Harald Ertl facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Harald Ertl

Ertl in 1978 at Zolder
Born	(1948-08-31)31 August 1948 Zell am See, Salzburg, Austria
Died	7 April 1982(1982-04-07) (aged 33) Hohenahr, Hesse, West Germany
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Austrian
Active years	1975–1978, 1980
Teams	Hesketh, Ensign, ATS
Entries	28 (19 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1975 German Grand Prix
Last entry	1980 German Grand Prix

Harald Ertl was an Austrian racing driver and a journalist who loved motorsports. He was born in Zell am See, Austria, on August 31, 1948. Interestingly, he went to the same school as other famous Grand Prix drivers like Jochen Rindt, Helmut Marko, and Niki Lauda.

Harald Ertl was known for his cool 'Imperial' style mustache and full beard. He started his racing journey in smaller racing series like German Formula Vee and Super Vee, then moved up to Formula Three. After that, he found great success in Touring Car races.

His success in Touring Cars helped him get enough sponsors to join Formula One, which is the highest level of racing. He raced in Formula One from 1975 to 1980 with different teams. Harald Ertl is also remembered for being one of the four brave drivers who helped rescue Niki Lauda from his burning Ferrari car during the 1976 German Grand Prix.

Sadly, Harald Ertl died in a plane crash in 1982 when he was only 33 years old. The small plane he was in had engine trouble, leading to the accident.

Harald Ertl's Early Racing Days

Harald Ertl started his racing career in 1969. He bought a Formula V car and won six races! However, he also had a big crash at the Nürburgring track, where his car rolled over. In 1970, he finished second in the European Cup. He also raced in some French Formula Three races. He continued racing in F3 in 1971, even competing in England.

In 1971, Harald also began racing in the European Touring Car Championship with an Alfa Romeo car. He achieved a great third-place finish at Monza. For 1972, he joined the BMW-Alpina team in the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM) series. His best result that year was a fourth place at the Nürburgring.

By 1973, Ertl was still racing in both Formula Three and Touring Cars. He didn't have much success until September. That's when he teamed up with Derek Bell to win the famous RAC Tourist Trophy race. Both drivers won their individual heats, leading to an overall victory.

In 1974, Harald focused on the German Formula 3 Polifac Trophy. Again, his best performance was at the Nürburgring, where he finished fourth. He also raced in the Formal Super Vee Gold Pokal. This year, he made his first appearances in Formula Two (F2) races at Hockenheim.

In 1975, Ertl joined Fred Opert Racing for F2. By his third race with the team, he was on the podium, finishing third at the Nürburgring. This good result, along with sponsorship from Warsteiner, helped him gather enough money to start racing in Formula One.

Harald Ertl's Formula One Career

Starting in F1 with Hesketh

In 1975, Harald Ertl's dream of racing in Formula One came true thanks to sponsorship from Warsteiner. He drove a Hesketh 308 car, which was prepared by Hesketh Racing and painted in Warsteiner's golden colors. His first F1 race was the 1975 German Grand Prix, where he finished 8th. He then had to retire from his home race in Austria but finished ninth at Monza.

These early results encouraged him to plan a full season with Hesketh for 1976. In the 1976 South African Grand Prix, he started from the back row and finished 15th. The next few races were tough, with him sometimes not even qualifying or having to retire early due to mechanical problems. Even though he wasn't happy with the team, he almost scored a point at the 1976 British Grand Prix, finishing seventh.

The Brave Rescue at Nürburgring

Just two weeks after the British Grand Prix, at the 1976 German Grand Prix, something very dramatic happened. Niki Lauda crashed his Ferrari, and it caught fire. Harald Ertl was one of four drivers who bravely stopped their own races to help pull Niki Lauda out of the burning car. This act of heroism is a famous moment in F1 history.

For the rest of the 1976 season, Harald finished 8th twice, once at his home race in Austria and again at the very wet 1976 Japanese Grand Prix.

Ertl continued with Hesketh for a third season in 1977, racing in some European events. He finished 9th at the 1977 Belgian Grand Prix. He left Hesketh after the 1977 French Grand Prix because he couldn't qualify for the race.

Later F1 Attempts

In 1978, Ertl tried racing with the Ensign team for a few races. But things were even harder there, and he often failed to finish or even pre-qualify for races. At Monza, he got another chance with the German ATS team's spare car because their regular driver was injured. But he still couldn't qualify for the race.

Two years later, in 1980, Ertl made one last attempt to race in F1 with ATS at the 1980 German Grand Prix, but he again failed to qualify. His very last Formula One Grand Prix was the 1978 Austrian Grand Prix in his home country.

Even when he wasn't racing in F1, Harald Ertl continued to race in F2, but he didn't have much success in those years.

DRM Racing Success

Away from the single-seater F1 and F2 cars, Harald Ertl returned to the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM) series in 1977. This series had changed to allow powerful "Group 5" racing cars.

Winning the DRM Championship

Based on their experience with BMW cars, the Schnitzer Motorsport team built a special Toyota Celica LB Turbo for Ertl in 1977. For the 1978 season, Schnitzer switched back to BMW cars and kept Harald Ertl as their driver. This made him one of the top drivers aiming for the championship title.

Harald Ertl had an amazing year in 1978. He won five out of 11 races! With a second-place finish at the final race at the Nürburgring, he won the DRM championship!

Joining Zakspeed

Even after winning the title with Schnitzer, Ertl decided to join the Zakspeed team for the next two seasons. 1979 started well with a win at the first race in Zolder, followed by a third place at Hockenheim. He won one more race that year, but the rest of the season was tough. He had six races where he didn't finish or even start, driving Zakspeed's Ford Capri Turbo. Zakspeed also built a special Lotus Europa for a long endurance race, but it also didn't finish. The 1980 season was similar, with Ertl having bad luck despite being fast. He got 8 pole positions (meaning he started from the very front of the grid) and won 4 races, but he also had 6 retirements.

Harald Ertl's Tragic Death

Harald Ertl didn't race internationally in 1981, but he was planning to return for the 1982 Renault 5 Turbo Cup. However, before he could make his comeback, he was killed in a plane accident when he was 33 years old.

He was flying in a small plane called a Beechcraft Bonanza with his brother-in-law, Jörg Becker-Hohensee. They were traveling from Mannheim to their holiday home in Sylt, Germany, for an Easter vacation. Less than a quarter of the way into their flight, the plane's engine failed. The plane crashed near Hohenahr, close to Giessen. Harald Ertl, his brother-in-law, and his niece were all killed in the crash. Harald's wife, Vera, and his son, Sebastian, were injured but survived.

Racing Record

Career highlights

Images for kids

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  Harald Ertl in 1978 at Zolder

See also

In Spanish: Harald Ertl para niños