Who is motorsports greatest all rounder?

[cider_and_toast]

We've had many discussions that involve finding who's the best at various things but I don't recall us ever having one on who the best all rounder in motorsport has ever been. In the modern era, current drivers usually don't have the time or are not allowed by contract to do anything other than the series they are currently in. Having said that, there are many drivers who have tried there hands at other classes of motorsport other than the one they were most known for.

If we get enough different nominations we can put it to a poll to see who we believe to be the greatest all round racer.

My nomination is John Surtees. Everyone knows that JS was the first guy to win on two wheels and four but that dosn't tell the full story. Here's a quick list of his achievements.

1958,59,60 350cc Motorcycle World Champ
1956,58,59,60 500cc Motorcycle World Champ
1963 Sebring 12hrs winner
1964 Formula one World Champion
1964 Le Mans 3rd Place
1966 Can-Am Champion.

That is an impressive list of achievements by anyones standards.

 

[Brogan]

Jim Clark can be added to the list of nominees I suspect.

1960 - 24 Hours of Le Mans 3rd place
1963, 1965 - F1 World Drivers' Champion
1964 - British Touring Car Championship Champion
1965 - Indianapolis 500 Winner
1965, 1967, 1968 - Tasman Series Cup Winner

 

[Speshal]

Damn you both, read the topic and thought of Surtees - dang

Right, what about Jim Clark - dang -

So, I'm going for Valentino Rossi :?: Just for his exploits on 2 wheels really but he'll give anything a go.

That, and I can't really think of anymore aside from Tony Marsh

 

[Matthew Little]

Add Mario Andretti's name to that list..............

--4 Indycar Championships: 1965, 1966, 1969, 1984
--1969 Indianapolis 500 winner
--1967 Daytona 500 winner
--1978 Formula 1 World Champion
--1972 Rolex 24 at Daytona winner
--3 12 Hours of Sebring wins: 1967, 1970, 1972
--2nd overall, 1995 24 Hours of LeMans
--52 race wins in USAC/CART
--12 Formula 1 race wins

 

[Brogan]

I never realised Mario Andretti had won so much in so many different series

 

[Galahad]

I'd like to nominate Vic Elford...he can't match Mario for titles but could and did turn his hand to literally any type of racing car:

1967 European Rally Champion
1967 "Le Marathon de la Route" winner (84-hour race on the combined Nurburgring Nordschleife/Sudschleife)
1968 Monte Carlo Rallye Winner
1968 Daytona 24 Hours Winner (first 24h victory for Porsche)
1968 Targa Florio Winner
1968, 1970, 1971 1000kms Nurburgring winner
1968 Fourth on Grand Prix debut
1969 NASCAR Daytona 500 (finished 11th)
1970 Le Mans 24H pole position & fastest lap - First driver to lap Le Mans at 150mph (Porsche 917)
1970 2 Can-Am pole positions in Chaparral 2J "sucker car"
1971 Sebring 12 Hours winner
1973 Le Mans GTS Class winner (Ferrari Daytona)

 

[FB]

Matthew beat me to Andretti but he did miss out that Mario won at Pikes Peak in 1969. Anyway, can I offer Jacky Ickx:

8 Grand Prix wins
6 times winner of Le Mans
Can-Am Champion in 1979
Paris Dakar Rally winner 1983
Bathurst 1000 winner

So Ickx has won in open wheel racing cars, touring cars, sports cars and rally cars, a real all-rounder.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Which reminds me. To add to Jim Clarks achievements, he did lead a stage of the British Rally in his Lotus Cortina and was regarded by rally regulars as a natural who could have won that year. Unfortunatly he went off the road and totalled the car.

 

[teabagyokel]

Can I nominate Matthew Little? He contributes so much to the General Motorsport forum...