The Triple Crown??

[hot metal]

I think the point is, after all, a decent F1 driver can do Le Mans then nip over the pond for a reasonable shot at Indy, don`t see it happening the other way around, might get proven wrong but it has been nearly 50 years and no one has matched it.

[talksthetorque]

MontyPythonX said:

Just to muddy the water more...would it be an outright win at Le Mans, or would a class win suffice?

If we're going down that route, Grosjean has won a GP2 race at monaco, so could be in with a shout soon

[gt_12345]

Winning Le Mans hasn't meant much the last 3 years since Toyota had a monopoly from Audi and Porsche quitting. Then it's just a case of being in the correct car (#7 or #8).

[hot metal]

About as muddy as the waters get

[Halmyre]

hot metal said:

Getting a bit tired of talking about who is `elite` or who is going to push who off in the next 2 GP`s. Better to discuss who we have really enjoyed over the decades & also answer this question.
The Americans seem to think the Triple Crown is any driver who has won the Indy 500, Le Mans & the Monaco Grand Prix. Seems fair ,all special races.

But,, I always thought it was any driver who won the Indy 500, Le Mans and the WDC. so who is right ??

Either way , Graham Hill is the only one who ticks all the boxes either way you look at it, 5 Monaco wins, 2 WDC, 1 Indy 500 ,1 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Few are close to this feat , only Alonso recently who has had it in mind, but found it tougher than he thought.

J. Villeneuve had a crack at the 24 hours ,last in 2008 & came 2nd, close, but no cigar. (no Monaco win for him though)

Will any other driver ever get close equalling Hills record,? I think many WDC champs look down their nose at Indy a little and decide to rest on their not inconsiderable pot/laurels,

Jim Clark had two out of the three if you count the WDC (he never won at Monaco much to his despair) and a third at Le Mans. I reckon it was Colin Chapman's feud with the ACO that kept Clark away in later years, although he professed to not liking the event anyway.

[hot metal]

Don`t think Moss liked Le Mans either. Probably others too, a kind of failed F1 driver refuge now , not that that means much .

[coppice]

Said as if all that mattered were F1 ... There's much more to motorsport than one Formula, especially as its grid is small , its cost so absurd and its driver turnover so low that the likes of Raikkonen and Alonso were able to become almost permanent fixtures. .

[Eric Mc]

The term comes from an era when there was immense kudos in winning certain individual races. A victory at Le Mans in particular was looked on as being every bit as worthy as winning any Grand Prix. The Brits in particular put a lot of store on Le Mans, chiefly because they were quite good at it in the 1930s and 50s (with Bentley and Jaguar) at a time when Britain was not that good at Grand Prix racing.

The advent of the World Drivers Championship in 1950 began a process which gradually demeaned other types of motor sport and reduced the value of individual Grands Prix as the goal of being World Champion became the dominant factor.

[CustardOnChips]

Isn’t the Triple Crown something that Alonso’s marketing team came up with in an attempt to keep him in the motorsport headlines?

[Bob_The_Builder]

thegreenhell said:

My dream team for Le Mans would have Mansell, Montoya and Villeneuve in the same car. When they win together they can argue amongst themselves about which one of them has just won the Triple Crown.

Great idea.
A three seater with three drive by wire steering wheels, where the wheels turn according to the average input of all 3 drivers.

[coppice]

No - very far from it . They revived the term , that is all because to the current F1 fanbase (whose memory goes as far back , as crikey , maybe 2016) it was unthinkable that any F1 driver would want to do anything else, and the triple crown was a handy hook upon which to hang Alonso's plan .

Being an antique myself , I can remember active F1 drivers competing in F2, Can Am , saloon (ie touring ) cars , sports prototypes(and not just at Le Mans) Indy and rallying . It was down to far fewer Grands Prix (barely a third of 2021 calendar) and the earning power of other disciplines .

[eps]

Bob_The_Builder said:

thegreenhell said:

My dream team for Le Mans would have Mansell, Montoya and Villeneuve in the same car. When they win together they can argue amongst themselves about which one of them has just won the Triple Crown.

Great idea.
A three seater with three drive by wire steering wheels, where the wheels turn according to the average input of all 3 drivers.

No Indy500 win for Mansell, so not a contender. You could put Mario in, instead...

[Eric Mc]

CustardOnChips said:

Isn’t the Triple Crown something that Alonso’s marketing team came up with in an attempt to keep him in the motorsport headlines?

No.

[Jake899]

Agree that it's a three race format, but the spirit of the triple crown is surely to show that a driver has skill beyond one specific formula or class, and that he is a winner in whatever car he's in.
By that margin, other than Hill Senior, i think Mansell might actually be the best shout, seeing as he also did well in touring cars.

[thegreenhell]

eps said:

Bob_The_Builder said:

thegreenhell said:

My dream team for Le Mans would have Mansell, Montoya and Villeneuve in the same car. When they win together they can argue amongst themselves about which one of them has just won the Triple Crown.

Great idea.
A three seater with three drive by wire steering wheels, where the wheels turn according to the average input of all 3 drivers.

No Indy500 win for Mansell, so not a contender. You could put Mario in, instead...

I know, but since it's a made up thing with no agreed definition he could rightfully claim a triple crown of sorts. While the other two argue over WDC versus Monaco, he could argue for Indycar champion over Indy 500.

[eps]

thegreenhell said:

eps said:

Bob_The_Builder said:

thegreenhell said:

My dream team for Le Mans would have Mansell, Montoya and Villeneuve in the same car. When they win together they can argue amongst themselves about which one of them has just won the Triple Crown.

Great idea.
A three seater with three drive by wire steering wheels, where the wheels turn according to the average input of all 3 drivers.

No Indy500 win for Mansell, so not a contender. You could put Mario in, instead...

I know, but since it's a made up thing with no agreed definition he could rightfully claim a triple crown of sorts. While the other two argue over WDC versus Monaco, he could argue for Indycar champion over Indy 500.

For as long as I remember it's been LM24 win, Monaco GP win, Indy500 win.

It's even got a wikipedia page!! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_Crown_of_Moto...

[coppice]

Quite - it may be 'made up' but the original definition is perfectly clear and should remain , at least for those who don't regard history as bunk (as the founder of the firm which made Hill's Indy 500 engine thought )

[thegreenhell]

Except that nobody can even agree what the original definition is. The only person to have achieved it by either definition says it's something different to most people think it should be.

[hot metal]

coppice said:

Said as if all that mattered were F1 ... There's much more to motorsport than one Formula, especially as its grid is small , its cost so absurd and its driver turnover so low that the likes of Raikkonen and Alonso were able to become almost permanent fixtures. .

I think you mis-understood me ...

[hot metal]

coppice said:

Quite - it may be 'made up' but the original definition is perfectly clear and should remain , at least for those who don't regard history as bunk (as the founder of the firm which made Hill's Indy 500 engine thought )

Isn`t everything made up ?