Jacky Ickx facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jacky Ickx
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Ickx in 2018
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| Born |
Jacques Bernard Edmon Martin Henri Ickx
1 January 1945 Brussels, Belgium
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| Spouse(s) |
Catherine Blaton
(m. 1970; div. 1980)
Khadja Nin
(m. 2006) |
| Children | 5, including Vanina |
| Relatives | Pascal Ickx (brother) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Belgian |
| Active years | 1966–1979 |
| Teams | Tyrrell, Cooper, Ferrari, Brabham, McLaren, Frank Williams, Lotus, Wolf–Williams, Ensign, Ligier |
| Entries | 122 (116 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 8 |
| Podiums | 25 |
| Career points | 181 |
| Pole positions | 13 |
| Fastest laps | 14 |
| First entry | 1966 German Grand Prix |
| First win | 1968 French Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1972 German Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1979 United States Grand Prix |
| World Sportscar Championship career | |
| Years active | 1966–1979, 1982–1985 |
| Teams | Francorchamps, Ford, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Ligier, BMW, Kauhsen, Gulf, Martini, Porsche |
| Starts | 124 |
| Championships | 2 (1982, 1983) |
| Wins | 39 |
| Podiums | 71 |
| Poles | 23 |
| Fastest laps | 22 |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 1966–1967, 1969–1970, 1973, 1975–1983, 1985 |
| Teams | Ford, Ferrari, Gulf, Porsche, Martini |
| Best finish | 1st (1969, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1982) |
| Class wins | 6 (1969, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1982) |
Jacky Ickx (born 1 January 1945) is a famous Belgian former racing driver. He competed in Formula One races from 1966 to 1979. Jacky Ickx finished second twice in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1969 and 1970. He won eight Grand Prix races during his 14 seasons.
In endurance racing, Ickx won two World Endurance Championships with Porsche. He is also a six-time winner of the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race. He also won the 12 Hours of Sebring twice. In rallying, Ickx won the Paris–Dakar Rally in 1983 with Mercedes.
Contents
Early Life and Racing Start
Jacky Ickx was born on January 1, 1945, in Brussels, Belgium. His father, Jacques Ickx, was a motoring journalist. This introduced Jacky to the world of motorsports. However, he only became truly interested when his father bought him a small 50 cc Zündapp motorcycle.
He started racing motorcycles in both road racing and motorcycle trials. In 1962, he won a 50 cc road race. The next year, he showed great talent by winning the Belgian 50 cc trials national championship. He won two more titles in trials racing.
After motorcycles, he switched to touring car racing. In 1965, he won his national saloon car championship. He also won the Spa 24 Hours race in 1966, driving a BMW 2000TI. He also gained experience in sports car racing by competing in 1000 km races at the Nürburgring.
Formula One Career
First Races (1966–1967)
Jacky Ickx entered his first Grand Prix race in 1966 at the Nürburgring. He drove a Matra Formula Two car. Sadly, he had a collision on the first lap with another driver, which forced both cars to retire.
In 1967, Ickx raced at the Nürburgring again in a Formula Two car. Even though Formula One cars were more powerful, only two drivers were faster than him in qualifying. He started behind all the Formula One cars. But within four laps, he had passed 12 of them! He had to stop racing after 12 laps because of a broken suspension.
Later in 1967, he made his official Formula One debut at Monza. He drove for Cooper and finished sixth, even with a flat tire on the last lap.
Driving for Ferrari (1968)
In 1968, Ickx joined Ferrari in Formula One. After two early retirements, he finished third at his home race in Belgium. At the French Grand Prix in heavy rain, he won his first Formula One race!
He also finished third in Britain and fourth in Germany. In Germany, he drove almost the whole race in heavy rain without his helmet visor. He finished third again at Monza. Later, he broke his left leg during practice in Canada and missed two races. He returned for the last race in Mexico. Ickx finished fourth in the 1968 championship.
Moving to Brabham (1969)
In 1969, Ickx moved to the Brabham team. His first races were not great. But when his teammate, Jack Brabham, broke his foot, Ickx's results got much better. He finished third in France and second in Great Britain.
He then won races in Canada and Germany. In Germany, he also got pole position and the fastest lap. This was the last Formula One race at the Nürburgring before it was made safer. Ickx finished second in the championship that year, behind Jackie Stewart. He decided to return to Ferrari for the 1970 season.
Back with Ferrari (1970–1973)
The 1970 season started tough for Ickx. In Spain, his car caught fire after a crash, and he was hospitalized with burns. After 17 days, he was back in his car for the Monaco Grand Prix.
At the German Grand Prix, he battled Jochen Rindt for the win and finished a close second. Ickx then won the Austrian Grand Prix. Later that year, Jochen Rindt sadly died in a qualifying accident. Ickx was the only driver who could still win the championship. He won in Canada and Mexico, but it wasn't enough to pass Rindt's points total. Ickx later said he was glad he didn't win the championship that year, as he didn't want to win against someone who couldn't compete anymore.
In 1971, Ickx and Ferrari were expected to do well. But Jackie Stewart and his new Tyrrell team won the championship. Ickx won at Zandvoort in the rain. He had many retirements that year. He did challenge Stewart again at his favorite track, the Nürburgring. Ickx loved this long, difficult track, while Stewart called it the 'Green Hell' and pushed for safety changes.
In 1972, Ickx stayed with Ferrari. He finished second in Spain and Monaco. His last Formula One win came at the Nürburgring, where he showed his great driving skill.
By 1973, the Ferrari car was no longer competitive. Ickx left the team halfway through the season. He then drove for McLaren in the German Grand Prix and finished third. He also drove for Williams in the US Grand Prix.
Time with Lotus (1974–1975)
In 1974, Ickx joined Team Lotus. This was a tough period for him. Lotus had trouble with their new car. Ickx only managed one third-place finish in Brazil. He showed he was still the "Rain Master" by winning a non-championship race in the rain at Brands Hatch.
His season got worse after Brazil, with many retirements. He did recover some form later, finishing third in the British Grand Prix. He also had a great drive in the German Grand Prix. However, 1975 was even more difficult for Lotus. Ickx left the team halfway through the season, though he did get a second place in a chaotic race in Spain.
Later Career (1976–1979)
It seemed like Ickx's Formula One career was ending. In 1976, he started with Wolf–Williams Racing. After three races, he moved to Walter Wolf Racing. Their car was not very competitive. He failed to qualify for races four times, which was new for him.
Later in 1976, he switched to the Ensign team. In the Dutch Grand Prix, he drove very fast, setting the third fastest lap. But his engine broke down near the end. After a bad crash in the US Grand Prix, Ickx raced only sometimes.
In 1979, he ended his Formula One career with Ligier. He filled in for an injured driver and finished fifth and sixth in two races. However, he found the new "ground effect" cars difficult to drive. He retired from Formula One with eight wins, 13 pole positions, and 25 podium finishes.
Endurance Racing Career
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In 1966, Ickx won the Spa 24 Hours race in Belgium. In 1967, he won the 1000km of Spa. In 1968, he won the Brands Hatch six-hour endurance race. He would win the Brands Hatch race three more times in later years.
Ickx won his first 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1969. The favorite car that year was the Porsche 917. Ickx drove an older Ford GT40. He was against the traditional Le Mans start, where drivers ran across the track to their cars. He walked slowly to his car and carefully buckled his seatbelt, starting last. On the first lap, a private driver who hadn't buckled up had a fatal accident.
During the race, the Porsche 917s had problems and none finished. The last four hours were a close battle between Ickx's Ford GT40 and a Porsche 908. Ickx won by a very small distance. His stand for safety also worked: from 1970, all drivers could start the race sitting in their cars with seatbelts on.
Ickx went on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans a record six times, earning him the nickname "Monsieur Le Mans." Three of his wins were with Derek Bell, forming a legendary team. This record stood until 2005.
From 1976, he became a factory driver for Porsche. He drove their new turbocharged race cars, the 935 and 936, winning Le Mans three more times. His driving in these races, especially in the rain and at night, was amazing. Ickx considers his 1977 Le Mans win his favorite. His car had problems, so he was moved to another Porsche 936 that was in 42nd place. Ickx drove incredibly, making up lost laps to lead the race. Even with a mechanical problem that forced him to drive with one cylinder off, he won the race.
He won two World Endurance Championships in 1982 and 1983 with Porsche. In 1983, a younger teammate, Stefan Bellof, was faster than Ickx. Ickx retired from professional circuit racing at the end of 1985 after a serious accident involving another driver.
Other Racing Adventures
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Ickx also won the 1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 race in Australia with Allan Moffat. He was the last first-time driver to win that race until 2011. He won in a Ford XC Falcon touring car, even though he had only practiced for a few days in a car he had never driven before.
In 1979, Ickx won the newly reborn Can-Am series. He beat strong competitors like Keke Rosberg. Ickx won the series easily.
He also entered the 1969 Daytona 500 stock car race. But he crashed his car during practice and couldn't race.
After retiring from professional circuit racing, he continued to compete in the Paris-Dakar Rally. He even raced with his daughter, Vanina, in later years. He won the event in 1983, driving a Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
Today, Jacky Ickx still appears at historic racing events. He often drives for Porsche and Ferrari. He also works as the Clerk of the Course for the Monaco Grand Prix. He lives in Brussels.
Awards and Honors
Jacky Ickx has received many awards and honors for his racing career:
- RACB Belgian driver's champion: 1967-1974, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982 (a record!)
- Belgian National Sports Merit Award: 1968
- Belgian Sportsman of the Year: 1982
- ACO Spirit of Le Mans trophy: 2004
- He was named an 'Honorary Citizen of Le Mans' in 2000, the first sports person to receive this honor.
- He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2002.
- In 2019, Porsche made a special edition car, the Carrera 4S Belgian Legend Edition, to celebrate his 75th birthday.
- He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2020.
Personal Life
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Jacky Ickx is married to the singer Khadja Nin. They were guests at the wedding of Prince Albert of Monaco in 2011. Ickx has lived in Monaco since the early 1980s.
His father, Jacques Ickx, and older brother, Pascal Ickx, were also racing drivers. His daughter, Vanina Ickx, has also followed in his footsteps and become a racing driver.
Images for kids
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Ickx in 2018
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Ickx at the 1968 Dutch Grand Prix.
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Jacky Ickx's Ferrari 312B2 (1971/72)
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Ickx in his Ferrari at the 1971 Dutch Grand Prix
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Ickx at the 1974 Race of Champions
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Ickx's Ford GT40, winner of the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans
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Ferrari 512S: Ickx drove this model during the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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Ickx in 1975 at Spa
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Ickx driving a Ferrari 312PB at the Nürburgring in 1973
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Ickx's Rothmans Porsche 956
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Ford XC Falcon Hardtop Group C race car - Moffat/Ickx 1977 Hardie Ferodo 1000 race winning car
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Ickx on a 1971 Stamp of Ajman
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Ickx in 2007
See also
In Spanish: Jacky Ickx para niños
- Formula One drivers from Belgium
- List of 24 Hours of Le Mans winners
