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ICKX, JACKY 

Starts:116

Points: 181

Wins:8

Poles:13

Fastest Laps:14

Born 1/1/1945, Brussels, Belgium

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Ickx was very much an accomplished driver from the word go, having won the over 1600 cc class of the European Touring Car Championship early in his career, in 1965, and acquainting himself really well driving for Ken Tyrrell's Formula 2 team in 1966. He was already experienced beyond his years, having been Belgian motorcycle trial's champion for 3-years running, but besides this, his talent was of grand enormity, especially on the wet. Surely a future world champion, most would say. Ickx' talent was very obvious at the Nurburgring, so it was only fitting that this is where he debuted in Formula 1, in 1966, driving in the F-2 section of the race. He retired, but the next year, he simply humiliated the Formula 1 opposition, by posting 3rd fastest time in a 1.6 Formula 2 Matra. In the race things did not go down that well, but he was soon signed by Cooper, to drive in Italy and the US. Ickx scored his first point in Italy, 1967, driving the heavy Maserati engined Cooper. Ickx won the first European Formula 2 championship in 1967, his first World Championship of Makes race that same year (in SPA) and was readily hired by Ferrari for Formula 1. Ickx did extremely well, including a race win in the wet in France, his first pole position, and for a time, looked like a contender, until an accident intervened. Even so, he did better than highly acclaimed teammate Amon. For 69, Brabham outsmarted Ferrari, and Ickx did extremely well, finishing runner-up in the championship. He was unable to keep up with Jackie Stewart, but had added two additional wins. Ferrari managed to rehire Ickx for 1970, and although the team had a shaky first half of the season, it was the class of the field in the second, with Ickx winning three times and almost winning the title from the deceased Jochen Rindt. Much would still come from this driver, so everybody thought. He was considered the best bet to win the 1971 title, but in the end he managed a single win in the wet in Holland. For 1972, Ickx remained at Ferrari, and in Formula 1 it was pretty much the same thing as 1971. The Ferrari was fast, witness Ickx' four poles, but not enough to win consistently. So Ickx won only at his favorite Nurburgring, which turned out to be his last Grande Epreuve win. Ferrari was a shambles in 1973, and Ickx left the team, after scoring a handful of points. He guest drove a McLaren at the Nurburgring, showing he was still competitive by coming third, after qualifying 4th, and raced an Iso Marlboro in the USA, after doing one final race for Ferrari in Italy. There were hopes the old Ickx would resurface, as he was hired to replace Fittipaldi at Lotus.  Ickx did win one final Formula 1 race, the 1974 Race of Champions, again in the wet, at Brands Hatch. But this was not a championship race, and after this win never again showed competitive form in Formula 1. He lagged far behind teammate Peterson at most tracks, and to make matters worse, the new Lotus 76 was a dud. He continued at Lotus for 1975, but the team was pretty much racing the same car his rival Rindt drove in 1970! He left after France. For 1976, Ickx was hired by Frank Williams, to drive the mostly unused new generation Heskeths designed by Postlethwaite the year before. The association was not successful, and besides a third place at the Race of Champions, Ickx never looked like close to scoring, plus had to put up with DNQs. for the first time in his career. He was hired by Ensign to replace Amon, who left after the disastrous Nurburgring race, and although Ickx showed some speed (he qualified 10th in Monza), the Ensign was fast, but fragile, and the year ended with a terrible accident at Watkins Glen, which resulted in a broken ankle plus burns. For 1977 Ickx had resigned to a career in sports cars, having won his fourth le mans that year, and thereafter his appearances in Formula 1 were sporadic. He drove an Ensign at Monaco in 1977, plus had four races for the same team in 1978, without any success. There was a great deal of expectation when Ickx was hired to replace the injured Depailler at Ligier in 1979. Although the car was good, and the team well run (it had won most of the early races of the year), Jacky never showed any pace, and was much slower than teammate Laffite. He scored 3 points from his troubles, from a 6th place at Britain and 5th in Zandvoort. After 1979, there was no more Formula 1 for Jacky Ickx, and although he continued to built up on a hugely successful sports car career.         

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Last modified: March 28, 2007