Nordschleife driver Klaus Rader dies in rally crash on Mallorca

Klaus Rader has died. The founder of the Vapiano and L’Osteria restaurant chains was killed in an accident during the 550 Challenge Mallorca – a rally on the Mediterranean island. Rader veered off the road in his Porsche GT3 RS and plunged into a ravine on a mountain road between Pollença and Lluc.

For 63-year-old Rader, any help came too late, whilst his Austrian co-driver, Christina Ettel, suffered serious spinal cord injuries. Firefighters and rescue workers had to descend into the hard-to-reach terrain in the Serra de Tramuntana to rescue the drivers involved in the accident. The organisers immediately called off the rally.

“The sudden death of Klaus Rader in this accident has shaken us to the core and left us speechless. We are deeply saddened and our thoughts are with his entire family,” reads an official statement from L’Osteria. “We ask that the family’s privacy be respected during this difficult time. Klaus was an extraordinary individual, an inspiring entrepreneur and mentor, and a wonderful person who left his mark on many people at L’Osteria and beyond. We cannot believe that he is no longer with us.”

In recent years, Rader had also regularly competed in Porsche racing cars from Huber Motorsport on the Nürburgring Nordschleife and in the 24H Series.

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