Bonneville Salt Flats athlete dies during an attempt to set records in the fastest piston car in the world

A 60-year-old veteran of the Earth’s record records was killed while trying to hold a speed record during the Bonneville Speed Week event at The Bonneville Salt Flats on Sunday, August 3, 2025, according to the Southern California Association.

An official press release from the organizers, published on Facebook, states that Chris Rashke is trying to record speed when he loses control of his vehicle for a speed of about two and a half miles on the move. Rashke was treated by medical specialists at the accident, but eventually succumbed to his injuries. Event officials say the cause of the incident remains in an investigation. Reporting from Hot stick It shows that the vehicle that Raschke has been driving has started into the air before the crash.

Raschke was behind the wheel of Speed Demon, created a purposeful vehicle for a high -speed ground, which has dominated the stage in recent years, making more SCTA class records and FIA international records than any other vehicle in sports history. The first speed demon was built in 2010 and was driven by the Kenny Duttweiler Hellfire V-8 engine, reaching 426 miles / h in 2011 and 439 miles / h in 2012. The second gear demon’s ate rated in 2020 when the 3155 k rocket. Bonneville’s speed week. Originally conceived by George Potott, the speed demon was struggling to be the first vehicle operated by the piston, which struck the brand of 500 miles / h, and Rashke was nominated for a pilot after Poteet’s death in 2024.

“At that time, we ask everyone to bear to respect the family, friends of Chris and the Speed Demon team. We are deeply devastated,” a team said in a statement by the Speed Demon 715 team.

Ventura, California, Motorsports was a fundamental part of Raschke’s life. He spent 13 years working with the Speed Demon team, 29 years as director of sales and marketing in the manufacturer of ARP engine parts, and was the first official employee of Ventura Raceway. The news of his death spread quickly to the Motorsports world on Monday morning, with colleagues and friends remembering Raschke as a pole of the community of speed and after -sales.

“Chris Rashke was delightful in all the best and true senses of the word. He was a pillar of the industry, he was a qualified operator of one of the fastest cars driven by wheels in history, and I, as many of us, was completely consumed with cars and the universe around them. Lones, a leading television operator for FOX’s NHRA, writes in a memorable Facebook post. “There are some people who gain fame in every industry, being the strongest and most large people in the room. Chris was not this person. His actions, the pursuit of his passions, and the fact that anyone who knew that one knew he brings love for all things with round wheels and strong engines, cemented his place as a true leader.”

The competitions were stopped around 4:00 pm Pacific times yesterday after the crash. A Facebook publication by the Southern California Time Association shows that Bonneville’s speed will be resumed today, August 4. This is a developing story and we will be sure that we will update it as we learn more, but we are expanding our most recent condolences to the Raschke family and his colleagues in Speed Demon and ARP.

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