The Triple Crown of Motorsport is the unofficial title for the driver who wins the Indianapolis 500, the Monaco Grand Prix, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans across a career. Three races, three disciplines, three continents. Open-wheel oval, street-circuit Formula 1, and endurance sports car.
Only one driver has done it. Graham Hill, in 1972. Hill is the answer to the trivia question and the historical context for why the Triple Crown matters as a touchstone in motorsport.
For travelers planning around the Triple Crown, the practical question is which two of the three to plan around in a single year.
The three races
The Indianapolis 500 runs the Sunday before Memorial Day in May. The Monaco Grand Prix runs the same weekend in even more years than not. The 24 Hours of Le Mans runs the second weekend in June.
That is the trip-planning constraint. Indianapolis and Monaco are usually within a week of each other. Le Mans is three weeks later in France.
A traveler with the time and budget can do all three. Most travelers pick two.
Indy plus Monaco: the same-weekend double
The Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix have shared a Memorial Day weekend in alternating years. Both races on the same Sunday. The schedule is set so the Indianapolis race finishes before the Monaco race starts (or vice versa depending on the time zones).
For the dual-attendance buyer, the same-Sunday format is logistically impossible to attend both in person. The decision is which one you attend live and which one you watch on broadcast.
Most American travelers attend Indianapolis and watch Monaco. Most European travelers attend Monaco and watch Indianapolis. The buyer who wants both in person waits for the years when the calendars do not overlap perfectly and structures a Saturday-Indianapolis, fly-Monday, Sunday-Monaco schedule. That is rare.
The realistic Triple Crown trip
The most-recommended Triple Crown trip for premium American travelers is a Memorial Day Indianapolis 500 followed by a two-week European arc with Monaco in early June and Le Mans the following weekend.
The Indianapolis 500 anchors the American leg. Four nights in Indianapolis. Full Memorial Day weekend.
The flight from Indianapolis to Nice (the gateway airport for Monaco) is one stop, typically through New York or Paris. Most travelers arrive in Monaco mid-week and have several days to acclimate before race weekend.
Monaco itself is four nights. The featured Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo or the Hotel de Paris. Yacht hospitality if the budget supports it. Helicopter transfers from Nice cut the airport-to-hotel friction.
Le Mans is the third weekend. The drive from Monaco to Le Mans is long. Most premium travelers fly Monaco to Paris and drive Paris to Le Mans (two hours). Le Mans is four nights.
The full three-race trip is ten to twelve nights total. Budget-significant. The reward is the Triple Crown weekend.
What about the Le Mans alternative
For travelers who cannot extend through the second weekend in June, the realistic double is Indianapolis plus Monaco. Two races in three weeks. The Memorial Day weekend in Indianapolis followed by a recovery flight, then Monaco for early June.
This is the double Racing Passport plans most often.
The full Indianapolis trip page is at 2027 Indianapolis 500. The Monaco trip page is at 2027 Monaco Grand Prix. The Monaco planning guide is at How to Plan a Monaco Grand Prix Trip. The Indianapolis hub is at The 2027 Indianapolis 500 Buyer’s Bible.
What gets matched in the consultation
For Triple Crown buyers, the questions we work through are which races are non-negotiable, what is the time budget, what is the hotel preference at each venue, and which sequence works for the calendar year being planned.
The schedule of which races are in which months across the year is the starting constraint. The hotel inventory at Monaco and Indianapolis is the second constraint.
Bottom line
The Triple Crown of Motorsport is the unofficial title that has been won only once in history. For travelers, the more practical question is which two of the three to plan around in a year.
The Indianapolis 500 plus Monaco Grand Prix double is the most-planned. The full three-race trip is for the buyer with the time and budget to spend ten to twelve nights across a Memorial Day to mid-June arc.
Tell us which races matter and which sequence fits your year. The trip gets built around the situation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Triple Crown of Motorsport?
The Triple Crown of Motorsport is the unofficial title for any driver who wins the Indianapolis 500, the Monaco Grand Prix, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans across a career. The three races represent three different disciplines: open-wheel oval, Formula 1 street circuit, and endurance sports car.
Who has won the Triple Crown of Motorsport?
Graham Hill is the only driver in history to win all three races. He won the Monaco Grand Prix five times, the Indianapolis 500 in 1966, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1972. No driver has matched the achievement since.
Can I attend the Indy 500 and Monaco Grand Prix the same weekend?
No. The Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix typically share Memorial Day Sunday. The races run on the same day and across time zones it is logistically impossible to attend both in person. Most premium travelers attend one in person and watch the other on broadcast.
What is the best way to plan a Triple Crown trip?
The realistic Triple Crown trip is the Memorial Day weekend Indianapolis 500 followed by a European arc with Monaco in early June and Le Mans the following weekend. The full three-race itinerary is ten to twelve nights total. Most travelers plan two of the three in a single year instead.
Is Indianapolis plus Monaco worth doing as a double?
Yes. The two races book end the start of the F1 season and the peak of the IndyCar season. The flight connection from Indianapolis to Monaco via New York or Paris is manageable. Most premium American Triple Crown aspirants plan the Indy plus Monaco double across a year.
When does the 24 Hours of Le Mans run?
The 24 Hours of Le Mans runs the second weekend in June each year. The race itself runs from mid-afternoon Saturday to mid-afternoon Sunday at Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France. The race weekend is four days for premium attendance.