Career
Ertl was born in Zell am See and attended the same school as drivers Jochen Rindt and Helmut Marko. In 1969 he bought a Formula 5 car, won six races, but also rolled at the Nürburgring. He was second in the European Cup with a Kaimann chassis in 1970, and started also in Formula 3 with a March Engineering 703.
In 1971 he moved to Touring car racing, driving an Alfa Romeo in the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM) and the European Touring Car Championship.
From 1974 to 1978, Ertl raced in Formula 2 including the ADAC Eifelrennen.
Based on experience with their BMW, Schnitzer Motorsport developed a Toyota Celica LB Turbo for Ertl in 1977. His career highlight was winning the DRM championship in 1978 driving a BMW 320i Turbo for Schnitzer Motorsport.
In 1979 and 1980, he drove successfully for Zakspeed, winning several races with their Ford Capri turbo. They also developed a mid-engined Lotus Europa for the 1000km Nürburgring. Harald Ertl did not race in 1981, but planned a return for the 1982 Renault 5 Turbo Cup.
Ertl was killed in an aircraft accident at the age of 33. He was travelling in a Beechcraft Bonanza flown by his brother-in-law Dr. Jörg Becker-Hohensee from Mannheim to their holiday home in Sylt in Northern Germany for an Easter vacation. An engine failure caused the plane to crash after less than a quarter of the intended flight distance, near Giessen. Ertl's wife Vera and son Sebastian survived with injuries, but the pilot and Ertl's niece perished.
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