DOWNSHIFTING: Jacky Ickx

A motorsport legend waved the Chequered Flag at the finish of the Bathurst 12-Hour race. Jacky Ickx is no stranger to success, winning in Formula One and the Dakar, taking the Bathurst 1000 in 1977 with Allan Moffat, as well as his incredible five wins at Le Mans. He never won the F1 world title but has no regrets. "How can I complain about my success? In those days we were more like mercenaries than professional drivers," he told Race.news

1.    What makes you laugh?

I laugh a lot. You need it. I smile because of the warm welcome I received when coming back to Bathurst. 

2. What’s on your playlist?

A lot of people speak about The Wall by Nick Mason and Pink Floyd. We talked about it this weekend. I know him, he is a famous car collector. After three generations, this music is still popular.

3. What was the last movie you saw?

I don’t go to movies. You can have everything at home and this is a major change in the world. The classic way to do movies, with John Wayne and Mel Gibson, has changed. In Cannes for the film festival, there is no prize for Netflix, but one day there will be a prize.

4. One road, one car, one passenger?

Definitely, there will be no-one in the passenger seat. There are so many roads that I love – the road to Le Mans, the road to Spa-Francorchamps. There is a road I would love to drive, it is on the west coast of Ireland.

5. Your dream car - to park and admire?

It might be strange to you, but the car I have driven is the Lola T333. It’s a sports car. It was the car of (the USA's Lola importer) Carl Haas and we won the Can-Am series together. Sometimes you find the ideal dream.

6. Your greatest motorsport success?

I have no nostalgia for the wins and success, I have nostalgia for the people I have met who have made my story possible. As you grow up you become more intelligent and you realise things. There are some qualities that make you successful in racing which are not useful in real life. What is fantastic about the community of motor racing is we come from different worlds but we share the same passion with a different vision. A winning car exists before the start, because of the people you never see who built the car.

7. Your greatest failure?

I have many failures. But that I don’t speak about. I don’t speak often about car life today, I speak about life and how precious it is.

8. Your one regret?

Yes, I regret not having spent more time with the people I have nostalgia for. Without them, who I am today would not exist. You believe you are on this planet for eternity, and it’s a dream when you are young, but you don’t realise that the time runs so quickly. On your path many people disappear, and in my case it’s a miracle I am alive. It is not a matter of talent, it is a matter of luck. And driving good cars.

9. What is your guilty pleasure?

I have a Coca-Cola zero addiction. If I say the Magna concept car for Genesis you will not believe me. But, to me, the collaboration with Genesis is magnificent, because you live the present. To be 80 and still be an ambassador and a representative and to share with people some new goals.

10. Which actor would play you in the movie of your life?

I am tempted to say Mel Gibson. Why? Because he made that movie Mad Max, and it was something incredible.