Harold Deihl Passed Away

[David Cole]

I regret to inform you all that Harold Deihl, a member of the karting community since 1960, passed away Sunday morning at the age of 67 at his home in Dowagiac, MI. Less then two weeks ago, Harold was diagnosed with a form of terminal cancer. He had been ill for the past few weeks before a specialist discovered the cancer.

The Deihl family has been part of the karting community since 1960, with his wife Irene and son Hal both driving. Harold was a big part of karting at the Rolling Green Raceway in Buchanan, MI, forming his own racing team, Harold’s Kart Shop, building his own brand of karts and maintaining engines for many in the area. Harold was an official for many years as well. Harold and Hal have been doing mostly road racing since the early 90s, running B-Stock, Open Sprint, and now 125cc Shifters, while Irene concentrates on dog shows with their two dogs.

Many in the paddock respected him for the person he was and the way he presented himself. Always willing to lend a hand to a newbie or a heated rival, he never turned away anyone.

Since I began driving back in 1995, Harold has been there for me and my family, Charlie and Ted Tackett, and the Randy Easton family, as well as many others. The H.K.S. Racing Team is a second family to me and it will never be the same without Harold leading us all. The best moments were not the great finishes we had on the track, but the discussions we had during rainouts, at dinner or just sitting around the paddock at the end of a long day.

A memorial is tentatively scheduled for April 22, with more information to come.

South Bend Tribune Obituary
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David Cole
eKartingNews.com News Desk Manager

[Greg Wright]

I just received an e mail from Ron Taylor about Harold.
Harold was one of my oldest and truest friends in kart racing.

My deepest sympathies to Irene and my good friend Hal.

Godspeed Harold

Greg Wright
Rapid Racing Inc
NCMP Shifter Director
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Greg Wright
Rapid Racing Inc.
NKN Columnist & Host "Karting News Live"

I AM INDY!!

"When in doubt, gas it. It won't help but it ends the suspense."

[Marc Miller]

I heard from Dave Cole Sunday. I know how many great people Harold brought into karting and helped - including Dave.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Harold. He would always welcome me with a smile and handshake and was truly one of the nicest guys in the paddock.

Marc Miller + Family
_________________
"Luck is when Preparation meets Opportunity"
Director of Brand Development (MRP/Birel/Rotax) www.GoBirel.com / www.GoRotax.com / www.MRPMotorsport.com
Racing Experience - http://www.themarcmillershow.com/aboutmarc-resume.htm

[Charlie Tackett]

Well, since Sunday morning when I got the call that Harold had passed away, I’ve sat down at the keyboard numerous times, trying to write a note to post about his having passed. Hard to do, its not often that you find me at a loss of something to say.

Harold represented what karting is and what it should be for most karters. I’m not the only one who noticed. I recall a couple of years ago at Road America. The Clan…Diehl’s, Tackett’s, Easton, and the whole Cole family….Dave, his dad, Bob, and Dave’s two uncle’s, Daryl & Daryl…. were gather’d in Bob Coles trailer waiting for the rain to quit. Telling stories, insulting each other, and such typical BS. Sitting there in the trailer laughing and carrying on with the rest of us was Rob Howden. Later on we all meet up at a Pizza parlor in Sheyboygen for supper, carrying on as usual, and Howden looked up and said to know one inparticular, “Now this is what karting is all about!” It's a shame that every new karter can't run across someone like Harold early on in their days in this sport.

What karting is, or should be all about is people like Harold. When Harold was the race director and he black flagged someone, few would argue with him. For one, Harold was a about a fair and honest race official as you could ever find. When I think of tech officials like Scott Evan’s, I’d put Harold right up there alongside of him. But also, at about 6’4” and around 330lbs, Harold presented a rather intimidating figure standing there, arms crossed holding the flag looking down at you. Inspite of that intimidating posture, inside there beat a heart of gold. Yesterday I got an e-mail from an old racer that knew Harold and one of his comments was that Harold would come over and spend hours helping them fix things and get going again, knowing full well the were flat broke low budget racers that didn’t have a dime to give him in return. Harold especially enjoyed helping out the “little” guys. He was one himself and appreciated what others were going thru.

Harold’s Kart Shop was a little guys kart shop. Most certainly no showroom, no display area, and infact, difficult to even walk thru. His kart shop was in the little rural town of Dowagiac, Mi, in a working-class neighborhood. It was a kind of rickety one-stall wooden garage with a lean-to addition. Half the time to get your kart in there, you had to take something else out! You might turn around and trip over an old Arrow…..no not the Arrow chassis, but an old 100cc Arrow rotary. Pick up a box of parts to move and look in it and there might be a V-12 reed cage and stuffers for a West Bend and sitting there under the box lay a Margay gearbox!! Remember the “shop” in the barn on Days of Thunder? Well, that was HKS on a larger scale!

But amongst all that disorganization and random clutter, Harold did some good work. Ted had been running a $300 worn out bent up ex-driving school/rental kart Buller chassis in the Yamaha can class. Harold kept telling me that from watching Ted, he could see that the kid could drive and I needed to get him in a better kart. Finally saved up enough money and with Harold’s help working with a friend of his, got Ted a shiney new Invader. The next summer, we took that Invader and went to the IKF RR GN’s with our HKS Yamaha. In a drag race to the finish, we ended up 2nd by ½ a kart length or less. Sitting there in tech with our motor on the bench amongst Woltjer Hi-Rev and other big name builder’s motors, we waited our turn to get the motor torn down. When he was done the tech official said everything was fine and it was a nice job on the motor and then commented, didn’t look, is this a Woltjer motor? I just pointed to the orange outside fin and the letters HKS. No, its an HKS motor. The guy looked at me, “HKS?” never heard of ‘em. Called Harold that night when we got back to the hotel and told him how we did and what they said in tech about HKS? Harold just laughed and snickered…just the kind of thing Harold always got a kick out of.

Unbeknownst to many, Harold also built chassis in the rickety little garage, called them Challenger’s. Cole’s still have some of them. He built sprint road race and laydown’s, fomr can karts to b-stocker’s. The year after or run at the IKF, Ted moved to the senior class. Of course, he wanted a shifter right away, but I told him he needed some time ni a faster kart than a can kart before he got a shifter. That’s when Harold became Ted’s first real sponsor. He gave us a Challenger sprint sit-up road race chassis he built for Ted to run in the old Sprint B class, same as the IKF SuperStock, I believe…..100cc controlled motor. Well, that first senior year, running that Challenger chassis Ted took a 2nd at the Road America SuperNationals and won the season championship in the old Wells Cargo Enduro Series. Not bad for a low-budget team on a “homemade” chassis. Harold and I would stand there on pit wall watching the race and when Ted took the checkerd for a win, Harold would just stand there and get this big smile, nod his head and not say a word.

Harold was old school karting and old school in many other ways. When he gave you his word on something, you could count on it without fail. If he shook your hand on a deal, it was better than any contract ever written by any Hollywood lawyer. A simple, straight-forward, man, as honest as the day is long. I could bore you with many other stories of Harold. The winter road trips we took to the different swapmeets, the Saturday’s spent hangin out in his “shop” working o things or just plain old hanging out.

Last Sunday afternoon, we were doing some cleaning up in the upstairs bedrooms that had been the boys rooms when the still lived at home. There in a box were a several out-grown and worn-out driver’s suits of Ted’s. All adorned in big letter’s embroidered across the back “HKS Racing”. Kind of hard to keep a dry eye when I found those on that very day. Like Ted said, there will always be an HKS racing as long as he is driving.

Last Thursday, after he came home from the hospital, I took the afternoon off work and Ted and I went down and spent the rest of the day reliving past races and general BS’ing with Harold. Hard to imagine that that was the last we would see of him. Dave Cole is right. When the HKS clan gathers in the lower paddock at Grattan next year and circles the wagons, there will be a big empty spot. My own dad died well over thirty years ago, when I was in my very early 20’s. Over the many years I have known Harold, he had become much more than just a friend, almost like a 2nd father to me in many ways. It just ain’t going to be the same going to the races around here. Kind of a sobering thought that now, I'm the oldest grey-haired curmedgon in our little racing clan.

Well, sorry for the lengthy post. It probably isn’t the longest one I ever made, but it has to be one of the most difficult one’s to write. Something I just had to do. I’ve got to go now, think I must have gotten something in my eye.

[Tim Blaney]

Not sure I can add much more to what Charlie said. Harold was everything good about karting. In my years work for Rob and SKI, I often wrote about the sport needing more guys who like karting because it was cool. Harold was just such a man.

When I started racing, I was as clueless as any newbie and there was a group of people who welcomed my into their circle and helped me through a long first season. Harold and his son Hal were in the group and words cannot express my gratitude for all the help they gave me - along with Ted and Charlie, the Coles and Randy Easton.

Harold will be missed for many reasons, but for me, I'l lmiss him because he was a genuinely good guy, and we need more of them in thie world.

TB

[Jim Fry]

I go back with Harold to the early 60's racing sprints at Buchanan and then enduros at Grattan and IRP. My dad and I will miss you friend. Thank you Charlie for the wonderful memories of Harold.

Jim Fry

[Patricia Hechler]

When I met Harold, it was in Charlie's pits at Grattan. I was in search of a lead for my gauge, and Harold brought out this box of leads that covered the gambit. He was just so nice and genuine and helpful and encouraging and when he told me who he was, I thought, "So this is Harold Diehl. I have finally met him." I had heard of him, but never really talked with him and he was, to me, just a face in the crowd. That is, until he gave me free reign to pick through that box, not accepting anything for what I gleaned from it. I walked away thinking to myself what a kindhearted person he was and I am the richer for having had that small amount of time with him. God bless him and God Speed.

[Brad Boyer]

I am as shocked as the rest of you. Harold has always been among the nicest and most sincere guys I've ever met in karting. Doing 15+ racing weekends in the 90's, I'd run into Harold all the time. I can't even recall the exact first time meeting him, but he made you feel as if you'd known him for decades.

But since about 2000, I only do one or two per year, normally Grattan. Yet I'd always make it a point to stop in Harold's pit and say hello. But somehow he'd always catch me walking up and greet me first, as if I'd saw him just yesterday. Class act all the way.

Charlie: thanks for the long post on one of karting's nicest guys ever.

Godspeed Harold

Brad

[Bob Simpson]

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Deihl family.

I raced at the Rolling Green Raceway in Buchanan, Mi. in the mid to late 70s. I met Harold the first time I went to the track. He new I was new to the track, so he took the time to show me around, and let me in on the little tricks of the track. Even with me running a diffrent kart and engine than his, he was still there to help as needed.

I learned that Harold was one of the most honest and careful tech officals I ever came across. He would take the time to let you know what he was going to do and show you how he was going to do it, and make double sure he did not hurt your engine in any way.

I remember the first time I went to the track with a modified Mac. It was and engine that I was not sure if it was legal or not. Harold took the time to talk to me about it. I knew it was 50 over but that was about it. Harold told me I could run it, or he would teck it before the race. I said I would race it then tech it. Harold found it to be over size in teck. Harold said I was DQed for over sized engine. He kept that between us, since I had went to him first, he would just say that I had with drawn before teck.

This might ring a bell to Bob Cole. I wanted to try running the road races. I knew Harold built the road racer karts. I went to his shop and we struck a deal on a kart. I tryed road racing for a couple of years, it was just not for me. I new Bob Cole and I had talked about the kart. We struck a deal and he bought it. (He may still have it.)

After I had left karting my son and I were in Daytona, Fl. we went to the track and karts were running. We went in to see if we new any of the racers. Who was the first person we run into? You gussed it Harold. It had be a number of years since we had seen each other, but Harold still new who I was. We talked about the old days for a while. When it was time to go we shook hands, that was Harolds way of saying, ( we are still friends ).

As the years have gone by, and now living in Minnesota, and getting back into kart racing (sprint). I have thought about all of the people that I new from racing. Harold still always came to my thoughts.

God Speed Harold you will be miised

[Ron Taylor]

I met the family in the late sixties at Grattan and they became a very valuable asset to Michigan Kart Club. Irene helped in registration and scoring and Harold always helped in tech or wher ever he was needed.

I raced jrs. with Hal and probably 20 years in B-Stock, racing side by side and loving every minute of it. Harold was no doubt my "second dad" at the track and was always there for help and advice.

I don't think people realize, today, how important a role that family plays in Karting. MKC will be forever in their debt. New members anmd Karters should read these postings and reflect on what an impact the family has left on Karting as well as the direction and mark he left. Hopefully more people will learn from them and make their mark in Karting for years to come?

I know my family and I will miss him, especially that "bear" handshake and that special chuckle.

May God bless and please watch out for Irene, Hal and the rest of the family.
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Ron Taylor