Jacky Ickx: Three Photos, Three Life Lessons from Track and Trail
Motorsport legends aren’t just defined by numbers and victories. Sometimes, a single snapshot is enough to encapsulate a career, a philosophy. Jacky Ickx, the ‘Mr Le Mans’, has selected three photographs from his countless achievements to share the life lessons hidden behind the lens.
From the dunes of the Paris-Dakar to the extreme conditions of Malaysia, via the legendary feat of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the triple Formula 1 World Champion and six-time Le Mans winner isn’t just reliving memories. He’s dissecting these frozen moments to extract the essence of his experience, a philosophy that extends far beyond the realm of motorsport competition. A precious insight into what makes a legend, beyond mere performance.
Motorsport is also about this: people, stories, life lessons that resonate long after the chequered flag has fallen.
Paris-Dakar 1986: When Porsche Challenged the Desert
Before becoming an endurance icon, Jacky Ickx tackled the vastness of the Paris-Dakar. In 1986, he entered with an almost impossible mission: to prove that a Porsche, a thoroughbred of speed, could tame the infernal tracks of the rally-raid. The German manufacturer arrived with three 959s, machines designed for the road but prepared for the African adventure. The gamble was audacious, and success followed: René Metge won the event, and Ickx, partnered with Claude Brasseur, took a magnificent second place.
But for the Belgian driver, this photo taken near Zobaba in Niger symbolises much more than just a podium finish. It’s the memory of a revelation. The Dakar is an incredibly tough sporting event, certainly, but it’s above all a gateway to the world. An immersion into grandiose landscapes, privileged contact with radically different cultures and ways of life. The horizon of ‘win, win, win’ expanded by 180 degrees. A foundational intellectual experience that profoundly shaped his worldview.
Jacky Ickx during the 1986 Paris-Dakar.
“The Dakar has two aspects,” Jacky Ickx confides. “Firstly, it’s a sporting event. It’s perhaps the toughest in the world. You can’t cheat in the Dakar. The environment forces you to keep a low profile. At the time, it lasted three weeks. So it’s long. Twelve thousand kilometres of special stages, fourteen thousand kilometres of liaison, it’s just giant.”
“But there’s also a discovery aspect. The discovery of other people who live differently, with other traditions. Personally, the Dakar is arguably the most important intellectual period of my life. Because instead of having a narrow horizon, thinking only: ‘win, win, win’, ‘F1, F1, F1’… my horizon expanded to 180 degrees. You have the opportunity to see other people who have other lives, other stories. And you grow.”
800 km of Selangor 1985: Endurance in the Furnace
In 1985, during his final endurance season, Jacky Ickx faced another form of adversity: the crushing heat of Malaysia during the 800 km of Selangor. Alongside Jochen Mass in an official Porsche, he battled through an exhausting race where physical limits were pushed to the extreme. The photo, taken between stints, shows him with Derek Bell, visibly exhausted, their hands and feet plunged into ice baths in an attempt to recover.
This snapshot is the embodiment of absolute dehydration and physical suffering. With no onboard water bottles, hydration was only possible during stops. An image that alone sums up the titanic demands of endurance racing in the 1980s, where performance depended not only on the driver but also on their ability to endure the most extreme conditions. A victory, his last in endurance, snatched through pain.
Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell during the 800 km Selangor in 1985.
“Here, I was with Derek Bell, a great person,” says Jacky Ickx. “Between stints, we’d dip our hands and feet into tubs filled with ice because it was horribly hot, with incredible humidity. We were literally in the ice, with foot and hand baths, and we were glistening because we were sweating. You also have to remember that at the time, there were no onboard water bottles: we only drank between stints. This photo is of absolute dehydration!”
“This race, I think I won it
. It was also my last season, as I retired in 1985.”
Le Mans 1977: The Power of ‘Collective Sublimation’
In 1977, the 24 Hours of Le Mans offered Jacky Ickx one of his most beautiful victories, a masterpiece of perseverance. Partnered with Hurley Haywood and Jürgen Barth in a Porsche 936, he took the wheel with a significant handicap: eight laps down and in 41st position. Facing the favoured Renaults, hope seemed lost. Yet, magic happened. The Porsche, despite persistent mechanical issues, steadily climbed back up the order, benefiting from the misfortunes of other competitors.
This photo of the Porsche 936/77 at Le Mans captures a key moment of this improbable comeback. For Ickx, this race symbolises ‘collective sublimation’. That rare moment when an entire team transcends its limits, when confidence is reborn from the impossible. The drivers get back behind the wheel like demons, the mechanics break their intervention records, the strategist believes again. It’s this contagious energy, this shared faith, that transforms a race lost from the start into a legendary victory. A lesson in resilience that teaches that, as long as there is life, there is hope.
Jacky Ickx during the 1977 24 Hours of Le Mans, driving a Porsche 936/77.
“You know, there are races where you’re said to be the favourite, and you don’t win. And then there are races where everything seems lost, but you can still win,” confides Jacky Ickx. “What’s extraordinary is that sometimes we achieve sublimation. Usually, you’re already at 100%, but then you feel like everything is going to work out and you’re not afraid of anything.”
“In that race, I took the wheel after three hours. I got into the car eight laps down, in 41st position. I thought it was over. But from then on, you become the hunter rather than the hunted. It’s fantastic when you have targets in front of you and you know you can gain places. Every hour, you see the standings improve, and that motivates you. I drove almost all night, in the rain and fog. We gradually moved up, and in the end, we won.”
“But what’s most interesting is that this sublimation is transferable. The other drivers in the car also start driving like demons. The mechanics, who usually took 4 minutes 50 seconds for an intervention, do it in 3 minutes 30 seconds. The strategist, who thought it was over, starts believing again. That’s what’s fantastic: this transmission to others.”
“We had a lot of problems during that race. There were many, but they were all resolved. That car no longer had a rev counter. We drove almost the entire race purely by ear. At the time, there were three of us drivers, and it was all or nothing. And finally, we won with a car that was almost dying, against Renault, who had a clear run ahead of them. They had four cars, and they broke down one after another. The closer we got to the lead, the more they had to push. And then, they started encountering problems they probably shouldn’t have had. But whatever happens, you must always keep in mind that you never know what might happen. You can always achieve it.”
Lessons from a Legend
- Discovery as a Driving Force: Motorsport, and particularly rally-raid, is a formidable school of life that broadens horizons and enriches perspective.
- Resilience in the Face of Adversity: Even in the most extreme conditions and facing a significant deficit, perseverance and belief in the impossible can lead to victory.
- The Power of the Collective: ‘Collective sublimation’ is an incredible force that allows a team to transcend itself and achieve the unthinkable.
- Humility Before Nature: The environment, whether it’s the desert or climatic conditions, demands respect and reminds us of human limitations.
- The Importance of People: Beyond the machines, it is human relationships, sharing, and trust that forge the greatest victories.
[il l’a effectivement gagnée, ndlr]
