Italian rider 1949 125cc. worldchampion Nello Pagani came away last saturday night. He had been hospitalyzed in August. He was 92 years old.

Another of the all time greats, who influenced as well as competed in racing has gone.

How very sad....but what a lot of laps he has done !!! ( like a long innings ? )

92 years of age... Well Done Nello...

RIP Nello (Cirillo) Pagani
125 World Champion 1949
4th in the 1951 Ultra lightweight TT on Mondial
Wins on MV at Monza and Castelfusano
also was racing manager for MV
Drove Maserati cars to victory at Pau in 47 and 48
He had a long and varied career riding Moto Guzzi and Gilera also I think even riding a Rudge 250 in the early years.
He was followed by his son Alberto who had 19 TT starts.
Italy has lost a champion rider who set an example for all those talented countrymen who have followed him.

Yes, he raced a Rudge in the early days of his racing career. And he was among the very few men who raced the TT and F1 car GPs...

The passing of a real star of his time who had an illustrious career as both rider and MV team manager from the 1930's to the late 1950's.
An interesting question for winter club nights, how many TT RIDERS have gone on to be FORMULA 1 drivers, the one's that spring to mind are Pagani,Hailwood, Paddy Driver,Surtees, Brambilla, J-P Beltoise (passenger) & Bob Anderson, there may be a few others.

Well, the TT and F1 Gp riders are:

John Surtees

Mike Hailwood

Bob Anderson

Paddy Driver

Kuminitsu Takahashi

Jo Siffert (I think you meant him with Beltoise; in any case Siffert has been both TT passenger and solo riders)

Nello Pagani

Ken Kavanagh (only F1 GP official practice)

Tino Brambilla (only F1 Gp official practice)

Elwyn -

Don't think you're right about JPB. Plus, Paddy Driver never started a W.C. GP. Practiced a Lotus 24-BRM and qualified 24th in 1963 S African GP, stuffed it late in practice and non-started.

Tino Brambilla never did a W.C. GP, while brother Vittorio never did a TT.

Marco -

See above for Paddy Driver - you are of course right about Seppi Siffert.

Keith Campbell entered the 1958 Monaco GP in a Maserati 250F, but didn't turn up.

There is one more - Roger Loyer. Rode Velos pre-war, and drove a Gordini in the 1954 Argentine F1 Grand Prix.

Something's nagging at me about one more, but I can't remember . . . . . . . . .

Hi Larry,
J-P Beltoise was a very good racer in his own rights on 125's & 50 cc in the early 60's but he passengered once on the old Clypse course,might have been a Swiss driver if memory serves me right.I'll look up the records some time just for curiosity.Siffert was also a good rider on Nortons,he also passengered.I was always under the impression that Paddy Driver started once in the S.A.GP, But he seems to have only practised. Takahashi of course went on to have a very good career in cars and still drives in the Le Mans 24 hour race,Serafini was another who had a fantastic career on 2 & 4 wheels but never did the TT although he won the 1939 Ulster G.P on the blown Gilera, Piero Taruffi was another one to combine both.Wal Handley, Freddie Dixon, Norman Black,Jimmy Shaw all raced the TT & drove racing cars in the Isle of Man & elswere with considerable success.Maybe you can add to the list Larry.

Great to see all you guys recollecting the greats, in tribute to one of the greatest of them all. If Fangio had not been around, Pagani would have been lauded even more than he already was. One of the great racing families. There's a new discussion for you...the Grahams, The Paganis, The Jefferies, The Hanks, The .....

I was helping ex GP winner Eric Saul before his lap of honour at last years TT when he said that his TT ride in 1977 was the highlight of his career, more important than his GP wins, as he was waiting for the off, he made the comment that he felt he was riding the TT course on the shoulders of giants, what a nice comment from a fairly modern era GP rider.

No Larry! Paddy Driver raced the 1974 South Africa GP. He had the 26th time in official practice on a Lotus Ford and was out on the 6th lap of the GP.

About Tino Brambilla, he badly crashed on the Monza circuit few days before the F1 GP race when he tried a motorcycle racing machine on the track. Then he wanted absolutely to lap in the F1 GP official practice - his car was a Ferrari F1 - but because of the wounds his place was taken by Pedro Rodriguez.

About Roger Loyer...your knowledge is always surprising!!

Also Gary Hocking raced Formula cars. He was killed in an South African race (but he didn0t race F1 GPs) but I don't remember if his racing car career counts World Continental races.

Sincerely,

Marco

I do recall an Ernest or Ernesto Brambilla but not a Tino ?

Ernesto -- Ernestino (little Ernesto) -- "Tino" for short.

Two brothers there were (are!) - Tino and the younger Vittorio.

In their F3 car racing days, they were known as the Monza Gorillas.

Nuff said!!!!!!!

Oops!! Sorry Marco - I missed Paddy Driver in the 1974 South African GP.

You are of course correct!!

No problema, Larry! But SADLY I have to do another correction to you. Vittorio Brambilla, the winner of the 1975 Austrian F1 GP, dead last year...