Race organisers at Utah’s famed Bonneville Salt Flats have confirmed that a veteran driver died in a 283mph (455km/h) crash while trying to break the land speed record.
Driver Chris Raschke lost control of his rocket-shaped vehicle about two miles into the run, according to a statement from the Southern California Timing Association, which runs Speed Week – an event that has been running since the 1940s.
Tributes are pouring in for Raschke, who took home the fastest time of the week at last year’s event with a speed of 459mph, according to Hot Rod magazine.
He was treated for his injuries but died at the scene, organisers say. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Race director Keith Pedersen said that his death on Sunday was a blow to the entire racing community.
“It’s much more of a camaraderie and community, and that builds a lot of friendships and trust,” Pedersen said. “He’s a big part of it, and he will be sorely missed.”
Raschke was driving Speed Demon III, the latest iteration of the team’s vehicle.
The Speed Demon team said in a statement that it was “deeply devastated” by his death.
Steve Watt, Speed Demon’s crew chief, told BBC News that Raschke died while performing a test, known as a “shakedown”, and that the car wasn’t “even at half speed”.
“It was supposed to be a simple easy run,” he said on Tuesday.
“We don’t know what happened,” he said, adding that there was no known mechanical failure.
Race announcer Brian Lohnes paid tribute in Hot Rod magazine, writing that Raschke was “a pillar of an industry, he was a skilled operator of one of the fastest wheel driven cars in history”.
“And he was, like so many of us, fully consumed with cars and the universe around them”.
The glassy surface of the Bonneville Salt Flats has attracted drivers from all over the world, and has featured in films such as Independence Day and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
The prehistoric lakebed is located about 100 miles west of Salt Lake City, and saw its first motorised race in 1914.
The current land speed record for wheeled vehicles stands at 763mph, set by Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green in 1997 in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
On Facebook, New Zealand’s Kiwi Coupe team were among the competitors paying their respects.
“Our thoughts are with Chris’s family and also the whole, hurting Bonneville family…because everyone who ventures onto the salt to go fast, are family,” wrote one team member.
Another praised him for how he helped them resolve engine troubles, with another poster writing: “Chris will be setting records in heaven”.