The Circuito di Ospedaletti commonly known as the Ospedaletti Circuit (official name: Autodromo di Ospedaletti) was a motor racing road course in the north-western coastal town of

Ospedaletti Ospedaletti ( lij, Spiareti) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Imperia in the Italian region of Liguria, located about southwest of Genoa and about southwest of Imperia. Ospedaletti borders the following municipalities: Bordig ...

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region of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

), active from 1947 to 1972.

Circuit history

The Autodromo di Ospedaletti was the second designated venue for the San Remo Grand Prix from 1947 to 1951, after the original San Remo street circuit of the 1937 Grand Prix was no longer able to support the changing requirements of post-war Grand Prix racing. The circuit opened in 1947 as a street circuit for the II Gran Premio di San Remo. In 1948 the circuit was reconfigured to a distance of prior to the third San Remo Grand Prix.

Race history

1947. The II Gran Premio di San Remo was held on April 13, for International Sports Cars. The race was run clock-wise over 25 laps on the short circuit and was won by

Yves Giraud-Cabantous Marius Aristide Yves Giraud-Cabantous (8 October 1904 – 30 March 1973) was a racing driver from France. He drove in Formula One from to , participating in 13 World Championship Grands Prix, plus numerous non-Championship Formula One and Formul ...

in a

Delahaye 135 The Delahaye 135 is a luxury car manufactured by French automaker Delahaye. Designed by engineer Jean François, it was produced from 1935 until 1954 in many different body styles. A sporting tourer, it was also popular for racing. History The D ...

. It was also the inaugural year of the "Gran Trofeo" for Motorcycles (official name: Gran Trofeo Motociclistico di San Remo) (1947 to 1972). 1948. The third San Remo Grand prix was held on June 27, on the reconfigured circuit for

Voiturette A voiturette is a miniature automobile. History ''Voiturette'' was first registered by Léon Bollée in 1895 to name his new motor tricycle. The term became so popular in the early years of the motor industry that it was used by many makers t ...

class cars running to the new Formula One regulations. The competition was run counter clock-wise over 90 laps and was won from pole position by

Alberto Ascari Alberto Ascari (; 13 July 1918 – 26 May 1955) was an Italian racing driver and a two time Formula One World Champion. He was a multitalented racer who competed in motorcycle racing before switching to cars. Ascari won consecutive world titles ...

driving a Maserati 4CLT/48.

Luigi Villoresi Luigi Villoresi (16 May 1909 – 24 August 1997) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver who continued racing on the Formula One circuit at the time of its inception. Biography Born in Milan, Lombardy, and nicknamed "Gigi", he was the older ...

set the first lap record of 2'02.6 min (99.37 km/h) also in a Maserati 4CLT/48. 1949. The Maserati dominance at Ospedaletti continued for the 4CLT at the April 3, 1949 San Remo Grand Prix. The race was contested counter clock-wise over two 45 lap heats which were won by Juan Manuel Fangio to take the overall title by aggregate time of 3 h, 1'28.6 min (99.26 km/h) for both heats. B. Bira posted the fastest lap in 1'56.0 min, also driving a Maserati 4CLT/48. 1950. The 1950 San Remo Grand Prix, held on April 16, was a non-championship round of the inaugural F.I.A. Drivers World Championship season. The race was won again by Juan Manuel Fangio, this time in an Alfa Romeo 158 s/c, marking the end of the Maserati dominance. 1951. The 1951 San Remo Grand Prix was the last year for Formula One to race at Ospedaletti and the last edition of the San Remo Grand Prix. The non-championship event was won from pole position by

in a

Ferrari 375 :''See also the Ferrari 340, 340 and Ferrari America, 375 road cars sharing the same engine'' After finding only modest success with the Supercharger, supercharged Ferrari 125 F1, 125 F1 car in Formula One, Ferrari decided to switch for 1950 to t ...

, setting the final lap record of 1'53.8, averaging 105.53 km/h.

Results by year

References

{{Reflist

External links

Voiturette Racing
Voiturette class cars as base formula for F1
Gran Trofeo di San Remo
Motorcycle Racing at Ospedaletti

The Formula One Archives
Ospedaletti Circuit (1948-1951) on Google Maps
(Historic Formula 1 Tracks) San Remo Grand Prix