Today in Racing: 24 April

Fernando Alonso drove his Renault RS20 to win the only Grand Prix ever raced on this day in San Marino in 2005 as he extended his lead in the World Championship in his third win in four races. He held Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari off by two-tenths of a second after a late race charge, but Jenson Button was excluded after his BAR was found  underweight to hand third to Alexander Wurz’ McLaren Mercedes.

Before WWII, Emilio Materassi won the 1927 Sicilian Targa Florio road race in a Bugatti 35 C, Jean-Pierre Wimille  won the 1932 Grand Prix d'Oranie in Algeria driving a Bugatti 51 and Luigi Fagioli’s Maserati V5 16C-5000 won the 1932 Premio Reale di Roma. After the War, After the War, Philippe Étancelin won the 1949 Paris Grand Prix at Montlhéry in a Talbot-Lago T26C  

In Indycar racing, Rodger Ward won the 1966 Trenton 150 and Simon Pagenaud the 2016 Grand Prix of Alabama, while in sportscar racing,  Vittorio Brambilla‘s Alfa Romeo T33 won at Monza in ’77 and Derek Bell, John Fitzpatrick and David Hobbs Porsche 935 won in ‘83  in Riverside USA. Hayden Paddon also won the 2016 World Rally Argentina in a Hyundai i20.

On the day that sportscar legend Reinhold Joest was born, the Golden Greek, Chris Karamesines broke drag racing's 200 mph barrier in in Alton, Illinois in 1960. 24 April was also a dark day in racing – former F1 drivers, Guy Mairesse (43), died in practice for the Coupe de Paris at Montlhéry in 1954 Rolf Stommelen (39) perished in a vicious IMSA crash at Riverside. (Photo: Motorsport Images)