THE KURTHS
Rudi Kurth
Definitely one of the most versatile people in the world - the only thing he can't do is program the satellite TV system and use a computer (leaves both jobs up to me).
Learned the trade of "installer" (with courses in panel-beating, materials' characteristics etc.) As a teenager, built a new lightweight (83 lbs) bodywork with integrated fuel tank for a Fiat 600 sports car, followed by the CAT Formula racing car (Alfa engine, fibreglass bodywork, 765 lbs incl. engine). Built several racing sidecar outfits for the World Champion Fritz Scheidegger, started racing sidecars himself using a modified Crescent 3-cylinder engine. Met me (Dane) during this time and together we took part in the Sidecar World Championships. Built two special frames for the Yamaha factory in Japan plus a few very successful 350cc and a 500cc 3-cylinder Yamaha engines by cutting and welding two-cylinder engines together (!). Yamaha won a world title with the 350cc and we didn't do too badly with our 500 cc ! (We have a lot to thank Yamaha for.)
Replaced the bodywork of a Citroen DS21 with a very fast, light and aerodynamic fibreglass body and used it as race transporter (the CATVAN). Retired from racing and built Switzerland's first Vari-Eze aircraft (Design: Burt Rutan, Mojave/CA) before building Switzerland's entry for the first Solar GP in Australia, the 165 lb "CAT Spirit of Biel".
Then came a light and very efficient windsurf board and a few other things before he caught the bike bug and, not liking what he saw in shops, built the first CAT mountainbike, the CAT "Puma". Scott Europe ordered a set for their Downhill team and Jurgen Sprich won the European title on one. Rudi then designed and built the first Cat Cheetah. The Cheetah caused such a sensation, that he decided to make a series of them. In 2001 he built a series of electro-bikes for the Technical University of Biel (see news page) for their participation in a race in Australia. His latest "thing" is a little WIZZ boat, which he has of course modified (e.g. he's replaced the 4 metre long mast with an 8 metre long one) and with which he spends (sadly too few) happy hours on the Lake of Biel.
Spends seven days a week in the workshop, designing, testing, trying and thinking about how to make things lighter and more aerodynamic. Goes riding or biking with his best friends and watches TV (esp. Discovery Channel, Eurosport and Fox News - O'Reilly rules!). Also likes reading, jazz (Miles Davis), arguing (he calls it "discussing") and also has to let the cats in and out. He can fix anything at all and can see brilliant solutions to complex problems. Dane is very proud of him.
Dane Kurth
The computer freak of the family, born in England, studied photojournalism, met Rudi at a sidecar race in France, fell madly in love, moved to Switzerland, learned the languages, wrote articles for music magazines and other media, ran the fanclubs for different heavy metal bands, and, until March 2007, was deputy-boss and webmistress of Switzerland's most popular concert venue.
Helps Rudi in his projects, does his secretarial and bookkeeping work, and also does technical translations (aeronautics, telecommunications, lasers, machinery, automobiles, computers) and also translations of band bios, and writes song lyrics. I am also the administrator of the popular Website for ancient coins, Wildwinds.com.
Hobbies: ancient coins, computers, satellite dx-ing, crossword and math puzzles (esp. Cross Sums in Dell and Penny Press mags as well the program from Tom Westborn), the brilliant logic computer game Sherlock, reading and letting the cats in and out of the window.
Karin Hasen-Kurth
Our daughter, a great kid, very kind and helpful, the type to bring home stray kittens. As a toddler, had a tendency to borrow tools and take things (anything with or without nuts and bolts) apart to see how they worked. Comes out with the funniest spur-of-the-moment comments, has a great sense of humour and is very sympathetic to people in trouble. Also has "magic hands" which can take a headache away in seconds.
Karin did a year's training in Informatics then 4 years training in business studies and passed her exams in July 2002. She now works for DT Swiss in Biel. Hobbies: Music, Dell and Penny Press maze puzzles, watching comedy videos (English comedians and Leslie Nielsen), her computer and restoring a Lotus Europa with her husband Stefan Hasen. Stefan is a fantastic web programmer in his own right but so far I have held back from asking for a new look for our website. No-one could ask for a better daughter or a better son-in-law.
Stefan Kurth
Stefan is Rudi's son from his first marriage. He learned the profession of electrical engineer and, after some training in our workshops, founded his own company OCP. Helped Rudi build the Solar car, built the Monteverdi Hai F1 car, made ice hockey masks for the Swiss national goalie Anken, fairings for the sidecar world champion Rolf Biland, bodywork for other sportscars and road cars....
The CAT Cheetah frames and wheels are made in the autoclave in Stefan's workshops in Hermrigen.
His hobbies are his work, snowboarding, motorcycle riding, playing computer games and, when he pops in, letting the cats in and out !
Kuma and Inki (Kuma was the big 'un). A very hungry, grey, matted Kuma was dumped outside our home one Sunday in 1987. He immediately reacted to the name Kuma (Japanese for "bear", because he was so huge and had paws like a bear) and he was a pampered puss ever since. He often invited his friends to come and share his dinner. To our great sadness Kuma died in April 2000 but I can't bring myself to remove his photo yet. Our next cat, Sumi, (Japanese for "black earth" or "Indian ink") whom we brought home from the Animal Shelter, looked - by sheer coincidence - just like Kuma but was killed by a car in April 2001 which again broke my heart. Yet again we found a Kuma/Sumi look-alike in Suma, a very elegant black long-haired lady-puss who insists on bringing us presents of half-eaten mice.
Inki (Japanese for "ink") - without a tail since a life-saving operation following a car accident in 1998 - is the guardian of the house and tends to growl at strangers through the windows. If they come in, she runs and hides... Hobbies: Catching mice, eating, sleeping, hissing at Suma and hiding from her under my desk.