Motorsport legend Jacky Ickx recently brought his unparalleled racing heritage to the Circuit Paul Ricard for an extraordinary symbolic track test in which the great Belgian driver found himself feeling something rare once again: wonder.
Under the brilliant southern French sun, with the mistral wind rustling through the nearby pines, Genesis Magma Racing orchestrated a profound moment of automotive reverence, handing the keys to its sophisticated GMR-001 Hypercar to a living monument of racing history.
At 81 years old, Jacky Ickx stands as the ultimate embodiment of a golden, dangerous age of motorsport.
A six-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, twice runner-up in the Formula 1 World Championship, and a conqueror of the grueling Paris-Dakar Rally, the Belgian cut his teeth in an era defined by pure mechanical instinct, non-assisted steering, and an unforgivingly slim margin for error.
Stepping into the technologically dense arena of top-tier modern endurance racing was not merely a test drive; it was an emotional leap decades into the future.
To honor its esteemed sporting advisor, Genesis transformed the GMR-001’s standard grey-and-orange livery into a bespoke masterpiece of blue and white – a poignant visual tribute mirroring Ickx’s iconic helmet.
The bodywork also featured a delicate nod to the squad's recent milestone: its very first WEC points finish secured just days prior at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Following initial system checks by works driver Andre Lotterer, the stage was cleared for a masterclass in humility, adaptation, and mutual respect.
‘Day and night": Confronting the modern cockpit
The profound contrast between the past and the present became glaringly apparent the day before the run, when Ickx climbed into the tight confines of the carbon-fiber cockpit for a seat fitting.
Confronted by an intricate landscape of digital displays, telemetry wiring, and a dense command matrix, the veteran driver maintained his characteristic wit.
Looking at the complex array, he playfully told his engineers:
"I know where the pedals are, that's all I need. Don't tell me anything else."
Jacky Ickx receives some last minute recommendations from Genesis works driver André Lotterer (©Genesis)
Yet, once the visor snapped shut and Ickx completed three highly symbolic laps around the French circuit, the true magnitude of modern motorsport's evolution resonated deeply with him.
"There's only one way I can answer: it's like day and night," Ickx reflected when comparing the cutting-edge GMR-001 prototype to the legendary machinery of his prime.
"There's nothing in common. Racing today has nothing in common. It's still competition, but the vehicles we see today have nothing to do with the world I came from."
The sheer operational cognitive load required to pilot a modern Hypercar left an indelible impression on the racing icon.
"Everything impressed me. Because when you have a steering wheel in front of you with 18 buttons on the front and probably another four behind, when everywhere you look there are connections, switches to change the behaviour of the car, adjust the torsion bars, and so on and so on…
“If you were listening to me, you would have heard me tell the engineers: 'Please, simplify my life.'"
The physical and mental demands extended down to the most deeply ingrained muscle memories of his sixty-year career.
"I'm a right-foot braker. I've never known anything else. Here, I found myself braking with my left foot. It sounds insignificant, but it's not the same feeling at all.
“So I had to rethink everything and stay mentally clear so I wouldn't get mixed up. And then, it's very narrow - you almost become claustrophobic because the space is so limited."
The ‘antique’ inside the Hypercar
What made the day especially moving was the contrast between generations. Around him stood engineers and mechanics born decades after Ickx had already become a Le Mans icon.
Yet as he prepared to drive, curiosity inside the garage mixed naturally with admiration. And Ickx knew it.
"I did alright," he smiled. "Yesterday was the appetiser. Today was the main course. The question was: how was I going to manage in there?
“And the group probably asked themselves the same thing: 'How is this antique, getting behind the wheel of our Hypercar, going to bring it back?'
"They told me it was magical to have me here, but honestly… he's 81 years old, is he really going to drive that thing? Well… yes."
©Genesis
For Ickx, the experience was not simply nostalgic – it was educational. The Belgian openly admitted he wanted to understand what modern drivers face in an era where endurance racing has transformed into a relentless sprint dominated by data, systems and precision.
"Compared to the cars I've driven - and I've driven a lot of cars - two questions came to mind when I wanted to drive this Hypercar," Ickx explained.
"The first was this: I thought it was a unique opportunity to understand how a modern racing car behaves and how difficult it really is.
"Compared to what I knew, it's much, much more complicated. The steering wheel with its 18 buttons and 18 settings, managing the radio, activating controls while driving… and all of this while wearing ski gloves - well, they're not ski gloves, but almost.
“You have to know how to do everything at the same time in a discipline that is still called endurance racing, but in reality has become a permanent sprint. It's flat out.
"There's no room left for improvisation. Everything has to be planned and precise."
A moment bigger than the car
When Ickx removed his helmet after his three symbolic laps, applause echoed through the Genesis garage.
And ultimately, it was not technology or speed that stayed with him most deeply.
"It was a ray of sunshine," he said. "All these moments from yesterday and today - all of it is a ray of sunshine.
“There's a group, we all enjoyed ourselves. The principles of cohesion, of being together, of sharing your passion together - nothing has changed in today's philosophy of motor racing. In my opinion, it has existed since the beginning."
©Genesis
Then came perhaps the most revealing reflection of all from a man who has witnessed nearly every era of modern motorsport.
"You must not make the mistake of thinking that you achieve things alone in this world," he insisted.
"Even those who say, 'I wanted it, I achieved it' - it's not true. It's a group. It's encounters, people who reach out to you, who lift you up. And that, for me, is magic. That's the only thing that's real."
For a few laps under the southern French sun, motorsport’s past and future shared the same cockpit. And in the eyes of Jacky Ickx, the soul of racing still looked beautifully familiar.
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook
