According to Motorsport.com, Klaus Rader, the 63-year-old co-founder of the L'Osteria restaurant chain and passionate race driver, has died following an accident at the 550 Challenge Mallorca.
Driving a Porsche GT3 RS, Rader was competing in the competition class for modern and historic race cars when his machine left the road on a mountain pass between Pollença and Lluc, plunging into a ravine in the Serra de Tramuntana.
Rader died at the scene. His Austrian co-driver, Christina Ettel, suffered severe spinal cord injuries, requiring firefighters and rescue teams to descend into the difficult terrain to recover the occupants.
Following the tragedy on the Pollença-Lluc stage, event organizers immediately canceled the remainder of the rally and all associated activities. The 550 Challenge Mallorca spans three days with 14 timed stages covering more than 550 kilometers on fully closed roads.
The exact cause of the crash remains unclear, and Spanish authorities are currently investigating the incident. A business partner confirmed the accident over the phone to Germany's Bild newspaper, and L'Osteria later announced Rader's passing in an official statement expressing deep shock and sadness.
Rader co-founded L'Osteria in 1999 alongside Friedemann Findeis, building it into an international enterprise before selling their majority stake to a US investment firm in 2023. He is survived by his wife Viktoria and their four children.
