Recaro goes further off-road with weekend warrior and dirt-track race seats

Dirt is a big deal right now, from the growing sales of off-road vehicles to the overwhelming interest in overlanding and #Vanlife. Recaro wants (further) in on that market, so the seat-maker recently debuted off-road versions of longtime offerings. The Cross Sportster ORV is the weekend warrior version of the Cross Sportster, intended for road-legal vehicles. The Pro Racer SPG XL ORV is aimed at non-street-legal rigs, adding features to the Pro Racer that counter the abuse of going hard on dirt tracks. Recaro spent two years developing the thrones with Ford and two Ford-sponsored racers, drifter and Ultra4 competitor Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Ultra4 Champion Loren Healy.

The Cross Sportster ORV adds more supportive structure from the shoulder to the torso, providing increased stabilization against lateral forces, while low bolsters allow easy entry to the seat. The padding is a vibration dampening foam that takes the edge off hard hits and washboard, but that also stays comfortable for a lengthy road trip to the trail. The German-engineered nylon covering is said to be easy to clean, and the Cross Sportster ORV comes with a range of adjustments plus an integrated slide mount.

Recaro says the Pro Racer SPG XL ORV was developed to handle Ultra4-level abuse. Built on a fiberglass shell to aid spinal protection, the weatherproof and abrasion-resistant vinyl surface, and the high-G-force energy absorbing cushion material, are guaranteed to stand up to five years of FIA-sanctioned off-road racing events. The certification means compatibility with four-, five-, and six-point harnesses and the HANS device. 

No word on pricing yet, Recaro says it’ll announce that at next year’s King of the Hammers in early February. Depending on the distributor, the road-centric Cross Sportster CS costs around 1,300, and the road-racing Pro Racer costs about $1,500, so those are good numbers to start with when considering the off-road versions. The new seats will be available for purchase come April 2020.