Drivers who have won the triple crown of motorsport success
Since Fernando Alonso raced the Indianapolis 500 Miles in 2017, the triple crown has been a topic that has received a lot of attention from fans and media outlets that specialize in covering the automotive industry.
And that throughout history, not many people have ventured outside of their comfort zones to compete in fields and events that they were unfamiliar with.
Because of all of this, in the following few lines of this article on Motorbli, we are going to talk about what precisely the triple crown is in the world of motorsport, which drivers have achieved it, and which drivers have tried to get it but have not been successful up until the time that this article was written.
What are the three titles that make up the motorsport triple crown?
The name of this accomplishment gives away the fact that it entails winning three of the most prestigious races that can be found in this world.
The Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 Miles (also a single-seater race), and the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race are in question.
Because of the wide variety of terrains and weather conditions, each one necessitates a specific set of driving skills to navigate safely.
The well-known street circuit of the principality is notorious for being extremely difficult to pass on due to its tight turns, which make even the slightest error extremely costly.
Since the North American competition takes place on an oval track, very little use of the brake pedal is required during the race.
As a result, the emphasis is placed on raw, unadulterated speed. Because of this, the engines are faced with a challenge.
Last but not least, the competition that takes place every year in France necessitates a high level of concentration while operating the steering wheels of their GTs, effective collaboration between all members of the team to ensure that the partner who is taking over as the most excellent facilities, and driving prowess while operating the vehicle in poor visibility and wet weather conditions.
Graham Hill is the only horse in history to win all three titles.
Graham Hill, a British racer, is the only racer to have won all three of these famous races.
He achieved five victories on Monegasque soil in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, and 1969; one win in the United States in 1966; and the final victory at La Sarthe in 1972.
This hegemony resulted in him winning the world championship with Lotus in 1968 and earning him the nickname “Mister Monaco.”
On the other hand, he won the first one in 1962 while driving a BRM.
The year he won the Indianapolis 500 Mile race was the 50th edition of the competition.
In addition to him, several other Formula One drivers were competing, including his countrymen Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart.
This is an interesting fact.
As if that were not enough, the race for the overall victory was close between the two of them during the final laps, as Stewart was leading the race with ten laps to go until his car gave out on him.
As a result of this unfortunate incident, Hill could walk away with the victory, and Clark could move up to the second step of the podium.
The proof of his accomplishment came in the form of a Matra Simca MS670, a model that became popular in his country in 1972 thanks, on the one hand, to the partnership of Hill and Henri Pescarolo, and on the other hand, to the collaboration of Francois Cevert and Howden Ganley, who were both members of his team.
These four people helped make the Matra Simca brand a household name. Unfortunately, Hill would lose his life in an accident three years later after testing a new car model in France for the 12 Hours of Sebring he had won in 1962.
The accident occurred after Hill had won the race in 1962.
Near London, the light aircraft he was piloting went down in flames, taking his life along with several passengers.
Who has come the closest to winning all three titles?
After reading all of this, you should be able to conclude that the Triple Crown is a significant achievement that is only attainable by a select few.
However, the first step is to give it a shot, and the following is a list of famous people who have accomplished this.
Although some of the contests were more competitive than others, we cannot ignore the fact that any of the three scenarios featured in this text have something to offer.
1. Fernando Alonso
The Spanish driver is in an excellent position to reissue what Graham Hill accomplished nearly half a century ago and is one of the best positioned to do so.
The first step was taken in 2006 when he won the Monaco Grand Prix with absolute authority after the stewards decided to penalize Michael Schumacher for stopping his Ferrari at the Rascasse and coming to that conclusion after hours of deliberation.
This was after the stewards had imposed the penalty on Schumacher.
Alonso, who qualified in second place, started the race in the first place, while Kaiser was given the position of starting last on the grid.
Nobody could keep up with the driving prowess that the Asturian displayed on that particular day.
The following year, he won again, driving for McLaren and beating out Lewis Hamilton, who was hiding behind him.
The Englishman was determined to win, but those in the box urged him not to risk losing the double they had worked so hard to obtain.
As previously mentioned, Mclaren made its debut at the Indianapolis 500 Miles race in 2017, and it was its first time competing in the event.
After the engine of his orange single-seater car broke, the two-time defending Formula One world champion could not win the race on the other side of the pond due to unfortunate circumstances.
He arrived in a position to win the race, but Honda’s reliability issues, which had plagued him in recent years at the Grand Circus, reared their ugly heads again.
He gave it another shot the year before, but the lackluster performance of his car in qualifying and during the race prevented him from contending for the win, and he ended up finishing in 21st place.
He had more success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning two years in a row (2018 and 2019).
Once again, he went up against a Japanese company, but this time it was Toyota that he faced off against.
He worked on the same team as the Swiss driver Sebastian Buemi and the Japanese driver Kazuki Nakajima, both of whom he was familiar with from their time spent in Formula One.
The fact that the other car driven by the British Mike Conway, the Argentine “Pechito” López, and the Japanese Kamui Kobayashi finished in second place is further evidence that this Toyota Gazoo was head and shoulders above the rest of the competition. Juan Pablo Montoya
The Colombian began his journey toward this milestone in 2000 when he won the North American event for the first time, an achievement he could repeat six years later.
In 2006, he became the first person to win the event three times in a row (2015). When he made a move up to the most prestigious category in motorsport, it was a clear demonstration of his versatility.
At the turn of the century, Montoya was one of the most talented Formula One drivers.
He engaged in thrilling duels with Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, and Kimi Raikkonen.
In 2003, while he was behind the wheel of his BMW-powered Williams, he was crowned king of the principality. Close behind him in second place was Michael Schumacher, followed by Kimi Raikkonen.
In 2005, he signed a contract to drive for the illustrious British team. He was teammates with the Finn, and together, they won races at Silverstone, Monza, and Interlagos.
Pedro Martinez De La Rosa took over for him in the middle of 2006, bringing to a close a stage in which he had seven victories, thirty podium finishes, thirteen pole positions, and twelve fastest laps.
Although he did not take first place in the overall standings, it is essential to note that he did win the Pro-Am category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This is an interesting anecdote to share.
The discussion surrounding the LMP2 class, for which the regulations stipulated that at least one of the three drivers needed to be classified as silver, served as the impetus for creating this subcategory later named after that class.
Because of this new “championship,” all of the teams were required to have a bronze member on their roster who had minimal to no previous experience driving single-seaters or competing internationally.
He finished the race with a Dragonspeed, which placed him 15th overall.
3. Jochen Rindt
The Austrian may not be well known to the majority of readers.
Still, he came relatively close thanks to his victory in a Lotus at Monaco in 1970, which contributed to him taking the title that year, and to the one he won at Le Mans five years earlier (1965).
After tragically passing away during practice for the Italian Grand Prix held at Monza that year, Rindt was honored as the Formula One champion to be crowned posthumously. This was the only time that this had ever been done.
It is interesting to note that the victory in France was accomplished by an Italian brand, Ferrari, while the driver was behind the wheel of a 250LM that was provided by the North American Racing Team (NART).
4. Bruce Mclaren
Another competitor who went for the triple crown at one point in his career was the namesake of the legendary team that bears his name.
The New Zealander triumphed in the race for the Monaco Grand Prix in 1962 while driving a Cooper and then repeated his victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 while competing with the Shelby American team in Ford-powered vehicles.
5. Anthony Joseph Foyth
Unlike the other people on the list, he did not compete in Formula One, so his name is unlikely to be familiar to anyone.
As a result, it is doubtful that anyone will recognize him. However, he shone in the 1960s with his light to win three editions of the 500 Miles (1961, 1964, and 1967) and another of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1967), so he signed a historic double in the same year.
These victories occurred during the decade of the 1960s. Ten years later, he became known as a prophet in his homeland after making one final effort.
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