Belgian · Brussels, Belgium · Born 1 January 1945Belgian racing driver nicknamed 'Monsieur Le Mans,' who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times and finished runner-up in the Formula 1 World Championship twice, regarded as one of the most versatile drivers in motorsport history.
Jacques Bernard Ickx was born on 1 January 1945 in Brussels, the son of motoring journalist Jacques Ickx, and began racing motorcycles and trials in 1962 before switching to touring cars, winning Belgium's national saloon car championship in 1965. He made his Formula 1 debut driving a Formula 2 car at the 1966 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, stunning observers by running as high as fifth among full Formula 1 machinery before a suspension failure forced retirement. Signed by Ferrari for 1968, Ickx won his breakthrough Grand Prix in wet conditions at Rouen, then moved to Brabham in 1969, winning in Germany and Canada to finish runner-up in the World Championship. Returning to Ferrari in 1970, he again finished runner-up, losing the title to the late Jochen Rindt, who became the sport's only posthumous World Champion after his fatal crash at Monza - Ickx later said he was relieved not to have denied a deceased man his championship. He won eight Formula 1 races in total and made 25 podium finishes across a career with Ferrari, Brabham, McLaren, Lotus, and other teams. Ickx's greatest legacy came at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which he won six times between 1969 and 1982 - a record that stood until Tom Kristensen surpassed it in 2005 - earning him the nickname 'Monsieur Le Mans.' His dramatic 1969 victory came after he deliberately walked, rather than ran, to his car at the traditional Le Mans start in protest of the practice's danger, a stance vindicated when a rival driver was killed early in the race after failing to properly buckle his seatbelt; the running start was abolished the following year. Ickx also won the World Endurance Championship twice (1982, 1983), the Can-Am title in 1979, and the 1983 Paris-Dakar Rally, and was named an Honorary Citizen of Le Mans in 2000, the first sportsperson to receive the honor, before being inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2020.
Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times, a record that stood for over two decades, while also finishing runner-up in the Formula 1 World Championship twice
How They Played
Versatile, tactically intelligent driver equally skilled in single-seaters and endurance machinery, known for measured pacing over 24-hour races and a strong moral stance on driver safety
Lasting Impact
Regarded as one of the most versatile racing drivers in history and Belgium's most successful, whose dominance in endurance racing while remaining a genuine Formula 1 contender demonstrated a rare mastery across disciplines
Career Honours
- 6x 24 Hours of Le Mans Winner - record until 2005
- 2x Formula 1 World Championship Runner-Up (1969, 1970)
- 2x World Endurance Champion (1982, 1983)
- 1983 Paris-Dakar Rally Winner
Belgian Athletes