Ken Roczen got a new mechanic this year but it’s someone that’s very familiar with the sport. Billy Hartle has wrenched for Aaron Plessinger, Justin Barcia, and others, he started back in the day with the Eleven-10 Mods team even! I caught up to Billy recently to talk about where he went for a couple of years and what got him back into the sport.
Racer X: Billy Hartle, you are back wrenching. We last saw you with Barcia, and you’re back now. What have you been doing in the meantime?
Why’d you hang up the first time? Was it just the travel and the workload and stuff like that?
So, if it wasn’t for the personal stuff, you would have kept wrenching? It wasn’t a case of you being burnt out?
So, how does this deal come together for you?
So, you’re coming back and forth from Texas?
I was talking to Ken about you, and he didn’t meet you until Anaheim?
So, how has it been?
Did you win with Barcia?
Now you’re seeing those guys and racing them. What was it like for those guys, AP and Barcia, to see you back? Were they giving you shit?
You’ve got to be happy for him right now. He’s taking it to a new level. He won. He’s a consistent podium guy. You’ve got to be happy.
So, if this deal wasn’t, “Come from Texas, build your bike,” you wouldn’t do it? If it involved a traditional factory role, you wouldn’t have probably done it?
So, did you watch the sport and miss it during that time?
We talked for an Eleven-10 story years ago. That’s where you came from. That’s your roots. Phil [Nicoletti] is still out there grinding way, Eleven-10. You guys are keeping it alive.
I always laugh because you guys survived it. It was a pretty crazy time.