DARIO COSTA

PALMARES

11 World Records in Aviation

• 2015 Italian Motor Aerobatics Champion
• 2015 Athletic Valor Medal – CONI
• 2019 Red Bull Air Race World Cup Champion

Each of us has dates in our lives that change the course of our existence.

For Dario Costa, the Italian aviation excellence, Stunt, Race Pilot, and Red Bull athlete, that date is September 4, 2021, the day he achieved a unique world record by flying his airplane through two highway tunnels in Turkey. This remarkable feat earned him 5 World Records, as recounted in his book “The Perfect Tunnel” published by Minerva Editions).

Dario was born in Manchester to an Italian father and an Iranian mother. In the early years of his life, he traveled extensively, moving from the United Kingdom to North Africa before settling in Bologna, where he put down roots and embarked on the journey that would make him the first and only Italian aviator to qualify and, in the second season, win a Red Bull Air Race World Cup.

Passionate about flying since childhood, the idea of flying through a tunnel was born when he was 12, inspired by the Disney character Aladdin attempting to escape from a cave on a magic carpet.

The path to the Guinness World Record began in that cinema, and it was not an easy journey; it required passion, dedication, commitment, and extreme rigor.

We had the privilege of getting to know Dario when he became a part of the “THOK Performance First Team”.

He is a highly focused athlete, accustomed to leaving nothing to chance, often risking his own life. He is a meticulous professional, a perfectionist, and a keen observer.

With a penetrating serious gaze, he has a smile ready to brighten the world, and he is attentive to immediately put people at ease—a sensitivity typical of those born between two cultures, often marked by a past where finding one’s place and identity was likely not easy. He’s too Italian to be Iranian, and too Iranian to be Italian.

Dario is a winner, he believes in his dreams and pursues them to the end. And he achieves everything: the job of his dreams, success, and a beautiful family.

He often uses THOK for training, especially for Air Race competitions (slalom between pylons). Accustomed to high-performance vehicles, after riding the TK01, he’s now on the GRAM-RC. He explained to us that “raiding” through the forest on an ebike helps him train his reaction times in ultra-rapid direction changes.

We visited him in Salzburg, at the Red Bull headquarters, in the legendary Hangar No. 8, not to be confused with architectural masterpiece No. 7, an amazing museum definitely worth visiting.

However, Hangar No. 8 at Red Bull is not open to the public; it’s an exclusive place accessible only to the Red Bull entourage of aerial disciplines: pilots, official athletes, and technicians.

Dario welcomed us and gently guided us into his private and professional world, mixing it with ours. We pedaled together, and…more than just that!

“There is no natural talent; it’s not a gift you’re born with. You have to cultivate a passion, believe in it, and sweat”.

Dario Costa’s GRAM-RC settings:

• Motor: Shimano EP8 configured in two profiles, “Long Ride” and “Fast Ride”.
  The Long Ride profile is set with low ECO, TRAIL, and BOOST assists for using the bike on long, less technical distances while minimizing energy consumption.
  On the other hand, he uses the Fast Ride profile for shorter but more technical rides, with ECO, TRAIL, and BOOST settings at a medium level.
• Suspension: Fork set at 65 PSI / 16 clicks from fully closed; rear shock at 180 PSI / 9 clicks from fully closed.
• Compression adjustment set to a medium scale for both “High Speed” and “Low Speed”.
• Tire pressure: Front 1.2 bar / Rear 1.5 bar.
• He uses tubeless tires and mounts a Vittoria Air-Liner on the rear.
• He prefers flat pedals.