Dario Resta: A Man of Many Nations

September 29, 2015 by Jeremy McMullen

Dario Resta would be born in August of 1882 in the Italian town of Faenza, not far from Imola. But though he would be Italian by birth, Resta would race under the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes. It would not matter for what nation he drove, for his true nationality would be racing driver.

An early pioneer within the motor racing scene, Dario Resta would either establish, or be around, motor racing Meccas all throughout his career. He would not only win races; he would also own a number of records. But while forgotten due to the passing of the sands of time, Resta's influence remains.

Although he would have never guessed at the time, Resta's home in Italy, Faenza, would become the host town for Scuderia Minardi (which later became Scuderia Toro Rosso) many decades later. Furthermore, the town remains just down the road from Imola, an important sight within the Italian motor racing scene. It would seem, therefore, beyond coincidence the town would produce at least one motor racing star. And, Dario Resta would happen to be that star. In fact, there would be many examples of Resta's presence interwoven all throughout and within motor racing history.

Many more of the connections would begin to take shale when Dario's father decided to move the family to London. At the time of the move, Dario would be just two years of age, but the change of address would prove profound.

Much like Resta at that point time, the automobile industry was still in its infancy. In nearly every respect the two would grow up and progress into maturity together. Therefore, it would not be at all surprising that Dario would be present for the Montagu Cup in 1907, the very first race ever to be held at the famous Brooklands track just to the southwest of London.

The Montagu Cup race at Brooklands would take place on the 6th of July, 1907. At this time, Resta was merely 25 years of age and had only started his racing career earlier that year.

Right from the start of his racing career Dario demonstrated great promise. He would very nearly win that first race at Brooklands had it not been for a missed signal to head onto the finish straight on the last lap of the race. The result was an extra lap and a third place finish in the Fry-entered Mercedes.

The bittersweet third place would turn to joy when, only about a month later, he took his first-ever victory. The race would be the Prix de la France, but it too would be held at Brooklands. This would be an impressive victory for Dario was just 25 years of age and had only just started racing months earlier. It was clear this Italian-Briton had talent.

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The victory would ensure Resta was one to watch and a popular bet to win no matter where he competed. Very quickly, as he would do later on, he would become an important draw for the race organizers. He would not only be popular, but it would seem as though he could win whenever he wanted. Well, almost.

Had it not been for Fran Norton losing control of his Napier and collecting Resta in the process, Dario likely would have won the 1908 Easter meeting at Brooklands. He would also come close to victory in the 2nd Montagu Cup. This would be followed by another 2nd place in the Whitsun Meeting.

A good deal of Resta's early success had come at the wheel of a Mercedes. This was certainly understandable as the German manufacturer built what was likely some of the best automobiles in the world. However, other manufacturers from other nations were really beginning to make great strides. One of those manufacturers was to be found right there in Dario's adopted country.

In 1899, John Marston Co Ltd., a cycke factory, would establish Sunbeam. By the end of the first decade of the 20th century, Sunbeam would earn a reputation as one of the world's most influential manufacturers. This would be vital for Britain, and, right there with the company would be Resta.

Resta's career would continue on an upward trajectory and would include being brought in as a factory driver for Sunbeam. Louis Coatalen had joined the company in 1909 as its chief designer and one of his first directives would not necessarily be about a new car design, but about hiring Dario as a factory driver. Coatalen had raced against Dario a number of times over the years and knew of his quality. This would lead to Dario joining the company, one of the best opportunities of his career.

One of Resta's first races for Sunbeam came at the end of June, 1912. For the first time since 1908 the ACF Grand Prix would be organized and it would be held in the port city of Dieppe. Competing in the voiturette class, all four Sunbeams would be strong contenders over the course of the two-day race.

Resta was close to a third place finish by the end of the second day. This was impressive given the class in which the Sunbeams competed. At the end of the race, Dario would finish 4th behind Boillot, Wagner and Rigal. When the aggregate results had been tallied Dario would be a part of an incredible Sunbeam one-two-three in the voiturette Coupe de l'auto race. This made Sunbeam practically an overnight success, and Resta would be one of its stars.

In September of 1912, Dario would help set some speed records at Brooklands. One of those would be a fastest lap speed of 86.77mph. Over the course of 100 miles he, and his fellow co-drivers, would average 80.34mph. Over 1,000 miles the speed would drop to just 76.1mph.

Sixth place in the ACF Grand Prix would come for Resta in 1913 at Amiens. Later in that same year he would again set some speed records at Brooklands driving for some 12 hours, along with a couple of other drivers, in a six-cylinder Sunbeam.

Following a few more races throughout the European continent and on the island of Great Britain, Dario would make his way across the Atlantic to the United States where he would take part in the United States Grand Prix held in San Francisco. Driving a Peugeot EX3 in the 406-mile race around the 3.84 mile circuit laid out by the bay, Resta would be one of just 30 drivers that would have to deal with unfavorable weather conditions. Nonetheless, he would show his quality by taking the lead on the very first lap of the race and never really looking back from that point on. After some seven hours, Dario would take the victory by nearly seven minutes over Wilcox driving a Stutz.

Another race would be held on the very same circuit just a week later. One of the most important races of the early 20th century, especially in the United States, would be the Vanderbilt Cup. The race would be 77 laps in length and would end up virtually the same as the United States Grand Prix. Resta would take the victory over Wilcox's Stutz.

Two races, two impressive victories. Then, in May of that year, Resta would attempt to take part in a race that competed a total of 500 miles around a 2.5 mile over just to the west of downtown Indianapolis. The Indianapolis 500 would first run at the speedway in 1911. Here, just four years later, Dario would be present to take his stab at the 500 mile race.

Not surprisingly, Resta would be in a position to win the race. However, a slight, and uncharacteristic, error on the banking would cause him to slide through a corner and tear up and causing a puncture in his rather fragile tires. He would stop to have them changed and, in the process, would lose the lead and the victory. Still, a second place in the race would be a fine result, though it wasn't all that comforting for Dario.

A month removed from Indy, Dario would rebound from his mistake. Driving his Peugeot in the inaugural 500 mile race at the brand new Chicago board, he would drive a mistake-free race and would claim victory.

This victory at the inaugural race in Chicago would be followed a few weeks later by a record-breaking run. Back at Chicago in early August, Resta prepared to take part in the 100-mile Challenge Cup Match Race. There would be just four entrants and none could hold a candle to Resta who would go on to score an incredible, and historic, victory. With an average speed of 101.86mph, Resta would be the first to cover the 100-mile race distance in under an hour.

Dario would complete a very successful first campaign on American soil. The season could not have gone much better, but, there were a handful of events that got away from him. He, therefore, looked forward to 1916 and righting some wrongs.

The '16 season would be an important season and it would start out strongly for Dario. The AAA (American Automobile Association) would determine to create a championship. After failing to finish the first race of the championship, Resta would recover to take victory in the 300 mile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the end of March. This would be the only time, barring of course interference from weather, in which the Speedway did not host a 500 mile race. Nonetheless, Resta would right the wrong from the previous year and would take the win. Resta would take the points lead with the victory and would only add to that tally when he managed to hold off Eddie Rickenbacker and Ralph DePalma for the win in Chicago.

Resta's large points advantage would be lost by early September and there would be just a handful of races left in which he had to retake the championship lead. Returning to Chicago, Resta would continue his dominant form at the racetrack taking victory.

Fighting with John Aitken for the points lead, Resta would head into the Vanderbilt Cup held in Santa Monica in 1916. It was this race, and not Indianapolis, that was the most prestigious race of its day on the new championship calendar.

Able to rise to the pressure of the big events, Resta would be indomitable, never losing the lead once he had attained it. When the race was over, Dario was the winner and with a clear points advantage.

Just two days later, and at the same track, Resta would lead early but would soon retire with engine trouble. Aitken would go on to win the race over Rickenbacker, but since both would finish the race as relief drivers of other cars, neither would score points. As a result, the inaugural championship, the oldest motor racing championship, would go to Resta.

Resta would remain in the United States and, in time, would become a citizen of yet another nation. He would continue to race, but, with a world war growing in Europe and amongst American supporters his racing days would be severely limited.

Dario would not look upon the sparse racing activity with dread. Dario would marry Mary Wishart, sister of fellow racing driver Spencer Wishart. Spencer would be killed in a motor race and it is believed that when Dario moved his family to Bakersfield, California and focused much of his efforts on his businesses instead of racing it was because of Mary's insistence.

If true, Dario would honor his wife for a while, but motor racing would never be far away. In fact, in 1918, he would establish Buttonwillow, a small racetrack about 30 miles from his home in Bakersfield. The racetrack still exists.

Following the end of the First World War, Dario would see the end of his apparent withdraw from motor racing. However, the number of races in which he would participate would not be anything like what it had been before the war, when he was at his best. He would make another attempt at Indy in 1919 driving a Sunbeam. Unfortunately, engine trouble meant Resta would be unable to take part in the race.

The writing was apparently on the wall and Dario withdrew from motor racing yet again, focusing on his businesses. Still, he would always have one eye on that next opportunity. He would intend to make the next opportunity the 1921 ACF Grand Prix held at Le Mans. Intending to take part in one of his last races with a Sunbeam, Resta would sadly find his car unprepared for the race, and therefore, would be missing from the grid. It would be a terrible shame as Resta had been such a fixture on the grids of grand prix races for more than a decade. People had come to races just because his name was on the entry list, but now, his name was becoming an anomaly.

Resta would again withdraw from motor racing. Yet, in 1923, at the age of 41, Resta would again decide to compete in a select few events. The first of these would come in Beverly Hills no less. The race would be 200 laps in length and Dario would complete 170 of them before handing the Miller he was driving over to Cliff Durant, the son of General Motors founder Billy Durant.

Resta's presence would help attract a crowd, and his performance in the race wouldn't hurt either. Aided by Durant, Resta's Miller would cross the line in 8th place, around 10 minutes behind Jimmy Murphy.

Resta's final race in the United States would come in May of that year when he attempted to take part in the Indianapolis 500 as part of the Packard team. The team boasted a formidable lineup with Resta, DePalma and Je Boyer. With such competition, Dario would rise to the occasion.

Known for his full-commitment style of driving, Resta would be quick averaging 98.8mph. He would not be the quickest of the Packard drivers but he would set his time on the first day of qualifications and that meant he would start the 500 mile race from third on the grid. Sadly, the good starting spot would not translate into a great result. Instead, neither of the Packards would manage to overcome unreliability. In what was to be his final Indy 500, Resta wouldn't see half distance.

Resta's performances in Europe would be much better. Driving a Talbot in the Penya Rhin Grand Prix, he would finish a strong third. A certain man named Tazio Nuvolari would finish a distant 5th.

The final event of the '23 season for Dario would end up the highlight, and best result in more than a couple of years. Taking part in the Spanish Grand Prix for voiturettes at Villfranca, Resta would charge to victory narrowly defeating Divo, his Talbot teammate.

The '24 season would pick up where '23 had left off. Victories in hillclimbs would get Resta's year off to a great start. A second place in the Swiss Grand Prix for voiturettes would be a fine result and would set the stage for an intriguing ACF Grand Prix at Lyon in early August.

Sunbeam had to feel confident with Resta, Kenelm Lee Guinness and Henry Segrave as its drivers. Sure enough, two of the Sunbeam drivers would be in the hunt for victory battling Fiats, Delages and Alfa Romeos. Sadly, Resta would not be one of the two. In the end, the best Resta could achieve would be a quiet 10th, well behind race winner Giuseppe Compari. It would be an embarrassment to the great driver really. Instead of being directed to complete the race distance no matter how long it took and no matter if the winner had already crossed the finish line, which was tradition at that time, the marshals would stop Resta declaring his day over. In many respects it signaled the end of his career.

The best years had clearly passed the now 42 year old Resta. Sadly, the ACF Grand Prix would be the final time Dario Resta would ever take part in a motor race.

September 2nd, 1924, Brooklands. Dario Resta would climb in behind the wheel of a Sunbeam preparing to try and beat a land speed record. He was no longer the fastest man over the course of a grand prix, but he still knew how to put his foot down and go fast. Approaching speed, the Sunbeam would be shaking and vibrating terribly under the strain. Suddenly, a belt would break. The belt would snap free and would strike a tire causing it to blow immediately. At 42, Dario's reactions would not be what they had once been. He would do his best but the car would skid out of control and ultimately crashing heavily. The riding mechanic, Perkins, would miraculously survive the ordeal. Resta, tragically, would not. One of the best drivers of a generation would be dead, like so many others.

In the vast expanse of motor racing history the name Dario Resta is remembered as little more than a footnote now. The truth is, Resta's influence and impact would extend far beyond what the records would tell. Famous race wins, speed records and a championship title, Resta would have to be considered one of the best all-time, certainly within his own generation.

An Italian who was a race winner on English, European and American soil, Resta would be one of those iconic names that helped lead motor racing into what would be considered its golden era. And for that, an ambassador of motor racing the world over, he must be remembered.

Sources:
Paolozzi, Remi. 'The First King of America', (http://8w.forix.com/resta.html). 8W: The Stories Behind Motor Racing Facts and Fiction. http://8w.forix.com/resta.html. Retrieved 21 July, 2015.

'The Nostalgia Forum: Dario Resta', (http://forums.autosport.com/topic/28519-dario-resta/). AutoSport. http://forums.autosport.com/topic/28519-dario-resta/. Retrieved 21 July, 2015.

'Dario Resta Articles', (http://www.firstsuperspeedway.com/articles/category/336). The First Super Speedway. http://www.firstsuperspeedway.com/articles/category/336. Retrieved 21 July, 2015.

Wikipedia contributors, 'Dario Resta', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 10 July 2015, 19:11 UTC, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dario_Resta&oldid=670869752 accessed 22 July 2015