What does the Triple Crown mean in Motorsport?

Every sport has its own set of special events that commemorate the legend and history of the sport. Whether it be the El Clasico of Football or the Ashes Series in Cricket, fans are greeted with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement from the competitors. In a similar way, Motorsports has its own legendary event, known as the Triple Crown. It is the achievement of securing a win at the three most prestigious races in Motorsport. The Triple Crown is an insanely difficult win that only a few drivers even dare to procure.

Triple Crown in Motorsport

There have been multiple definitions of Triple Crown throughout the years in Motorsports. IndyCar Racing and World Endurance Championship introduced their own definitions for achieving the Triple Crownin their respective categories. The Triple Crown of IndyCar is made up of the Indy500, the Pocono 500 and the California 500. Similarly, the Triple Crown of Endurance Racing constitutes the 24 Hrs of LeMans, the 12 Hrs of Sebring and the 24 Hrs of Daytona.

However, the generic and worldwide recognised achievement Triple Crown is defined as the act of winning three most prestigious races of the Motorsports’ longest serving categories. The Triple Crown is awarded to the driver who achieves a victory in the Monaco Grand Prix in Formula, Indianapolis 500 in IndyCar and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in World Endurance Racing. Each of these races are a testament to the ultimate talent of any motorsports competitor.

The Monaco Grand Prix has been a premier event in Formula 1 ever since its arrival. The narrow streets of Monte Carlo have provided glory to many drivers and have been a huge source of accidents for others.

The Monaco Grand Prix is a one-shot race which doesn’t forgive mistakes. The drivers need to take a very precise racing line close to the walls of the street track. In Monaco, Qualifying is what matters the most as overtaking is nearly impossible due to the small width of the track.

The Indianapolis 500 is the staple event of Indycar. It is the event which attracts the biggest crowd in the season and gives the drivers an extreme level of competition. It is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is a revered track in Indycar, fondly known as “the Brickyard”. There is a tradition of kissing the bricks at the starting line of the track by the winning team.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the final event that makes a driver eligible for the Triple Crown. It is considered the epitome of Endurance racing. The track is treacherous and unforgiving. There have been many spectacular crashes at Le Mans. It is also home to legendary rivalries like Ford vs Ferrari in the sport of Endurance Racing. The drivers have to compete over 24 hours of racing, sleeping in rotation and throughout day and night. The weather at Le Mans is prone to changes, giving a high level of uncertainty and excitement before the start of the race.

There has been only one Triple Crown winner to date, it is the 2 time world champion of Formula 1, Graham Hill. He was able to complete his Triple Crown in 1972 when he finally achieved victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1972. Formula 1 drivers like Fernando Alonso and Juan Pablo Montoya have come incredibly close to winning the triple by achieving victories in two out of the three legs in the record.

There is an additional level of difficulty in the events as they all fall on the same day usually, making it nearly impossible to claim a consecutive victory in all three races. There are only two teams in history who have ever achieved the Triple Crown. They are McLaren and Mercedes who completed the achievement in 1995 and 1952 respectively.

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