Triple Crown of Motorsport

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The Triple Crown of Motorsport is alternatively defined as winning either:

Under either definition, Graham Hill is the only driver to have completed the Triple Crown, as he won the Monaco Grand Prix in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1969; the Formula One World Championship in 1962 and 1968; the Indianapolis 500 in 1966; and finally the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1972.

From 1950–1960, the Indianapolis 500 counted toward the World Drivers' Championship (now known as the Formula One World Championship), and Le Mans was a weekend race that did not conflict with the rest of the Championship. The Triple Crown feat was regarded as similar to the tennis Grand Slam, in which the latter's three (and later four) major tournaments were on the season schedule.

Since then, the Triple Crown has been more difficult to win, as each race is part of a different governing body. Since 1960, the Indy 500 has been sanctioned by United States governing bodies separate from the World Championship, being part of CART since 1979 and the United States Automobile Club/Indy Racing League after 1995. The practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix overlaps with that for the Indianapolis 500, and the races themselves sometimes clash. As the two races take place on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean and form part of different championships, it is difficult for one driver to compete effectively in both during his career.[6] Currently neither the Formula One nor IndyCar series has any driver in its field who has won either of the other two legs of the Triple Crown. As of 2008, the only active drivers who have won two legs of the Crown are Juan Pablo Montoya (currently racing in NASCAR) and Jacques Villeneuve, who will compete in the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans and would complete the Triple Crown (under the latter definition) should he win the event.

[edit] Alternate Definitions

Others have suggested substituting the Daytona 500 in place of the Monaco GP or Le Mans, which would have made A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti Triple Crown winners, respectively. [1].[7][8][9]

Driver Indianapolis winner Le Mans winner Monaco Grand Prix winner F1 World Champion
Italy Tazio Nuvolari — 1933 1932 —
Flag of France Maurice Trintignant — 1954 1955, 1958 —
Flag of the United States Phil Hill — 1958, 1961, 1962 — 1961
Flag of the United Kingdom Jim Clark 1965 — — 1963, 1965
Flag of the United States A.J. Foyt 1961, 1964, 1967, 1977 1967 — —
Flag of New Zealand Bruce McLaren — 1966 1962 —
Flag of the United Kingdom Graham Hill 1966 1972 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969 1962, 1968
Flag of Austria Jochen Rindt — 1965 1970 1970
Flag of the United States Mario Andretti 1969 — — 1978
Flag of Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi 1989, 1993 — — 1972, 1974
Flag of Canada Jacques Villeneuve 1995 — — 1997
Flag of Colombia Juan Pablo Montoya 2000 — 2003 —

[edit] See also



[edit] References

  1. ^ Dan Knutson (2003-06-03). Points Race Stays Tight; Montoya Joins Elite Company With Victory. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
  2. ^ Henri Boulanger. Monaco Grand Prix Glitz Draws Rising Stars. IntakeInfo.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
  3. ^ Tribute to Graham Hill. lastingtribute.co.ok. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
  4. ^ Bette Hill with Neil Ewart (1978). The Other Side of the Hill. Hutchison/Stanley Paul, p87. ISBN 0-09-134900-1. 
  5. ^ Oliver Irish (2007-06-15). Stick to the day job, Jacques. Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
  6. ^ Dan Knutson. 2003 Monaco Grand Prix diary. Retrieved on 2006-08-28.
  7. ^ Tribute to Graham Hill. lastingtribute.co.ok. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
  8. ^ Bette Hill with Neil Ewart (1978). The Other Side of the Hill. Hutchison/Stanley Paul, p87. ISBN 0-09-134900-1. 
  9. ^ Oliver Irish (2007-06-15). Stick to the day job, Jacques. Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.