Crusty demonstrates the Hartl Bend.
Paul Hartl, Canadian rally driver, came out of nowhere to take Class 11 racing by storm. Sidelined in 2010 with a blown engine, he forged a relationship with Desert Dingo Racing in 2011 and was key to our second place finish at the VORRA USA 500.
The downside is the dude is like 6 feet, 15 inches tall, and most of that is legs. Srsly, he’s like the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of Stock Bug off road racing. Ferdinand Porsche wasn’t thinking of Paul when he designed the Volkswagen Beetle, and Paul emerged from the car at the end of the 500 with his knees beat to heck.
Desert Dingo Racing is nothing if not accommodating, so we put our best people on developing a solution. That solution is the “Hartl Bend”, a rethinking of the piece of roll cage that normally cuts across the dash to provide structural rigidity. It provides mounting points for our Rugged Radios radio and intercom, but sits higher and bends over the steering column so Paul won’t require multiple visits to sports medicine doctors to correct the damage that would otherwise be inflicted.
Paul and Emme will reprise their driving roles at The 24 Labor Day weekend.
It’s not just us, though. Paul’s set on racing the Baja 1000 this year, so I hooked him up with my very good friend Gustavo Garayzar in Mexicali who’s doing the 1000 this year. Paul’s flying in to Vegas prior to the The 24, driving to Mexicali, meeting with Gustavo and his team, driving back to Vegas, driving to Fallon for the race, then driving back to Vegas for his flight back to Ontario, Canada. The dude lives to drive. Gustavo will also likely incorporate the Hartl Bend into his Class 11.
With Burning Man approaching, most everyone on the team will be out on the playa. So for The 24 we’re shanghaing Romy and Dave (the new guys), Tut and Pepper Cote of TutTech Racing, Emme Hall of Hall Ass Racing (and her dad) and Paul.
Work day today. The rebuilt engine goes in. We weld on a completely new nose (to the car). A new front bumper. I chase some electrical gremlins. Who’s the new guy?
How Class 11 rolls at Burning Man. (Flying saucer courtesy of artist Carl Deckart).
P.S. Emme has teamed with Michele Martineau to create Courage Racing Gazelles to race the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles in early 2012 They will be formidable.