Back when Valentino Rossi was contemplating a career in Formula 1 there were immediate comparisons to John Surtees. The Englishman won seven world championships on motorcycles, and followed them up with a Formula 1 world championship for Ferrari in 1964. Often lost in the praise for Surtees’ two wheel and four wheel success is the career of Joe Leonard.The California native won the AMA Grand National championship in 1954, 1956 and 1957. When he finished his two wheel career in 1961 he had taken the checkered flag 27 times. Twice in the Daytona 200. He made the move to four wheels in 1962, and got his first ride in the IndyCar series in 1964. Leonard made quick progress, and was good enough to run A.J. Foyt’s second car at the 1967 Indianapolis 500 and finish third.
The 1968 season saw Leonard at Indianapolis in one of Andy Granatelli’s controversial turbine cars. Parnelli Jones had driven the first version of the car at Indianapolis in 1967. Jones had led the race for 171 laps, and was leading with four laps to go when a mechanical problem ended his run. The 1968 turbine car was an aerodynamic wedge designed by Colin Chapman and the Lotus design team. Leonard qualified the car on the pole, but dropped out while leading with nine laps to go. The only person to have come so close to winning both the Daytona 200 and the Indianapolis 500. Leonard finished third at Indianapolis in 1972, but he would never again contend for a win in the big race.
He did continue to get good rides in the series as a teammate to Al Unser on the dominant Johnny Lightning team, and then on the so-called Superteam with Al Unser and Mario Andretti. Leonard completed his two wheel/four wheel double by winning the IndyCar championship in 1971 and 1972. No mean feat considering A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti and both Bobby and Al Unser were all in their prime.
