Franchitti Dario: racer, champion, strategist

Fans of auto racing know that the UK is the country that gave the world a lot of great riders. In the galaxy of famous pilots a special place is occupied by a man whose name is Franchitti Dario. This outstanding athlete of Italian origin will be discussed in this article.

Some facts from the life of a celebrity

The British automotive racer was born May 19, 1973 in a family of immigrants from Italy, living in the UK. His parents were George and Marina Franchitti. Also, the athlete has a younger brother, Marino, who also takes part in sports races.

Franchitti Dario spent a lot of time in the United States of America, where he often communicated with local stars of the world of show business and culture. In this bohemian environment, he found a wife for himself. In 2001, the Briton met with Hollywood actress Ashley Judd and married her. The spouse often went with her faithful to various competitions, but this did not save the family from the collapse. The couple lived together for 12 years and in 2013 officially divorced.

The beginning of sports career

For the first time behind the wheel, the map of Francisti Dario sat down while he was in college. The young man was so carried away by the ride that he began to sharpen his skills. Already in 1984 he first won the Scottish Championship among juniors. The following year, the guy again takes the first position in similar competitions of Great Britain in different classes.

In 1991, the Scotsman made his debut in racing cars with open wheels. Competitions were held in the junior tournament of Britain "Formula - Vauxhall". Already in the first season Dario takes the first ever championship title, having managed to win in four races.

The next two seasons the racer spends in the same competitions, but already among adults. Gradually, the Briton goes to the top and in 1993 he takes the next championship trophy, winning in six races from thirteen held.

Going to the "Formula-3"

Mastery, speed and stability were noted by specialists and sponsors, thanks to which Franchitti Dario in 1994 is in the British race "Formula-3".

The first season in these competitions was rather ambiguous. And all because the pilot quickly got used to the competitions, constantly fought for leadership, even won in the debut race and finished the season in the end on the 4th position. However, his partner in the team Magnussen, having the same experience of performances, was able to win in fourteen races of eighteen and double bypass Dario on points.

DTM Championship

Formula-type races did not receive the required financing, and in 1995, the British racing driver went into the DTM race, where he stayed two seasons until the project was closed.

New cars in Dario did not cause any serious difficulties. He even managed to get ahead of Magnussen, often facing him in a Mercedes car. Also our hero with enviable constancy fought for the palm tree of the championship in each race and was always on high positions in the overall standings.

Moving to North America

In 1997, the British signed an employment contract with a team of Hogan Racing, performing in the championship series CART. The first season turned out to be not very successful for the rider, but nevertheless he managed to show himself and the next year to move to a richer team - Team Green. With the new team, the racer wins three races, and in the individual competition is second only to the recognized authorities of the competition.

However, already in 2000, the Scot significantly slows down and completes the season in the thirteenth position, having behind him a large number of early retirements from the distance.

In 2002, Dario ranks fourth in the overall standings. In the same year the team goes to the championship called Indy Racing League. In this tournament, the Briton played with varying success: he then became a champion in the 2007 season, then missed the race due to injuries.

In 2005, Dario Franchitti, whose personal life was still stable by that time (he was married), first went to the start of the marathon, held in Dayton. It was a 24-hour check-in.

From 2007 to 2008, the pilot tried his hand at the race of stock cars. There he spent 30 races and even won one pole position, but more often got into various accidents and quickly found himself without external financing of his car.

In 2009, the Scots again managed to become a champion, successfully taking advantage of the flaws of New Zealander Ryan Briscoe.

In 2011, the main competitor for Scotland's leadership was the Australian Will Power. The fight for the title went to the last race, in which Will got into an accident and eventually lost the championship.

A dramatic change in the fate of Dario was 2013. It was then in the race for the Grand Prix of Houston on the last lap there was a terrible collision between the British cars and AJ Vizo. As a result of the accident, Frankitti broke his ankle, suffered a spinal column and head injury. After acquainting himself with the opinion of doctors about his health, Dario eventually decided to end his career as a rider. To date, he holds the position of one of the strategists in the Ganassi team.