On the 29th of May 2011, the Indianapolis 500 celebrated its centenary. The 16th and 17th June will mark the 80th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and at Sebring this Saturday March 17th the Sebring 12 hours celebrates its sixtieth anniversary. Three birthdays for a rare triple crown that only two Americans have conquered: AJ Foyt and Dan Gurney.

First four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, Anthony Joseph "AJ" Foyt is the only driver in the history of motorsport to have won the Indy 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the same year (1967). In 1985 he added the 12 Hours of Sebring to his list of victories, with Frenchman Bob Wollek (Porsche 962). He added the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1967, AJ Foyt sharing the wheel of the Ford Mk IV #1 with his compatriot Dan Gurney. He had already won at Sebring in 1959, driving a Ferrari 250 TR, and already had nine appearances at Le Mans. The tenth was the charm, and the key to a record: the first to exceed 5,000km travelled in the 24 hours.

Although he has never won as a driver in Indianapolis, Dan Gurney had three successes as a builder with his Eagle chassis (1968-1973-1975), and two consecutive wins at Sebring (1992-1993), with the Eagle-Toyota MK III to Juan Manuel Fangio II and Andy Wallace. At nearly 81 years old (he will on April 13), Dan Gurney is now involved with his organization AAR (All American Racers) in the DeltaWing project, expected at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and that will be demonstrated on Thursday 15th March at Sebring, in the wake of the announcement of its partnership with Nissan.