Driver attempting land speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats dies after losing control of vehicle

A driver going 283 mph trying to set a land speed record during a racing event at Utah’s famed Bonneville Salt Flats died Sunday after he lost control of his rocket-like vehicle called the Speed Demon.

Driver Chris Raschke lost control about two and a half miles into a run and was treated by medical professionals at the scene, but died from his injuries, according to the Southern California Timing Association, which has organized the popular land-speed racing event known as “Speed Week” since the late 1940s.

For decades, the flat, glasslike white surface has drawn drivers from all over seeking to set new land speed world records and motorcycle and car fans to watch. A remnant of a prehistoric lakebed, the salt flats that are about 100 miles west of Salt Lake City have also been a backdrop for movies like “Independence Day” and “The World’s Fastest Indian.”

The last racing death Sullivan recalled at the flats came in 2016 when Sam Wheeler, a renowned land speed motorcycle racer, crashed at 200 mph when the high-performance bike he was testing fish-tailed and went airborne.

The Bonneville Salt Flats, which had its first race in 1914, have about 7 miles for racing and an aquifer underneath that cools the tires of the cars. It’s unlike other race venues in that it doesn’t have stands. Spectators must stand two-tenths of a mile away from the cars.

For decades, people have used the flat, glasslike surface at Bonneville Salt Flats, 100 miles west of Salt Lake City, to set speed records, sometimes topping 400 mph. Speed Week has long been a draw for motorcycle and car fans.

Raschke, 60, was the driver of a streamliner — a long, narrow, aerodynamic car made to run at high speeds — known as the Speed Demon. He had worked in motor sports for more than four decades.



(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)