Triple Crown Constructors?

[Wallio]

I've had a hell week at work this week, so I decided to distract myself by trying to figure out how many constructors have won the Triple Crown of Motorsport. I get five, if you count Cosworth, and I do because its my game.


Mercedes-Benz:
Le Mans - 1952 and 1989
Indy 500 - 1915 (I don't count the 1994 Ilmor pushrod as a Merc)
Monaco GP - 1935, 1936, 1937, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2019
The first ones to do it, and arguably the only "true" winner, as Merc is the only one to do it with both chassis and engines they built themselves.

Lotus:
Le Mans - 1956 and 1957 (Class wins, but I'll count them)
Indy 500 - 1965
Monaco GP - 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1987
Lotus was everywhere in the 1960s and 1970s, but they could "only" win the 1100cc class at Le Mans.

Cosworth:
Le Mans - 1975 and 1980
Indy 500 - 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1995, and 1996
Monaco GP - 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1993, and 1994
The greatest engine builder of all time took just ten years to win the Triple Crown.

McLaren:
Le Mans - 1995
Indy 500 - 1972, 1974, and 1976
Monaco GP - 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2008
The papaya squad was the last "real" winner, completing the set in 1995 with the F1 GTR.

Honda:
Le Mans - 1995 (Class win)
Indy 500 - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, and 2022
Monaco GP - 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 2021
Honda gets in, but only with loads of asterisks. Their Le Mans win was "only" a class win, and their Indy and Monaco wins were "only" as an engine supplier. But they were the only ones to win two of the races in the same year, in 2021.

Did I miss anyone? Ferrari, BMW, and Renault all have two of of three and are just missing Indy (despite Ferrari and Renault trying). Toyota and Peugeot have Indy and Le Mans but failed miserably in F1. Ligier of all people built cars for all three but only ever won that crazy 1996 Monaco race. (They had a 2nd place at Le Mans too to be fair). Audi and Caddy joining F1 means they have a shot at two of three. (GM has Indy and Le Mans already with Chevy as well).

If nothing else, this did at least distract me.

EDIT: My initial list failed to mention a few other companies who attempted it: Maserati and Cooper both have won 2 out of 3 and March and Aston Martin who have won 1 out of 3

and as Har1MAS1415 wrote below, Alfa has Le Mans and Monaco.

[dr-baker]

I've had a hell week at work this week, so I decided to distract myself by trying to figure out how many constructors have won the Triple Crown of Motorsport. I get five, if you count Cosworth, and I do because its my game.


Mercedes-Benz:
Le Mans - 1952 and 1989
Indy 500 - 1915 (I don't count the 1994 Ilmor pushrod as a Merc)
Monaco GP - 1935, 1936, 1937, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2019
The first ones to do it, and arguably the only "true" winner, as Merc is the only one to do it with both chassis and engines they built themselves.

Lotus:
Le Mans - 1956 and 1957 (Class wins, but I'll count them)
Indy 500 - 1965
Monaco GP - 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1987
Lotus was everywhere in the 1960s and 1970s, but they could "only" win the 1100cc class at Le Mans.

Cosworth:
Le Mans - 1975 and 1980
Indy 500 - 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1995, and 1996
Monaco GP - 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1993, and 1994
The greatest engine builder of all time took just ten years to win the Triple Crown.

McLaren:
Le Mans - 1995
Indy 500 - 1972, 1974, and 1976
Monaco GP - 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2008
The papaya squad was the last "real" winner, completing the set in 1995 with the F1 GTR.

Honda:
Le Mans - 1995 (Class win)
Indy 500 - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, and 2022
Monaco GP - 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 2021
Honda gets in, but only with loads of asterisks. Their Le Mans win was "only" a class win, and their Indy and Monaco wins were "only" as an engine supplier. But they were the only ones to win two of the races in the same year, in 2021.

Did I miss anyone? Ferrari, BMW, and Renault all have two of of three and are just missing Indy (despite Ferrari and Renault trying). Toyota and Peugeot have Indy and Le Mans but failed miserably in F1. Ligier of all people built cars for all three but only ever won that crazy 1996 Monaco race. (They had a 2nd place at Le Mans too to be fair). Audi and Caddy joining F1 means they have a shot at two of three. (GM has Indy and Le Mans already with Chevy as well).

If nothing else, this did at least distract me.

This is great work. People so often talk about the Triple Crown from a driver's angle, but i hadn't ever considered it from a manufacturer perspective.

If you need the distraction again, a tyre manufacturer version might be interesting.

[Wallio]

This is great work. People so often talk about the Triple Crown from a driver's angle, but i hadn't ever considered it from a manufacturer perspective.

If you need the distraction again, a tyre manufacturer version might be interesting.

I may do that!

Michelin and Goodyear I know for sure. And Firestone and BF Goodrich have at least two.

[dr-baker]

This is great work. People so often talk about the Triple Crown from a driver's angle, but i hadn't ever considered it from a manufacturer perspective.

If you need the distraction again, a tyre manufacturer version might be interesting.

I may do that!

Michelin and Goodyear I know for sure. And Firestone and BF Goodrich have at least two.

I can tell from the Mercedes results that you are going back as far back as possible to get each entrant's best result. Would be interesting to see what you come up with.

[Har1MAS1415]

I've had a hell week at work this week, so I decided to distract myself by trying to figure out how many constructors have won the Triple Crown of Motorsport. I get five, if you count Cosworth, and I do because its my game.


Mercedes-Benz:
Le Mans - 1952 and 1989
Indy 500 - 1915 (I don't count the 1994 Ilmor pushrod as a Merc)
Monaco GP - 1935, 1936, 1937, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2019
The first ones to do it, and arguably the only "true" winner, as Merc is the only one to do it with both chassis and engines they built themselves.

Lotus:
Le Mans - 1956 and 1957 (Class wins, but I'll count them)
Indy 500 - 1965
Monaco GP - 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1987
Lotus was everywhere in the 1960s and 1970s, but they could "only" win the 1100cc class at Le Mans.

Cosworth:
Le Mans - 1975 and 1980
Indy 500 - 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1995, and 1996
Monaco GP - 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1993, and 1994
The greatest engine builder of all time took just ten years to win the Triple Crown.

McLaren:
Le Mans - 1995
Indy 500 - 1972, 1974, and 1976
Monaco GP - 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2008
The papaya squad was the last "real" winner, completing the set in 1995 with the F1 GTR.

Honda:
Le Mans - 1995 (Class win)
Indy 500 - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, and 2022
Monaco GP - 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 2021
Honda gets in, but only with loads of asterisks. Their Le Mans win was "only" a class win, and their Indy and Monaco wins were "only" as an engine supplier. But they were the only ones to win two of the races in the same year, in 2021.

Did I miss anyone? Ferrari, BMW, and Renault all have two of of three and are just missing Indy (despite Ferrari and Renault trying). Toyota and Peugeot have Indy and Le Mans but failed miserably in F1. Ligier of all people built cars for all three but only ever won that crazy 1996 Monaco race. (They had a 2nd place at Le Mans too to be fair). Audi and Caddy joining F1 means they have a shot at two of three. (GM has Indy and Le Mans already with Chevy as well).

If nothing else, this did at least distract me.

Alfa Romeo has two out of three:

Le Mans 1931-1934
Monaco 1932, 1934 & 1950

[Wallio]

Alfa Romeo has two out of three:

Le Mans 1931-1934
Monaco 1932, 1934 & 1950

Good catch! Pity their Indy efforts were so bad. Engine made a great noise though.

[Wallio]

If you need the distraction again, a tyre manufacturer version might be interesting.

Unfortunately, it's not very exciting. While Indy has had a frankly insane number of tyre companies show up (including Sears-Roebuck and Allstate Insurance!), to my surprise, only 5 companies have ever won, and three of those combined for a whopping 4 races.

So the list of Triple Crown Tyres is but three:

Goodyear:

Le Mans - 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997

Indy 500 - 1919, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998 and 1999

Monaco GP - 1967, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997

Goodyear is the first to do it, just piping Firestone by one year. The Akron Ohio juggernaut won all three legs in the same year EIGHT times, which as someone who once made a deal for free Goodyears when I was still racing is, quite frankly, unfathomable.


Firestone:

Le Mans - 1968, 1969, and 1971

Indy 500 -1911, 1913, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 140, 1941, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024

Monaco GP - 1968, 1969, 1970, and 1972

Firestone completes the set a mere year later and in fact then wins all three in one year in 1969. They are still at Indy 113 years later, and often paired up with iconic cars like Mario's F1 Ferraris, or the GT40. Easy to see why folks my old man's age still absolutely adore the brand.



Michelin

Le Mans - 1923, 1978, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Indy 500 - 1912

Monaco GP - 1979, 1981, 1984, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006

The French marque has the strangest path to the Triple Crown. They won the second Indy 500 ever, (then never won it again) and won the first ever Le Mans (and then didn't win it again for five and a half decades). However it took them another 56 years to get Monaco, and their domination that I so vividly remembered is really just a 2000s thing.


Dunlop, and Pirelli have won two out of three but both missed Indy (despite running there) and despite competing at all three races, Avon and Continental have only ever won Le Mans. BFGoodwrich have run at all three, but to my surprise, only ever won Indy.

[dr-baker]

If you need the distraction again, a tyre manufacturer version might be interesting.

Unfortunately, it's not very exciting.

Very interesting though!

Michelin

The French marque has the strangest path to the Triple Crown. They won the second Indy 500 ever, (then never won it again) and won the first ever Le Mans (and then didn't win it again for five and a half decades). However it took them another 56 years to get Monaco, and their domination that I so vividly remembered is really just a 2000s thing.

This put a smile on my face. Very strange indeed. Of course Michelin doesn't have a great relationship with Indianapolis, the 2005 F1 race there wouldn't have enamoured the tyre company to the circuit any further.

Would love to see Pirelli and Dunlop finally manage the Triple Crown, but who knows when either company will ever attempt to complete the set.

[Nessafox]

Which leads us to the next questions: who are the triple rejects?

[dr-baker]

Which leads us to the next questions: who are the triple rejects?

Is there a list of people who have actually tried all three and been rejectful at all three? Especially if it is Triple DNQs!

[Rob Dylan]

This is a particularly fascinating one because the list is actually a lot wider than I was initially thinking: it doesn't have to be rejects in those series, just people who were rubbish at those three specific races. Anyone who's participated in and failed to get a 4, a 5-6, or a 6-6-6 in all three events.

[Rob Dylan]

Having a look around based on F1 drivers who have been in IndyCar in recent years. Funnily enough Max Chilton JUST avoids being in the list because of his 4th place at the 2017 Indy 500. Otherwise he has one retirement at Le Mans and two 14ths at Monaco.


Romain Grosjean:
- 24 Hours of Le Mans, two attempts with a best finish of 13th (13th in class) in 2024.
- The Indy 500, three attempts with a best finish of 19th in 2024.
- The Monaco Grand Prix, eight attempts with a best finish of 8th in 2014 and 2017.

Before that, we have to go back 10 years to the late Justin Wilson:
- 24 Hours of Le Mans, one attempt with a DNF in 2004.
- The Indy 500, he was SO close to unrejectifying, but eight attempts with a best finish of 5th in 2013. He also had two sevenths in 2010 and 2012.
- The Monaco Grand Prix, one attempt with a DNF in 2003.

It's another ten or so years back in time we have to go until we find another person. Really, especially before the reunification, there are remarkably few F1 drivers in IndyCar or IRL. But one that stands out is Shinji Nakano:
- 24 Hours of Le Mans, nine attempts with a best finish of 14th (5th in class) in 2011.
- The Indy 500, one attempt with a 14th in 2003.
- The Monaco Grand Prix, two attempts with a best finish of 9th in 1998.


I've now gone all the way back to 1996 inclusive, and those are the only three drivers that I have found to have been rejects in all three races. The main problem (if it is indeed a problem) is that nowadays F1 drivers tend to do very well when they go to IndyCar! Chilton, Ericsson, Sato - all have made a decent name of themselves and established very long careers.

[Wallio]

Which leads us to the next questions: who are the triple rejects?

In terms of constructors, this is going to take some digging, because honestly, all of the constructors that have run all three have had at least SOME success at one of them.

Mercedes, Lotus, Cosworth, McLaren, and Honda - Won all three
Ferrari, BMW, Chevy, Toyota, Alfa Romeo, Peugeot, Maserati, Cooper and Renault - won 2 of 3
Audi, Porsche, Ligier, March and Aston Martin - have all won 1 out of 3

Alpine has only run at Monaco and Le Mans but has a podium and a win respectively.

In fact, the only brand I can think of off the top of my head that instantly screams "reject" would be Scarab, but I'm not sure they ever attempted Indy.

[mario]

Which leads us to the next questions: who are the triple rejects?

In terms of constructors, this is going to take some digging, because honestly, all of the constructors that have run all three have had at least SOME success at one of them.

Mercedes, Lotus, Cosworth, McLaren, and Honda - Won all three
Ferrari, BMW, Chevy, Toyota, Alfa Romeo, Peugeot, Maserati, Cooper and Renault - won 2 of 3
Audi, Porsche, Ligier, March and Aston Martin - have all won 1 out of 3

Alpine has only run at Monaco and Le Mans but has a podium and a win respectively.

In fact, the only brand I can think of off the top of my head that instantly screams "reject" would be Scarab, but I'm not sure they ever attempted Indy.

It looks like they did not, and they didn't compete at Le Mans either.

It's probably going to take a lot of digging, and my gut feeling is that you're right that, if a constructor had the resources to compete in all three, then they'd have had the resources to do well in at least one of them.

[Rob Dylan]

Back to 1988 appearances in Indy, and I've found another almost candidate. Derek Daly had one 6th in Monaco in 1982, a 12th in the Indy 500 in 1985, BUT one fourth place in Le Mans (both on track and in class) in 1988.

It takes until we get to 1985 before we find another Triple Crown Driver Reject in Bruno Giacomelli! From five appearances at Monaco he managed three retirements as his joint best results. At the Indy 500 he failed to qualify in 1984, while in Le Mans he was able to do his best result in 1988 when he finished 9th (in class and overall).

Having now reached back to 1980, I have been unable to find any more from after this point.

[Wallio]

I think I may have FINALLY found a Triple Crown Reject Constructor.

Combing through stats sites I can add BRM, Lancia, Ilmor, Judd, Bugatti, Dallara and Penske to the lists of "Never won the Triple Crown, but had some success." I finally struck gold!


De Tomaso (who else?)

Le Mans: 1972 DNF (Engine)
Indy 500: 1964 - DNQ
Monaco GP: 1962 - DNS, 1963 - DNS, 1970 - DNF

While its easy (and commonplace) to take shots at De Tomaso, they are actually one of the few to enter all three with both chassis and engine of their own design. (EDIT: Sort of. The Pantera had a 351 Ford in it, but the Group 4 cars had trick heads, intake, etc that were bespoke.)
And the noise that Pantera made down Mulsanne? Glorious.


Also for the purposes of thoroughness, Mario is correct, Scarab never ran at Indy. They likewise never showed up to Le Mans, although they are floating around on a few entry lists with that Buick powered sports car they built. Doesn't really mean anything, but it is the type of thing that would have been noted on the team profiles back on the old site.

So far we have 24 constructors that attempted all three races and 4 that ran two out of three (5 if we count Scarab's Le Mans "plans"). That's honestly more than I expected.

[mario]

I think I may have FINALLY found a Triple Crown Reject Constructor.

Combing through stats sites I can add BRM, Lancia, Ilmor, Judd, Bugatti, Dallara and Penske to the lists of "Never won the Triple Crown, but had some success." I finally struck gold!


De Tomaso (who else?)

Le Mans: 1972 DNF (Engine)
Indy 500: 1964 - DNQ
Monaco GP: 1962 - DNS, 1963 - DNS, 1970 - DNF

While its easy (and commonplace) to take shots at De Tomaso, they are actually one of the few to enter all three with both chassis and engine of their own design. (EDIT: Sort of. The Pantera had a 351 Ford in it, but the Group 4 cars had trick heads, intake, etc that were bespoke.)
And the noise that Pantera made down Mulsanne? Glorious.


Also for the purposes of thoroughness, Mario is correct, Scarab never ran at Indy. They likewise never showed up to Le Mans, although they are floating around on a few entry lists with that Buick powered sports car they built. Doesn't really mean anything, but it is the type of thing that would have been noted on the team profiles back on the old site.

So far we have 24 constructors that attempted all three races and 4 that ran two out of three (5 if we count Scarab's Le Mans "plans"). That's honestly more than I expected.

Do you have a source for the reference that De Tomaso attempted to qualify for the 1964 Indy 500? I've been looking for that one, but can't find a reference for it.

With regards to Le Mans, it seems that there were actually a few different De Tomaso's entered over the years. The 1972 race seems to have had five cars entered, four of which qualified for the race (a private entry by Claude Dubois, two entered by Escuderia Montjuïch and a fourth by the Société Franco-Brittanic). The Escuderia Montjuïch and Société Franco-Brittanic cars are listed as retiring due to engine failures, but Claude Dubois's car was classified in 16th place overall and 2nd in the GTS +5.0 litre class.

There are further entries listed for 1974 (one car by the Wicky Racing Team, recorded as a DNF with an engine failure 4 hours in), 1975 (another single car by Claude Dubois, listed as finishing in 16th again, but only 9th in class that time, whilst the Beurlys Inter Auto team entered one car that retired 9 hours in with a head gasket failure), 1979 (one car by Carlo Pietromarchi, although he was disqualified for not covering enough distance) and finally 1994 (ADA Engineering entered one car, which was not classified due to covering insufficient distance).

Now, in most of those cases, the cars either retired or finished low enough down the field that they would normally be considered a reject. However, Claude Dubois's car from 1972 does present a little bit of an issue - do we go by the overall classification of 16th place, or should we go by the class classification of 2nd in class?

If we are to draw an analogy with drivers, then the argument would seem to point towards using the overall classification, rather than victory within their class at Le Mans. The example there would be Mario Andretti, as he is generally held to have won two parts of the "Triple Crown" if you go by Graham Hill's original definition of the "Triple Crown" - winning the WDC in 1978 and the 1969 Indianapolis 500 - but usually isn't considered to have won Le Mans.

However, it is worth noting that, in 1995, Mario Andretti was one of the drivers in the Courage C34 that finished 2nd overall at Le Mans, but was the class winner for the prototype category. If we go by the rule that it has to be overall classification and not the classification within their class, then De Tomaso would be a reject.

[Bobby Doorknobs]

Do you have a source for the reference that De Tomaso attempted to qualify for the 1964 Indy 500? I've been looking for that one, but can't find a reference for it.

There are some details here:

Like so many drivers and designers, the Indianapolis 500 fascinated de Tomaso. In 1964 he wanted his cars to compete there, so he built one just for "The Brickyard". Power came from a Ford V8 mounted in the rear of the car, but more interesting was the body layout. The front end of the car was cast in a single piece of magnesium by Campagnolo, with double walls, with the intervening space serving as a fuel tank. The car was shipped to the USA on July 27, 1963 for testing at the Oval, but that's the last we heard of it. It did not attempt to qualify for the 1964 race. Another one off was an F3 car shown in 1963. Similar to the Indy car the engine was part of the chassis structure, a device De Tomaso was to use on most of his future models.

Apparently it was commissioned by John Mecom Jr. who, among other accomplishments, would run Graham Hill's 1966-winning entry. While this doesn't necessarily rule out an appearance on at least a provisional entry list, I've found no evidence that it did.

[Wallio]

The De Tomaso did practice some in 1964, (and is listed in places as having tested some in late 1963), so since it ran on track during May '64 is why I counted it. Indy's rather convoluted qualifying system most years, plus the fact that the track was open for running for an entire month, makes things harder to quantify (most Indy yearbooks list entries and each days cars on track for practice).

That said, the Bubois car at Le Mans would rule them out anyway. I counted class wins for Lotus and Honda, so it's only fair to count class finishes for unrejectification as well.

Back to the drawing board.

[Wallio]

Additional research has shown that Zakspeed nearly made the list. Their F1 efforts are well known, but they ran the C100 prototype program for Ford (eventually turning it into the C1/4 and C1/8) but were credited only with a DNS at Le Mans 81, before racing pretty much every continental sports car race EXCEPT Le Mans from '82-'86. They later partnered with Forysthe Racing for a single car effort in CART in 2001, but this being the height of "The Split" they did not run at Indy. So while rejectful, they are not actually rejects.


Eagle/AAR - also has a rather odd, meandering path to our list. Dan Gurney's marque won Indy 3 times, and won the Belgian Grand Prix (although is in fact a reject at Monaco), however their factory-backed Toyota GTPs were never allowed to run Le Mans, despite the large crossover that Group C and GTP saw. However, the answer may in fact lie in internal politics. As for when the team was riding high with the Eagle Mark III, winning 14 straight races (with eight of them being 1-2 finishes, and two others being 1-3s) Toyota categorically refused to allow the team to race at Road America '93, for as Dan Gurney put it in an interview "no reason that they ever bothered to tell me". The team was then "allowed" to run the final three rounds of the year, and scored three more 1-2 finishes. How rejectful is that "logic"?

We are now up to 24 constructors that ran all three, and 6 that ran two out of three (7 with an asterisk for Scarab). Next up on my rabbit hole is Gordini, although like De Tomaso, there is conflicting info on if they ever went to Indy.

[dr-baker]

Going off topic a bit, is there a rallying equivalent to the Triple Crown? I would imagine that it would be some something like Rally Monte Carlo, the Safari and the Dakar.

[mario]

Going off topic a bit, is there a rallying equivalent to the Triple Crown? I would imagine that it would be some something like Rally Monte Carlo, the Safari and the Dakar.

I might be mistaken, but it seems that there isn't an equivalent in rallying - most of the series that have an equivalent triple crown are based around closed circuits (such as endurance racing using Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring).

The ones you list are probably ones that most people would think of, but both the Dakar and the Safari events are very different to what they once were (with the Dakar having lost much of its connection to the original event and the length of the Safari rally has been significantly cut down to turn it into a standard WRC event).

[Row Man Gross-Gene]

Additional research has shown that Zakspeed nearly made the list. Their F1 efforts are well known, but they ran the C100 prototype program for Ford (eventually turning it into the C1/4 and C1/8) but were credited only with a DNS at Le Mans 81, before racing pretty much every continental sports car race EXCEPT Le Mans from '82-'86. They later partnered with Forysthe Racing for a single car effort in CART in 2001, but this being the height of "The Split" they did not run at Indy. So while rejectful, they are not actually rejects.


Eagle/AAR - also has a rather odd, meandering path to our list. Dan Gurney's marque won Indy 3 times, and won the Belgian Grand Prix (although is in fact a reject at Monaco), however their factory-backed Toyota GTPs were never allowed to run Le Mans, despite the large crossover that Group C and GTP saw. However, the answer may in fact lie in internal politics. As for when the team was riding high with the Eagle Mark III, winning 14 straight races (with eight of them being 1-2 finishes, and two others being 1-3s) Toyota categorically refused to allow the team to race at Road America '93, for as Dan Gurney put it in an interview "no reason that they ever bothered to tell me". The team was then "allowed" to run the final three rounds of the year, and scored three more 1-2 finishes. How rejectful is that "logic"?

We are now up to 24 constructors that ran all three, and 6 that ran two out of three (7 with an asterisk for Scarab). Next up on my rabbit hole is Gordini, although like De Tomaso, there is conflicting info on if they ever went to Indy.

Nice bunch of research there, very interesting to read, thanks.

[dr-baker]

Going off topic a bit, is there a rallying equivalent to the Triple Crown? I would imagine that it would be some something like Rally Monte Carlo, the Safari and the Dakar.

I might be mistaken, but it seems that there isn't an equivalent in rallying - most of the series that have an equivalent triple crown are based around closed circuits (such as endurance racing using Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring).

The ones you list are probably ones that most people would think of, but both the Dakar and the Safari events are very different to what they once were (with the Dakar having lost much of its connection to the original event and the length of the Safari rally has been significantly cut down to turn it into a standard WRC event).

Thank you for your reply mario.

[Wallio]

For what its worth, I have heard Finland mentioned as a "crown jewel" more than once. Although like Dakar and Safari, it has been changed quite a bit over the years.

[dr-baker]

For what its worth, I have heard Finland mentioned as a "crown jewel" more than once. Although like Dakar and Safari, it has been changed quite a bit over the years.

The 1000 Lakes i believe?

[Wallio]

For what its worth, I have heard Finland mentioned as a "crown jewel" more than once. Although like Dakar and Safari, it has been changed quite a bit over the years.

The 1000 Lakes i believe?

Correct. The old SPEEDTV shows used to call it "the gravel Grand Prix." Which is a cool moniker.