing, nan squad was wished to proceed and group astir building a caller Speed Demon for nan 2025 tally pinch Raschke arsenic a tribute to George's bequest connected nan salt. The team's 1 remaining extremity was to triumph nan E centrifugal people record, and that was Chris' purpose for Speed Week this year.   

The basking rod organization has seen an outpouring of tribute and storytelling dedicated to nan precocious racer connected societal media. Bonneville note vivant Brian Lohnes, speaking to Hot Rod Magazine, had this to opportunity astir Mr. Raschke: "Chris Raschke was admirable successful each nan champion and truest senses of nan word. He was a pillar of an industry, he was a skilled usability of 1 of nan fastest instrumentality driven cars successful history, and he was, for illustration truthful galore of us, afloat consumed pinch cars and nan beingness astir them. As I reflected connected his passing yesterday astatine Bonneville, I kept coming backmost to admiration arsenic my overriding emotion astir who he was... His actions, nan pursuit of his passions, and nan truth that everyone who knew nan feline knew that he carried a emotion of each things pinch information wheels and large engines cemented his spot arsenic a existent leader by illustration successful nan aftermarket."

"At this time, we inquire everyone to please respect Chris's family, friends, and nan Speed Demon team. We are profoundly devastated," sounds a station connected nan team's Facebook page.