Jacky Ickx

Jacques Bernard (Jacky) Ickx, (born January 1, 1945 in Brussels) is a Belgian racing driver known for his success in Formula One and his six wins in the 24 hours of Le Mans.

Endurance racing career

In 1966, Ickx teamed up with Hubert Hahne in a BMW 2000TI to win the SPA 24 Hours endurance race in his native Belgium.

Related Topics:
Hubert Hahne - SPA 24 Hours

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In 1969 Jacky Ickx raced in the 24 hours of Le Mans for the first time. This race also saw the first appearance of the Porsche 917 in Le Mans, which was regarded by far as the favorite. The Ford GT-40 that Ickx drove with Jackie Oliver appeared at that time as an obsolete car, outperformed by the new Porsche 917 but also by the older Porsche 908 and the Ferrari, Matra and Alfa-Romeo.

Related Topics:
24 hours of Le Mans - Porsche 917 - Ford GT-40 - Jackie Oliver - Porsche 908

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As Ickx was opposed to the traditional Le Mans start which he considered to be dangerous, he slowly walked across the track to his machine, instead of running. He locked the safety belt carefully and thus was the last to start the race, chasing the field. In lap one, a tragic event proved that Ickx was right: private driver John Woolfe had a fatal accident in his new and powerful 917. He had not taken time to belt himself in.

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During the race the Porsche 917 proved unreliable, and none were to finish. The last four hours of the race turned into a duel between the Porsche 908 of Hans Herrmann/Larrouse and the Ford GT-40 of Ickx/Oliver. In the last hour, Ickx and Herrmann continuously leapfrogged each other, the Porsche being faster on the straights due to less aerodynamic drag, while being passed again under braking as the brake pads were worn and the team reckoned there was no enough time left to change them. Ickx won the race by the smallest of competitive margins ever, with less than 120 yards between the two cars, despite having lost a bigger distance intentionally at the start. He also won his case for safety, as in 1970, all drivers could start the race sitting in their cars with the belts tightened properly.

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In later years, Ickx won a record 6 times at the 24h race at Le Mans, becoming known as "Monsieur Le Mans". In 2005, Tom Kristensen passed him with 7 victories overall, but most of these came within consecutive years and the same superior car and team of Audi.

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From 1976 on, he was a factory driver for Porsche and their new turbocharged race cars, the 935 and especially the 936 sports car, which he drove to wins in Le Mans 3 times. These drives, as well as the losing effort in 1978, often in the rain and at night, were some of the finest ever. The win in 1982 came with the new and superior 956 model, though, which carrie dhim to two title as world-champion of endurance racing, in 1982 and 1983.

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In 1983, Ickx was the team leader at Porsche, but a new team mate was faster than him: young German Stefan Bellof set new lap records at the Nürburgring in the last ever sportscar race held on the original configuration of Ickx favourite track. As it turned out, Ickx and Bellof would become involved in controversional events later on.

Related Topics:
Stefan Bellof - Nürburgring

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In 1984, Ickx acted as F1 race director in Monaco, and red-flagged the race due to rain, when leader Alain Prost in a Porsche-powered McLaren was about to be caught by a young Ayrton Senna. Also, Stefan Bellof had started from the back of the grid, as his underpowered Tyrell-Cosworth could not provide extra boost in qualifying like the turbos of all others. Yet, in the wet race, he managed to pass many others and was on pace for catching both Senna and Prost when Ickx decided to stop the race. That saved the win for Prost, but due to the short distance covered over all, only half the points for the win were awarded (4.5), less than for a second place in a full race (6). Ironically, at the end, Prost lost the 1984 championship to Lauda by half a point!

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In 1985, Ickx was involved in a tragedy. Bellof raced a private Porsche while waiting to join the Ferrari F1 team in 1986, which had promised him a seat after his performance in Monaco, similar to what they had done for Lauda after he outclassed Ickx there in 1973. At Spa, Ickx hometrack, the young German in the private Porsche of Brun tried to lap the experienced Belgian in the factory car. In Eau Rouge, it seemed that Ickx left a gap and Stefan squeezed into it. Both cars collided and crashed, with Bellof getting killed, while Ickx walked away.

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Ickx also co-drove to victory with Allan Moffatt at the 1977 Hardie Ferodo Bathurst 1000 in Australia, became champion of CAN-AM in 1979, and won the Rally Paris-Dakar in 1983 for Porsche.

Related Topics:
Allan Moffatt - 1977 - Bathurst 1000 - Rally Paris-Dakar

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24 hours of Le Mans victories

• 1969 - Jacky Ickx / Jackie Oliver (Ford GT-40)
• 1975 - Jacky Ickx / Derek Bell (Mirage GR8)
• 1976 - Jacky Ickx / Gijs van Lennep (Porsche 936)
• 1977 - Jacky Ickx / Hurley Haywood / Jürgen Barth (Porsche 936)
• 1981 - Jacky Ickx / Derek Bell (Porsche 936)
• 1982 - Jacky Ickx / Derek Bell (Porsche 956)

Other races

• Paris-Dakar Rally