Porsche driver kills friend in deadly ‘Bohemian Run’

An Oakland man was killed Sunday afternoon when two Porsches collided in Pope Valley in north Napa County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The victim, identified as Jordan Hilsenbeck, 50, was driving a 1969 Porsche south on two-lane Pope Valley Road near Pope Valley Cross Road while John David Ravitch, 53, also of Oakland, drove a 1989 Porsche at a high rate of speed directly behind Hilsenbeck around 3:25 p.m., CHP officials said.

As Hilsenbeck tried to make a left turn onto eastbound Pope Valley Cross Road, Ravitch tried to pass him by driving over the double yellow lines into the northbound lane, according to the CHP.

Hilsenbeck braked forcefully but was unable to avoid a collision with Ravitch’s Porsche, which struck the left side of Hilsenbeck’s car, CHP officials said.

Both Porsches became lodged into a tree at the southeast corner of the intersection and Hilsenbeck died at the scene, according to the CHP.

Ravitch and his passenger, a 51-year-old Oakland woman, suffered minor injuries and were treated at St. Helena Hospital and then released, CHP officials said.

Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch confirmed this morning that John, her brother, was involved in the collision:

“Our hearts and our prayers are with the Hilsenbeck family.”

John Ravitch and Hilsenbeck are friends, according to John Ravitch’s Facebook page.

Napa County sheriff’s Capt. Steve Blower said the two men were participating with 35 to 40 other vehicles in the 2015 Bohemian Run car tour from Petaluma to Calistoga at the time of the collision.

Alcohol or drug impairment was not a factor in the collision, according to the CHP.

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