Consalvo Sanesi (28 March 1911 – 28 July 1998) was best known as the

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...

works' test driver in the period following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, but he also competed in races with the

Tipo 158/159 cars in the period before the

Formula One World Championship Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the wor ...

came into being. He competed in five Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 3 September 1950. Although, on his day, his experience with the cars meant that he was often one of the fastest men on the racetrack, somehow this rarely translated into good results. He scored only 3 championship points. He found some success driving in

sports car racing Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing that uses sports cars with two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be either purpose-built Sports prototype, sports prototypes, which are the highest level in sports car racing; or grand to ...

, continuing into the mid-1960s. On the 1953

Mille Miglia The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts :it:Franco Mazzotti, Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi. It took place in Italy 24 times f ...

he posted the fastest stage average speed, , beating greats such as

Nino Farina Emilio Giuseppe "Nino" Farina (; 30 October 1906 – 30 June 1966) was an Italian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Farina won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in its inaugural season with Alfa Romeo, and won fiv ...

and

Juan Manuel Fangio Juan Manuel Fangio (, ; 24 June 1911 – 17 July 1995) was an Argentine racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "el Chueco" and "el Maestro", Fangio won five Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles and—at the ti ...

, but on this occasion his car let him down and he failed to finish. A year later he won his class in the

Carrera Panamericana The Carrera Panamericana was a border-to-border sedan (stock and touring and sports car) rally racing event on open roads in Mexico similar to the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio in Italy. Running for five consecutive years from 1950 to 1954, i ...

. Sanesi entered an Alfa Romeo in the November 1954 Pan American race in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. In the European touring car class of the event he led at one juncture with a total time of 8 hours, 29 minutes, and 24 seconds. He was overtaken by fellow Italian and Alfa Romeo drivers,

Sergio Mantovani Sergio Mantovani (May 22, 1929 - February 23, 2001) was a racing driver from Milan, Italy. He entered 8 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on September 13, 1953. He started 7 of those races, all for Maserati. His best results w ...

and Mario Della Favera. A couple of days later Sanesi established a 17-minute lead in his car, with the Alfa Romeo

marque A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

sweeping the first five positions of the European touring car division. He gave up front line racing following a near-death accident during the 1964

12 Hours of Sebring The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race for Sports car racing, sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in S ...

race, when following a crash his

Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ The Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ (also known as the Alfa Romeo TZ or Tubolare Zagato) was a sports car and racing car manufactured by Alfa Romeo from 1963 to 1967. It replaced the Alfa Romeo Giulietta (750/101), Giulietta SZ. In 2011, the name was reduce ...

burst into flames. Only the prompt and courageous actions of Jocko Maggiacomo, a fellow driver watching at the trackside who dived into the flames and pulled Sanesi clear, saved his life. Sanesi was paired with driver

Roberto Bussinello Roberto Bussinello (4 October 1927 – 24 August 1999) was a racing driver from Italy. He participated in three Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 10 September 1961. He scored no championship points. He also participated ...

in the event. Maggiacomo received a Gentleman of the Road award in November 1964 for his effort in rescuing Sanesi. The commendation was presented by the Milan Automobile Club."Italians Honor U.S. Mechanic", ''The New York Times'', 9 November 1964, Page 10.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanesi, Consalvo 1911 births 1998 deaths Italian racing drivers Italian Formula One drivers Alfa Romeo Formula One drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers World Sportscar Championship drivers 24 Hours of Spa drivers Carrera Panamericana drivers