Nello Pagani facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nello Pagani |
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Pagani at the 1949 Dutch TT
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| Nationality | Italian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 11 October 1911 Milan, Italy |
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| Died | 19 October 2003 (aged 92) Bresso, Lombardy, Italy |
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| Formula One World Championship career | |
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| Active years | 1950 |
| Teams | Scuderia Achille Varzi (Maserati) |
| Entries | 1 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1950 Swiss Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1950 Swiss Grand Prix |
Cirillo Pagani (born October 11, 1911 – died October 19, 2003), known as "Nello", was an amazing Italian motorcycle and Formula One car racer. He was born in Milan, Italy, and passed away in Bresso.
Nello Pagani had a really long racing career. It started in 1928 and lasted until 1955! He is most famous for being the very first 125cc World Champion in motorcycle racing. This happened in the first-ever World Championship season in 1949.
Nello Pagani: Motorcycle Champion
In 1949, Nello Pagani almost became a double champion! He won the 125cc World Championship. He also raced in the bigger 500cc class. In that class, he officially finished second overall.
The 1949 championship had six races. Riders' best three scores counted towards their total points. Nello's main competitor was Les Graham from England. Even though Nello scored more points overall, Les Graham won the 500cc championship. This was because of how the points were counted. Nello had two wins and a third place for his best scores. Les Graham had two wins and a second place.
Racing Cars Too!
Nello Pagani wasn't just great on motorcycles; he also raced cars! He won the Pau Grand Prix car race twice, in 1947 and 1948.
He even raced in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix. This was on June 4, 1950, at the 1950 Swiss Grand Prix in Switzerland. He finished seventh in that race. He didn't score any championship points, but it was still a big achievement. Later that year, he also finished fourth in the Modena Grand Prix.
Life After Racing
In 1952, Nello Pagani came in second place in his class at the famous Mille Miglia car race. After his racing days, he became the manager for the MV Agusta motorcycle racing team. This shows he stayed involved in the sport he loved.
Nello Pagani's son, Alberto Pagani, also became a racing motorcyclist. Racing talent clearly ran in the family!
