The Triple Crown of Motorsport consists of the three most prestigious races in the world: the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Juan Pablo Montoya won Monaco in 2003 and the Indianapolis 500 twice, but still needs Le Mans. Looks like Porsche may step in and help with that.
Porsche has been one of the dominant forces in the World Endurance Championship this year, winning Le Mans and recently taking the lead in both the WEC manufacturers’ and drivers’ championships. It looks like they may have at least one seat open for next year, given that 2015 driver Nico Hülkenberg has an F1 race provisionally scheduled for the same weekend.
Enter reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya. Everyone knew a test with the Porsche Le Mans prototype squad was imminent after he was a guest of the Porsche team during the WEC round at Circuit of the Americas, and it’s now official.
Porsche released a photo of Montoya undergoing a seat fitting in their number 19 car, which is the number given to the third “Le Mans Special” entry that Hülkenberg drove this year. The team reports that he will be participating in the November 22 test at Bahrain.
Daily Sportscar reports that the only conflict between the Le Mans schedule and IndyCar’s is the Le Mans Test Day, which is scheduled for the same time as the IndyCar Belle Isle Grand Prix. However, this isn’t a dealbreaker. Montoya could participate in the Belle Isle weekend and log his required number of laps for Le Mans during Free Practice instead.
Juan Pablo Montoya is the only racer still active that has completed two of the three legs of the Triple Crown of Motorsport. While it’s somewhat of an unofficial achievement, it’s a legendary one. Graham Hill is the only racer to have ever pulled it off, and it’s about time someone else joined Hill’s record.
Photo credit: Porsche (from when JPM was a guest at COTA)
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