RATICAL Driver off
This is the story of the 2019 RATical Build off/Drive off as seen from my perspective, as I accompanied the only British entrant, Sam Hard. I had spent a great deal of time in 2019 filming Sam at his tiny Fort Fareham garage as he strived to marry up the body of a 1970 Dodge Charger with the chassis of a 2012 Carl Edwards #99 NASCAR racer. The ‘RATical’ competition is an annual event that Sam helped get going with some American visionaries and it is a fabulous example of the amazing camaraderie between pistonheads the world over.
The filming was for Sam’s Hard Up Garage YouTube channel, which has since launched (just search for ‘Hard Up Garage’). While I was covering this ‘off the wall’ build we discussed how Sam’s inventive creation might perform in the US. With money an issue for both of us, I didn’t think I’d be able to film this truly dynamic trek across the mid-west. As a freelancer in the TV industry I knew I wouldn’t be able to go if a significant amount of work came my way and – luckily, or unluckily – I was able to film every inch of the 1400-mile trip and while documenting it I got to see the so-called ‘fly-over states’ in real America. It proved to be one of the best trips I’ve ever taken in my life.
Sam had purchased three vehicles in an under-advertised online auction for the now defunct Fast & Furious Live arena show. With more luck than judgment, Sam picked up Dom Toretto’s ’70 Charger. As it later transpired, this vehicle was actually purchased by the people behind the arena show from Universal Studios and it
