A driver going 283mph to set a land speed record at a racing event on the Bonneville Salt Flats died. Chris Raschke was driving the rocket-like vehicle, Speed Demon, before losing control of the vehicle around two and a half miles into a run. He was treated by medical professionals at the scene but died from his injuries, the races organisers have revealed.
The Southern California Timing Association has organised the popular land-speed racing event, Speed Weekl, at the Bonneville Salt Flats since the 1940s. For decades, it has attracted drivers and motorbike riders hoping to set a world record.
“Motor sports is inherently a dangerous sport,” car builder and racer who set a land speed record in his 1927 Model T, Dennis Sullivan who also serves as 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.”
Motorsports also have some of the strictest safety requirements, he said, including stronger roll bars, special tires, and more fire extinguishers to keep drivers safe. The last death, Sullivan says, was in 2016 when Sam Wheeler, a land speed motorcycle racer, crashed at 200mph.
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