It was on this day in 1944 that Ferenc Szizs - winner of the first ever Grand Prix motor race - passed away at the age of 60.

Born in 1873, the colourful Hungarian was a locksmith by trade but, after becoming fascinated by the growing proliferation of automobiles, joined Renault as an engineer in his late 20’s.

Having initially started in the testing department, Szizs was chosen by company founder Louis Renault to succeed his late brother, Marcel Renault, as a driver in 1905 and achieved worldwide fame when winning the first ever Grand Prix race at Le Mans in 1906.

Despite the success, Szizs’ never scaled the same driving heights again and the outbreak of World War I effectively ended his career in the hot-seat.

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