L'Osteria founder Klaus Rader killed in Mallorca car crash

Aged 63, Klaus Rader, co-founder of the Italian restaurant chain L'Osteria, has died in Mallorca: during a racing event, his Porsche 911 GT3 RS left the road between the towns of Pollença and Lluc and fell into a mountain gorge. The news was reported by sports media and by the company itself.

Rader was at the wheel and, according to available information, died at the scene. His companion, Austrian Christina Ettel, suffered severe injuries to the spine and spinal cord. Rescuers were hampered by the difficult terrain, the cause of the crash is unknown, and the Spanish authorities have opened an investigation.

The businessman was not a competitor. He was driving car number 000, whose job is to run the route and check its condition ahead of the speed stages. The 550 Challenge Mallorca race takes place on closed roads over three days, with drivers covering about 550 kilometres. After the tragedy, the current stage was ended early.

The entrepreneur’s death was confirmed by phone to the German newspaper Bild by his business partner. L'Osteria issued an official statement: Rader’s sudden death “is deeply shocking and leaves us speechless,” and the company’s thoughts are with his family.

Rader opened the first L'Osteria restaurant together with his partner Friedemann Findeis in Nuremberg in 1999. From a single venue grew one of Europe’s most successful Italian-cuisine chains. In 2023, the co-owners sold a controlling stake to an American investment company. Today L'Osteria restaurants operate in several European countries, including Czechia.

Read also: 9 Michelin-listed restaurants in Czechia: where to find fine dining from Prague to Moravia

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz