Ralph DePalma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ralph DePalma |
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DePalma in 1912
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| Born | Raffaele De Palma December 19, 1882 Biccari, Apulia, Italy |
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| Died | March 31, 1956 (aged 73) South Pasadena, California, U.S. |
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| Championship titles | |||||||
| Major victories Vanderbilt Cup (1912, 1914) Indianapolis 500 (1915) |
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| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 100 races run over 23 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 4th (1916, 1920) | ||||||
| First race | 1909 Wheeler-Schebler Trophy (Indianapolis) |
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| Last race | 1933 Syracuse 100 (Syracuse) | ||||||
| First win | 1909 Long Island Stock Car Derby, Class A (Riverhead) |
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| Last win | 1921 25-mile Heat #1 (Beverly Hills) | ||||||
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Raffaele "Ralph" DePalma (born December 19, 1882 – died March 31, 1956) was an amazing American racing driver. He is famous for winning the 1915 Indianapolis 500 race. People believe he won around 2,000 races in his career! Ralph also won the American AAA national dirt track championships four times in a row from 1908 to 1911. He won 25 major American Championship car races and even the Canadian national championship in 1929. By 1934, after racing for 27 years, he had earned a lot of money, about $1.5 million. Ralph DePalma is honored in many halls of fame for his incredible achievements in racing. He raced on different types of tracks, including wooden tracks, dirt tracks, and oval courses.
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The Story of Ralph DePalma
Ralph DePalma was born in Biccari, a town in Italy. His family moved to the United States in the early 1890s when he was young. At first, he tried bicycle racing, but then he started racing motorcycles when he was 22. In 1909, he switched to car racing on dirt tracks. This was the same year the American Automobile Association started the national driving championship.
Ralph quickly became very good at car racing. In 1911, he won the first ever Championship Car race at the Milwaukee Mile. However, he is often remembered for how he lost the 1912 Indianapolis 500. He was leading the race for almost all of it, 196 out of 200 laps! But with only two laps left, his Mercedes car had an engine problem. Ralph and his mechanic had to push the car across the finish line. They finished in eleventh place. Back then, you only won prize money if you completed all 200 laps. That Mercedes car is now on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
Even after that tough loss, Ralph had a strong year. But on October 5, he had a serious accident during a race in Milwaukee. He was hurt and had to stay in the hospital for 11 weeks. Luckily, he recovered and was back to racing the next spring.
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In 1912 and again in 1914, Ralph won the Elgin Trophy in Elgin, Illinois. In 1914, he said his biggest win was when he beat another famous racer, Barney Oldfield, to win the Vanderbilt Cup in Santa Monica, California. He entered the 1914 Indianapolis 500 but decided not to race because he felt his engine wouldn't last the whole race.
Ralph had left the Mercer Automobile Co. racing team. He then drove a Mercedes car called the "Gray Ghost." He was very smart about how he raced, and he managed to beat Barney Oldfield's car, even though Oldfield's car was much faster. Ralph ended 1914 by winning his second U.S. national driving championship. The next year, 1915, he finally won the 1915 Indianapolis 500 with a Mercedes car.
Ralph DePalma was a fierce competitor, but he was also very popular with other drivers and fans. This was because he always showed good sportsmanship, both on and off the track. In June 1917, he lost to Barney Oldfield in some short races at the Milwaukee Mile. On February 12, 1919, at Daytona Beach, Florida, he set a world speed record. He drove a Packard car at an amazing speed of 149.875 miles per hour (241.201 km/h) over one mile.
After 1920, new rules meant cars had smaller engines. Ralph started driving for a French car maker called Ballot. His Ballot car got the best starting position for the 1920 Indianapolis race, and he led for many laps. But he had bad luck again with faulty parts and didn't finish. However, he did win his third Elgin trophy in 1920 with his Ballot car. In 1921, Ralph went to Le Mans, France, to race in the 1921 French Grand Prix. He finished second to another American driver, Jimmy Murphy. Ralph also won the Canadian national championship in 1929.
In 1923, he started his own company, the DePalma Manufacturing Company, in Detroit. This company built race cars and engines for cars and even aircraft.
Ralph later raced stock cars until he stopped racing completely in 1936. During his career, he raced in 2,889 races in America and Europe, winning an incredible 2,557 of them! He was also an honorary referee for the Indianapolis 500, with his last time being in 1954.
Later Life and Passing
Ralph DePalma passed away at his home in South Pasadena, California, on March 31, 1956. He was 73 years old and died from cancer. He was buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
Ralph DePalma in Movies
Ralph DePalma also appeared in a few Hollywood movies! He had a small part in the 1920 film High Speed. In 1924, he played the role of "the Champion" in an action movie called Racing for Life. He also had a quick appearance in The Cool Hot Rod in 1953.
Family Connections
Ralph DePalma had a brother named John DePalma who also competed in the Indianapolis 500. His nephew, Peter DePaolo, was also a famous racer who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1925.
Awards and Honors
Ralph DePalma received many honors for his amazing racing career:
- In 1973, he was made a member of the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan.
- In 1991, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
- He was named to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1991.
- He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1992.
- He was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.
- In 2006, Ralph DePalma was inducted into the Elgin (IL) Sports Hall of Fame.
Images for kids
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DePalma in 1912
