The Triple Crown of Motorsport is an unofficial achievement for motor racing drivers that is generally regarded as winning motorsport's three most prestigious races.[a][3][4] These annual events are the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race at the Circuit de la Sarthe, the Indianapolis 500 for American open-wheel racing cars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the Monaco Grand Prix for Formula One cars at the Circuit de Monaco. The Indianapolis 500 was introduced in 1911, followed by the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1923 and the Monaco Grand Prix in 1929.[3][5] All of the races are held between the months of May and June.[6] As the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix are both traditionally held on the last weekend of May, it is impossible for modern drivers to enter all three Triple Crown events in the same year.[7] No trophy is awarded to the driver who completes the Triple Crown.[3]
As of 2024[update], 261 drivers from 23 different countries have won a Triple Crown race and only Graham Hill has completed the Triple Crown.[3] Tom Kristensen has won the most Triple Crown races with nine victories, all at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is a record for the most victories at the event; Hill claimed two fewer in total, including five victories at Monaco. Ayrton Senna won six Triple Crown events, all at the Monaco Grand Prix, placing him alongside Jacky Ickx in joint-third overall and breaking Hill's record for the most race wins at Monaco.[8][9][10] With four victories each, Hélio Castroneves, A. J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser hold the joint record for the most Indianapolis 500 wins.[9]
There have been 19 drivers who have partaken in all three Triple Crown races and have achieved victory in at least one of them.[11] No one has won all three Triple Crown races during the course of a calendar year.[3] Fernando Alonso, Foyt, Bruce McLaren, Juan Pablo Montoya, Tazio Nuvolari, Jochen Rindt and Maurice Trintignant are the seven drivers to have won two of the three Triple Crown events.[12] Of those seven, only Montoya has won both the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix, while only Foyt has won both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500. The remaining five won both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix.[12][13]
Winners
edit| * | Driver has completed the Triple Crown of Motorsport |
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Notes
edit- ^ An alternative definition of the Triple Crown is victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Formula One World Drivers' Championship and the Indianapolis 500.[1] Graham Hill is the only driver to have completed the Triple Crown under either definition.[2]
- ^ a b c d Cyrus Patschke, Don Herr, Howdy Wilcox and Norman Batten all temporarily took over driving duties from Harroun (1911), Dawson (1912), Milton (1923) and DePaolo (1925) respectively. All four relief drivers have not been officially recognised as winners of the Indianapolis 500.[14][15]
- ^ a b Official records do not list Ed Hugus, an NART reserve driver, as an official winner of the 1965 race. Accounts differ as to whether he relieved Masten Gregory and drove a short stint early on 20 June.[19]
- ^ a b Although Ford decided to stage a photo finish, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest declared Amon and McLaren the 1966 winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans since they started 20 metres (66 ft) away from their teammates Denny Hulme and Ken Miles.[20]
- ^ John Winter was the pseudonym of gentleman driver Louis Krages.[21]
References
edit- ^ Baldwin, Alan (19 May 2017). Davis, Toby (ed.). "Motor racing – Triple crown: Monaco or F1 championship?". Reuters. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ^ Thompson, Eric (31 January 2018). "Motorsport: Are the days of motorsport's triple crown gone?". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e O'Kane 2012, pp. 94–111
- ^ Gallard, Fabien (16 June 2018). "Gallery: Drivers who came close to winning the Triple Crown". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Waack, Terrin (7 September 2018). "Alonso needs Indy 500 win for Triple Crown". The Tuscaloosa News. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "What is the motorsport triple crown and who has claimed the feat?". Autosport. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ Barlow, Jason (27 May 2017). "What is motorsport's 'Triple Crown' and why does it matter?". Top Gear. Archived from the original on 27 April 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ a b "History". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Archived from the original on 19 February 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
"Classification". FIA World Endurance Championship. Retrieved 11 June 2023. - ^ a b c Augustyn, Adam; C. Shepherd, Melinda; Chauhan, Yamini; Levy, Michael; Lotha, Gloria; Tikkanen, Amy. "Indianapolis 500". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Winners list Grand Prix Formula 1". Monaco Monte-Carlo, the Principality of Monaco. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022."Monaco GP". ChicaneF1. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
Higham 1995, p. 425–426 - ^ "SponsorPulse Insight | Uncovering the Triple Crown of Motorsport". SportsPro. 2 December 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ a b Fearnley, Paul (3 December 2019) [21 June 2018]. "Contenders to the triple crown". Motor Sport. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ "Graham Hill and the Triple Crown (3) – Other Triumphs at Le Mans, Monaco and Indianapolis". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 13 May 2017. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Larlham Jr., Daniel (21 October 2022). "In 1911, a Lebanon native helped drive the winning car at the first-ever Indy 500". Lebanon Daily News. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
- ^ "2011 – 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 Official Media Guide" (PDF). Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 2011. pp. 225, 234, 236. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Dawn (26 March 2020). "Indy 500 delayed: 6 times the Indianapolis 500 was canceled". The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ a b Vergeer 2009, pp. 10–13, 32, 51
- ^ a b c d e Cooper, Adam (20 March 2020). "The Monaco GPs missing from the history books". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Nye, Doug (October 2020). "Mystery of the third man in Rindt & Gregory's Le Mans 1965 win for Ferrari". Motor Sport. 96 (1141): 78–85. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
Agha, Laith (8 July 2006). "Car Racer Ed Hugus Dies: Whether he drove the winning car of the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans remains a mystery". McClatchy – Tribune Business News. p. 1. ProQuest 463253511. Retrieved 23 January 2022 – via ProQuest. - ^ Harper, Brian (17 June 2016). "Fifty years on, Le Mans winner still rooted for Ford". Driving.ca. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ "Le Mans Phenomenon". Motor Sport. 83 (7): 12. July 2007. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ Medland, Chris (19 March 2020). "Monaco GP canceled for 2020". Racer. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
Bibliography
edit- Higham, Peter (1995). "Monte Carlo". The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing. London, England: Motorbooks International. pp. 425–426. ISBN 978-0-7603-0152-4 – via Internet Archive.
- Vergeer, Koen (2009). Le Mans: geïllustreerde editie [Le Mans: illustrated edition] (in Dutch). Amsterdam, Netherlands: AmstelSport. pp. 10–13, 32, 51. ISBN 978-90-482-0026-9 – via Open Library.
- O'Kane, Philip (2012). "A History of the 'Triple Crown' of Motor Racing: The Indianapolis 500, the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Monaco Grand Prix". In Hassan, David (ed.). The History of Motor Sport: A Case Study Analysis. Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Routledge. pp. 94–111. ISBN 978-0-415-67788-2 – via Open Library.