Cirillo Pagani (11 October 1911 – 19 October 2003), nicknamed "Nello", was an Italian

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

road racer and

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

driver. He was born in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

, and died in Bresso. He was known for his long career, spanning from 1928 to 1955, and for becoming the first 125cc

World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in the inaugural

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

campaign. He almost became a double Champion in that first year of the World Championship series. In the 500cc class he was officially runner-up. The series was run over six rounds with a rider's best three scores counting towards the championship. Englishman

Les Graham Robert Leslie Graham (14 September 1911 – 12 June 1953) was a British motorcycle road racer who competed in the 1930s and 1940s. He won the inaugural Grand Prix motorcycle racing 500 cc World Championship in 1949. Early Career (19 ...

on an AJS was Pagani's main rival. Although Pagani scored more overall points than Graham, he lost the championship with two wins and a third place as his scores that counted, whilst Graham had two wins and a second. Pagani's car racing exploits resulted in wins at the

Pau Grand Prix The Pau Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Pau) is a motor race held in Pau, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of southwestern France. The French Grand Prix was held at Pau in 1930, leading to the annual Pau Grand Prix being inaugurat ...

in 1947 and 1948, before his single

World Championship Grand Prix, on 4 June 1950,Nello Pagani career statistics at Formula1.com
/ref> in the 1950 Swiss Grand Prix at Bremgarten. He finished seventh and scored no championship points. He also finished fourth in the Modena Grand Prix that year, driving a

Simca Simca (; Mechanical and Automotive Body Manufacturing Company) was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat S.p.A. and directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by Italian Henri Pigozzi. Simca was affiliated with Fiat and, after Simca bough ...

Gordini Gordini () is a division of Renault Sport Technologies (Renault Sport). In the past, it was a sports car manufacturer and performance tuner, established in 1946 by Amédée Gordini (1899–1979), nicknamed "Le Sorcier" (The Sorcerer). Gordini be ...

. In 1952 Pagani finished second in class in the

Mille Miglia The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi, which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 (thirteen before World ...

, driving an OSCA but was more involved with motorcycle racing and became the manager of the

MV Agusta MV Agusta (, full name: MV AGUSTA Motor S.p.A., original name: Meccanica Verghera Agusta or MV) is a motorcycle manufacturer founded by Count Domenico Agusta on 19 January 1945 as one of the branches of the Agusta aircraft company near Milan in ...

team. He was the father of

Alberto Pagani Alberto Pagani (29 August 1938 – 11 September 2017) was an Italian professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. His best year was in 1972 when he finished second in the 500cc world championship, behind his MV Agusta teammate, Giacomo Agost ...

, who was also a racing motorcyclist.

Motorcycle Grand Prix results

1949 point system: Points system from 1950 to 1968: 5 best results were counted up until 1955. (

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pagani, Nello Italian motorcycle racers Italian racing drivers Italian Formula One drivers 125cc World Championship riders 500cc World Championship riders Isle of Man TT riders Sportspeople from Milan 1911 births 2003 deaths Grand Prix drivers