Gianni Leoni

Gianni Leoni (1951)

Gianni Leoni (born March 1, 1915 in Como , † August 15, 1951 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ) was an Italian motorcycle racer .

Career

Gianni Leoni made his debut at the Grand Prix of Nations in 1949 in Monza in the motorcycle world championship . He started in the final race of the first season in the classes up to 125 to 250 and up to 500  cm³ . In the eight-liter class, the Italian celebrated his first Grand Prix victory straight away on FB Mondial . In the quarter-liter category, he finished second behind Benelli rider Dario Ambrosini on a Moto Guzzi and fourth in the half- liter category .

In 1949 Leoni competed in two of the three 125 cc World Championship races held. He finished second at the Dutch TT in Assen and won the Nations Grand Prix again, which earned him the runner-up world title in the eight-liter class behind his team-mate Bruno Ruffo .

In the 1951 season Leoni started in the 125cc for FB Mondial and in the 250cc for Moto Guzzi. He won the eight-liter opening race in Spain and was third in the TT . In the quarter liter class, he was third in Switzerland and second in France .

Deadly accident

Gianni Leoni had a serious accident on August 15, 1951 in training for the Ulster Grand Prix . He and his Moto Guzzi teammates Sante Geminiani and Enrico Lorenzetti lapped the approximately 16.5 mile long Clady Circuit close together in training in the quarter liter class . After a few laps, Geminiani and Lorenzetti drove into the pits unnoticed by Leoni to swap their machines. After about four kilometers alone, Leoni noticed the absence of his teammates and the Italian decided, probably worried that an accident might have happened, to turn around and drove the route in the wrong direction. Meanwhile, Geminiani and Lorenzetti had left the pits and were on the track at full speed. The two were not ready for the oncoming driver, so a collision was inevitable.

Gianni Leoni and Sante Geminiani were probably both trying to avoid them, but drove in the same direction and hit their heads at a speed of about 100  kilometers per hour . Geminiani was thrown about 40 meters through the air and was dead on the spot. Leoni got up a moment after the accident, but then collapsed unconscious and died the same day in a hospital in Belfast . Enrico Lorenzetti, who was driving about 100 meters behind Geminiani, was still able to brake and only drove to the scene of the accident at low speed. He got away with minor injuries.

Despite this tragic accident, the Moto Guzzi team did not withdraw from the Grand Prix. The following day, works driver Bruno Ruffo won the 250 cc race for the Ulster Grand Prix.

Gianni Leoni left behind his wife and a daughter. He was posthumously runner-up in the 125cc class . In total, he contested nine World Championship Grands Prix in his career. He celebrated three wins and a total of eight podium finishes.

statistics

title

• 1950 - 125 cc vice world champion on FB Mondial
• 1951 - 125 cc vice world champion on FB Mondial
• 3 Grand Prix victories

In the motorcycle world championship

season	class	motorcycle	run	Victories	Podiums	Points	Result
1949	125 cc	FB Mondial	1	1	1	11	5.
	250 cc	Moto Guzzi	1	-	1	8th	8th.
	500 cc	Moto Guzzi	1	-	-	6th	10.
1950	125 cc	FB Mondial	2	1	2	14th	2.
1951	125 cc	FB Mondial	2	1	2	12	2.
	250 cc	Moto Guzzi	2	-	2	10	5.
total			9	3	8th	61

Web links

• Gianni Leoni on the official website of the Motorcycle World Championship (English).
• Gianni Leoni on the Isle of Man TT official website.
• Gianni Leoni at motorsportmemorial.org (English)