Jacky Ickx to be Honored by RRDC in Long Beach

Jacky Ickx, six-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, who also claimed eight Formula One wins, the 1979 SCCA Can-Am series championship and back-to-back World Endurance Championship for Drivers titles in 1982 and ’83, will be honored by the Road Racing Drivers Club in Long Beach, California, on Thursday, April 13.

The “RRDC Evening with Jacky Ickx Presented by Firestone” is the RRDC’s 13th banquet honoring auto racing’s most influential leaders and icons. It will be held prior to the 48th Annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Previous RRDC honorees were Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Roger Penske, Jim Hall, Brian Redman, Mario Andretti, Bobby Unser, George Follmer, Emerson Fittipaldi, Johnny Rutherford. David Hobbs and Rick Mears. The Firestone brand will return as presenting sponsor of the RRDC banquet for the 12th year.

“Having Firestone support the RRDC Long Beach dinner for more than a decade is a true privilege,” said RRDC President Bobby Rahal. “Firestone has an unrivaled heritage in motorsports dating back to the first Indy 500® in 1911. We always welcome Firestone’s support, and salute the brand’s long-standing success and contributions to the sport.”

The dinner’s proceeds will help support the RRDC’s young driver initiatives, including its SAFEisFAST.com program and the Team USA Scholarship, which the RRDC has backed since 1997 and has been providing opportunities for talented young American race-car drivers since 1990. The Mark Donohue Foundation, a 501(C)(3) tax-exempt organization, was formed to further support the SAFEisFAST.com initiative.

Jacky Ickx has raced at the highest level in a wide variety of categories — including Formula One, sports cars, touring cars and rallies — a winner in all. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times and twice finished runner-up in the Formula One World Championship. He’s competed in 565 races in cars and on motorcycles.

Starting his career in motorcycle racing, Ickx was twice crowned Belgian champion before switching to four wheels, becoming the 1967 European Formula Two champion. 

His first 24 Hours of Le Mans victory came in 1969, but not before he achieved a heroic first Formula One victory in 1968 at the rain-soaked French Grand Prix.

After retiring from circuit racing, Ickx competed in the Paris-Dakar rally, winning in 1983 and placing second in 1986 and 1989.

He also earned another official title by serving as Clerk of the Course of the Monaco Grand Prix.

The RRDC Evening with Jacky Ickx, Presented by Firestone will be held on Thursday, April 13, at the Hilton Hotel, 701 West Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA, with cocktails at 6 p.m., and dinner at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $280 per person ($250 for RRDC members) if purchased by April 2, and space is limited. An additional $20 will be added to cost if paid after April 2.

Learn more here.