L'Osteria Co-Founder Klaus Rader Dies in Mallorca Rally Crash

What happened

Klaus Rader, a 63-year-old German businessman, died on Friday, October 9, 2026, during the sixth edition of the Rally 550 Challenge Mallorca, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin and the Spanish outlet ara Balears. His Porsche 911 GT3 RS left the Ma-10 mountain road near Mortitx, between the towns of Pollença and Lluc in the Serra de Tramuntana, and fell into a ravine.

German outlet Motorsport-Total reported that Rader was not competing as a regular entrant. He was driving the event's course-check car, numbered 000, which runs the stage ahead of competitors on the closed mountain road. The exact cause of the departure from the road has not been established; ara Balears reported that the Civil Guard's Judicial Police unit in Inca opened an investigation to determine whether the crash resulted from driver error, a vehicle fault, or another cause.

Rader's co-driver, identified by ara Balears and the Majorca Daily Bulletin as Christina Ettel, 39, suffered severe spinal cord injuries. Fire crews from Alcúdia and Inca had to descend into the difficult-to-access ravine to reach the vehicle and extract both occupants, ara Balears reported.

Who was Klaus Rader

In 1999, Rader co-founded the first L'Osteria restaurant in Nuremberg together with Friedemann Findeis, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin and Motorsport-Total, building the brand into an international chain. Motorsport-Total reported that the two founders sold a majority stake in L'Osteria to a US investment company in 2023. ibizaonestop.com also reported that Rader's business career included links to the Vapiano restaurant chain, without giving further financial details or dates.

According to ibizaonestop.com, Rader had recently moved to a property in Alaró, in Mallorca's interior.

Rader was also an active amateur racer. Speedweek and ibizaonestop.com reported that he regularly competed in endurance events at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, driving Porsche cars for Huber Motorsport in the 24H Series. ibizaonestop.com additionally reported that he had finished third in the SP9 Pro-Am class at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 2022.

Reactions and the rally's cancellation

Rally organizers halted the event immediately after the crash. According to Infobae, organizers announced a definitive suspension of all remaining timed stages, ending the competition, and said no result, classification or sporting goal could outweigh what they described as more important considerations.

L'Osteria issued a statement saying Rader's sudden death had deeply affected the company and describing him as an extraordinary personality and an inspiring entrepreneur, according to Motorsport-Total and the Majorca Daily Bulletin.

Reports on the co-driver's nationality differ: the Majorca Daily Bulletin and ara Balears described Christina Ettel as German, while Speedweek and Motorsport-Total reported she was Austrian. Her exact condition following hospital treatment has not been publicly updated by the sources reviewed.

The rally's final stages

Infobae reported that three stages had been run on the rally's opening day and three more were completed on the Friday of the crash before organizers stopped the event; eleven further stages had been scheduled for the Saturday. The VI Rally 550 Challenge de Mallorca was due to run from October 8 to 10, 2026, across roads on the island.