Umberto Masetti

Umberto Masetti (4 May 1926 - 28 May 2006) was an Italian two-time World Champion Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. In 1950, he became the first Italian to win the 500cc World Championship.[1]

Umberto Masetti
Umberto Masetti in 1952
Nationality	Italian
Born	(1926-05-04)4 May 1926 Borgo delle Rose, Province of Parma, Italy
Died	28 May 2006(2006-05-28) (aged 80) Maranello, Italy
Motorcycle racing career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1949 - 1958 First race 1949 125cc Swiss Grand Prix Last race 1958 500cc Nations Grand Prix First win 1950 500cc Belgian Grand Prix Last win 1955 500cc Nations Grand Prix Team(s) Benelli, Morini, Gilera, MV Agusta Championships 500cc - 1950, 1952 Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 31 6 21 N/A N/A

Career

Masetti was born in Borgo delle Rose, in the province of Parma.

He debuted in the Grand Prix motorcycle World Championship in 1949 aboard a Moto Morini, in the 125cc class. In the same year he also raced a Benelli in the 250cc class and a Gilera in the 500cc class.

In 1950, Masetti won the Grands Prix of Belgium and the Netherlands and defeated Geoff Duke for the 500cc World Championship. In 1952, still with Gilera, he was again World Champion, again taking victories in Belgium and the Netherlands.

In 1953 he raced in the 250cc class for NSU, but an accident at Imola prevented him from taking part for much of the season. In 1954 Masetti was again in the 500cc class with Gilera. In 1955 he divided his time between the 250cc and 500cc classes, this time for the MV Agusta factory, with whom he raced for until 1958. That year, after an unsuccessful season in the 500cc class, he retired from motorcycle competition.

Masetti then lived in Maranello, where he died in 2006.

Motorcycle Grand Prix results

1949 point system:

Position	1	2	3	4	5	Fastest lap
Points	10	8	7	6	5	1

Points system from 1950 to 1968:

Position	1	2	3	4	5	6
Points	8	6	4	3	2	1

(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Class	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Points	Rank	Wins
1949	125cc	Moto Morini		SUI 5	NED -		NAT 2					13	3rd	0
	250cc	Benelli	IOM -	SUI -		ULS -	NAT 3					7	10th	0
1950	500cc	Gilera	IOM -	BEL 1	NED 1	SUI 2	ULS 6	NAT 2				28	1st	2
1951	500cc	Gilera	ESP 1	SUI 4	IOM -	BEL -	NED -	FRA -	ULS 3	NAT 2		21	3rd	1
1952	500cc	Gilera	SUI -	IOM -	NED 1	BEL 1	GER -	ULS -	NAT 2	ESP 2		28	1st	2
1953	250cc	NSU	IOM -	NED -	GER -	ULS -	SUI -	NAT 6	ESP -			1	15th	0
1954	500cc	Gilera	FRA -	IOM -	ULS -	BEL -	NED -	GER -	SUI -	NAT 2	ESP -	6	10th	0
1955	250cc	MV Agusta			IOM -	GER -		NED 2	ULS 3	NAT 6		11	5th	0
	500cc	MV Agusta	ESP 3	FRA 4	IOM -	GER -	BEL -	NED 3	ULS -	NAT 1		19	3rd	1
1956	350cc	MV Agusta	IOM -	NED -	BEL 5	GER -	ULS -	NAT 8				2	14th	0
	500cc	MV Agusta	IOM -	NED -	BEL 4	GER 2	ULS -	NAT -				9	6th	0
1957	350cc	MV Agusta	GER 4	IOM -	NED -	BEL -	ULS -	NAT -				3	10th	0
	500cc	MV Agusta	GER -	IOM -	NED -	BEL -	ULS -	NAT 5				2	15th	0
1958	500cc	MV Agusta	IOM -	NED -	BEL -	GER -	SWE -	ULS -	NAT 3			4	13th	0

References

1. Umberto Masetti career statistics at MotoGP.com

Preceded by Leslie Graham	500cc Motorcycle World Champion 1950	Succeeded by Geoff Duke
Preceded by Geoff Duke	500cc Motorcycle World Champion 1952	Succeeded by Geoff Duke