A legend in his own right, winning the Masters remained the last tournament to clinch golf’s grand slam. In doing so, he joined the sport’s elites.
Before winning the Masters, McIlroy’s career was characterised by early career success. The Irishman was a prodigious talent who won the PGA Championship, the US Open, and the British Open in his 20s.
It was 11 years between major tournament wins for McIlroy.
You may be wondering, why is a motorsport rag writing about golf? And not even the Volkswagen kind.
Well, it got this author thinking, what moments in motorsport match McIlroy’s drought-breaking and career-defining triumph? Moments that stand out alone from the rest of their success and moments that came after long dry spells.
Here are just a few McIlroy-esque moments.
Reynolds and Erebus win Bathurst
Before winning the 2017 Bathurst 1000, David Reynolds and Betty Klimenko’s Erebus Motorsport both had careers buoyed by early success, much like McIlroy.
Reynolds won the national Formula Ford title and Carrera Cup while Erebus won the Bathurst 12 Hour and Australian GT crowns.
Both went through a lean patch before claiming the ultimate scalp. Reynolds’ Bathurst 1000 win remains his career-defining moment and to that point, the same was true for Erebus.
The team has since gone on to win the drivers’ championship with Brodie Kostecki in 2023 and the Bathurst 1000 with Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood in 2024.
The scenes of that 2017 triumph are still the most iconic for Reynolds and perhaps more so for Klimenko, whose teary celebrations came five years after joining the championship with Mercedes – a journey that was fraught from the outset.
Indy poster boy Newgarden wins the 500
You might be reading this wondering why this author didn’t pick Will Power’s 2018 Indianapolis 500 win. The Australian had to wait almost just as long as Josef Newgarden to win his first.
Perhaps it’s only because of the weight of expectation. Just like Power, Newgarden won his first IndyCar title in his sixth season as a full-timer.
Newgarden quickly became IndyCar’s poster boy as the top American driver against some of the world’s best – Simon Pagenaud, Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, and Power – and arguably usurped the 100th Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi.
Year after year, the Indianapolis 500 win eluded Newgarden. Power won it in 2018 and then Pagenaud won in 2019. Every year, Newgarden went to Indy among the favourites.
Try as he might, the win wouldn’t come — until 2023 in the most extraordinary circumstances in a one-lap dash with Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Ericsson.
The outpouring of emotion was a sight to behold as Newgarden climbed through the fence and up into the grandstand to celebrate with fans.
Perhaps more remarkable was going back-to-back after 11 luckless tries.
Ricciardo’s final Formula 1 win
Hailed as a future world champion, Daniel Ricciardo never quite reached the pinnacle of winning the F1 title.
A lot like McIlroy, Ricciardo stunned early in his career. He beat Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull and looked destined for success.
But five years at Red Bull never bore the fruits of a world championship win, so off he went to Renault – an ill-fated spell that lasted just two years before heading to McLaren.
Winning the Italian Grand Prix ended a 66-race drought – the seventh longest gap between wins of all-time – and rekindled the fire in the Honey Badger’s belly.
Ricciardo’s time at McLaren really is a tale of two polar-opposite seasons. Off the back of a breakthrough 2021, the 2022 season promised a lot. His meagre 37 points paled in comparison to teammate Lando Norris and he was ousted.
Still, the scenes of that famous Monza win will live long in the memories of those who stayed up late to watch one of the most chaotic races that year.
“I never left,” Ricciardo remarked on the radio. Famous last words?
Van Gisbergen breaks Bathurst duck
When Shane van Gisbergen finally won the Bathurst 1000 in 2020, it ended a decade of heartache.
He came close in 2014, famously losing his grip on the race during the final pit stop when his Holden VF Commodore stalled and wouldn’t start again. Then, in 2017, he threw it off the road in the wet at The Chase while storming through the field for what felt like a likely win.
With victory in his 14th start, van Gisbergen put himself fifth for drivers with the most starts before winning the Bathurst 1000 behind Paul Morris (22), Luke Youlden (18), Lee Holdsworth (18) and Allan Grice (17).
His breakthrough win was bittersweet, however. With fans effectively banned from the event due to COVID-19 measures, he won on a quiet Mount Panorama. Fortunately, he’d have the privilege of winning in front of a full crowd in 2022.
Schumacher’s first of five with Ferrari
When Michael Schumacher joined Ferrari fresh off back-to-back titles with Benetton, expectations were high.
The German had one task. Take the Scuderia to the top and end a drought dating back to Jody Scheckter’s 1979 world championship.
Schumacher would have to wait for the new millennium to return to the top of the world.
The 2000 title began a career-defining run of success, ultimately taking him to seven world championships.
WRC wunderkind a bridesmaid no more
Thierry Neuville spent the best part of a decade in the shadow of WRC legend Sebastien Ogier.
The Frenchman dominated the 2010s and 2020s, winning eight world championships between Volkswagen, Ford, and Toyota.
From 2013 to 2019, Neuville was the bridesmaid on five occasions. Even in Ogier’s absence, the Belgian struggled to get that elusive first world title.
Finally, in 2024, Neuville won, beating Toyota’s Elfyn Evans and his Hyundai teammate Ott Tanak.
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