Alessandro Cagno

Winner of the first Targa Florio Race in 1906

Nationality: Italy
Born: May 2, 1883 Torini, Italy
Died: December 23, 1971 88 Years

From earlyaviators.com

 Alessandro Cagno began to race at the age of eighteen, placing second on the Belgian circuit of Ardennes in 1902. He won the climb race of Susa - Mont Cenis in 1904. He finished in third position at the hillclimb at Mont Ventoux in 1905 driving in the Gordon Bennett race. In 1906 he took part at the first edition of the Targa Florio winning the race while driving a Fab Auto Itala SA.


Cagno was also a flying enthusiast, and he designed and tested aircraft, founding Italy's first flying school in Pordenone. He volunteered to fight in the war in Libya, and built the first bomber aircraft.

 

 In 1912, Cagno returned to Fiat as Chief Tester of racing cars and General motor vehicle Tester. During the war he ran the General Testing Office for the Italian and French armies. After the war he returned to racing and concluded his career in 1923, leading the Fiat team to victory in the Leningrad-Tiblisi-Moscow race. He then continued to collaborate with Fiat as a test driver and dealer.