Reeves Dutton

13/2/1887 - 12/7/1988

Record updated 13-Feb-08

Riding mechanic for Earl Cooper, Dutton also raced in his own right and drove relief for Cooper.

Born in Hudson Falls, New York, Reeves Dutton was a riding mechanic for Earl Cooper. He also occasionally drove relief for Earl. In 1917 they drove a Stutz to victory in The Great Point Loma Road Race at an average speed of 65.3 miles per hour. It is also likely that Dutton won the 50 mile race staged on the Minneapolis concrete two mile oval on 14th July that year, though there are conflicting records that also show Cooper as the winner. No official results remain to confirm this, though Dutton, when interviewed a few years before his death, did claim that he won the race  

He made one appearance in the Indy 500 in 1919 driving relief for Cooper in a Stutz. He raced a Stutz again in 1920, this time in his own right on the Boards of the Beverly Hills Speedway, retiring with a broken connecting rod.

Cooper relied heavily on Dutton in the preparation of his car throughout his driving career which lasted until 1927. After retiring from driving, Cooper became a team manager. During this time, he and Dutton, built three front wheel drive Cooper race cars, one of which was still competing at Indianapolis into the 1940s.

In the 1940s he served as a member of the AAA technical committee.

He died in 1988 while living in the Simi Valley, California. He was 101 years old.



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