Giulio Masetti was an Italian nobleman and racing driver, known as "the lion of Madonie" from his dominating the Targa Florio

Targa Florio

The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...

 in the early 1920s.

Born in Florence

Florence

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

, he was the older brother of the racing driver conte Carlo Masetti, both living in
Castello di Uzzano, a palace in Greve in Chianti

Greve in Chianti

Greve in Chianti is a town and comune in the province of Florence, Tuscany, Italy. It is located c...

 owned by the Masetti di Bagnano family since 1644.

Masetti acquired his first car, a 4.5-litre Fiat S57 B14 from Antonio Ascari

Antonio Ascari

Antonio Ascari was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing champion.Antonio Ascari was born near Mantua, in the Lombardy region of Italy, as the son of a corn dealer. He began racing cars at the top levels in Italy in 1919, using a modified 1914 Fiat...

, in which he was fourth at X Targa Florio

Targa Florio

The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...

 (1919), and won the XII Targa Florio

Targa Florio

The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...

 (1921). The next year, he won XIII Targa Florio

Targa Florio

The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...

 in his privately entered ex-Otto Salzer

Otto Salzer

Otto Salzer was a German racing car driver, famous for his contributions to the success of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in Untertürkheim near Stuttgart, where he became team leader in 1903, previously having worked as an engineer since 1896.He had some good results, and was one of the first German...

 1914 Mercedes

Mercedes-Benz in motorsport

Throughout its long history, Mercedes-Benz has been involved in a range of motorsport activities, including sportscar racing and rallying, and is currently active in Formula Three, DTM and Formula One.-Early history:...

 4.5-litre 115 HP 18/100 (1922).
Masetti then raced an Alfa Romeo RL

Alfa Romeo RL

The Alfa Romeo RL was produced between 1922-1927. It was Alfa's first sport model after World War I. The car was designed in 1921 by Giuseppe Merosi. It had a straight-6 engine with overhead valves...

 TF (second at XIV Targa Florio

Targa Florio

The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...

, 1923) before joining the Sunbeam-Talbot

Talbot

Talbot was an automobile marque that existed from 1903 to 1986, with a hiatus from 1960 to 1978, under a number of different owners, latterly under Peugeot...

-Darracq

Darracq

Automobiles Darracq S.A. was a French motor vehicle manufacturing company founded in 1896 by Alexandre Darracq.Using part of the substantial profit he had made from selling his Gladiator bicycle factory, Alexandre Darracq began operating from a plant in the Parisian suburb of Suresnes...

 team. He was third in a Sunbeam 135 bhp 2-litre at the 1925 French Grand Prix

1925 French Grand Prix

The 1925 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry on July 26, 1925.- Classification :-References:...

, but failed to finish the San Sebastián Grand Prix

San Sebastián Grand Prix

The San Sebastián Grand Prix was an automobile race held at the Circuito Lasarte near San Sebastián, Spain.During most of its existence, it was the main race event in Spain, since the Spanish Grand Prix had not yet been properly established as a grand prix race...

 (1925) and the II Rome Grand Prix

Rome Grand Prix

The Rome Grand Prix was an automobile race held in Rome, Italy from 1925 until 1991....

 (1926).

He died at Sclafani Bagni

Sclafani Bagni

Sclafani Bagni is a comune in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 50 km southeast of Palermo....

, Sicily

Sicily

Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

, during the XVII Targa Florio

Targa Florio

The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...

, while driving entry #13, a Delage

Delage

Delage was a French luxury automobile and racecar company founded in 1905 by Louis Delage in Levallois-Perret near Paris; it was acquired by Delahaye in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953.-History:...

2L CV. A stone plaque is erected at the place. Since this incident, the entry #13 is no longer issued at Grand Prix events.