One of the most acclaimed and versatile racing drivers of the 1960s, 1970s and beyond, the Belgian native Jackie Ickx, has a truly stellar resume. In addition to being a six-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, back-to-back driver’s titles in the World Endurance Championship and a Can-Am title, Ickx owns six victories in Formula 1 and finished as runner-up in the World Driving Championship on two different occasions. An international star and longtime fan favorite, Ickx will be honored by the Road Racing Drivers Club on April 13 in Long Beach, California, as part of the buildup to the NTT IndyCar Series’ annual race through the city’s streets.
The event is entitled The RRDC Evening with Jacky Ickx presented by Firestone, and like all such RRDC fetes, is assured to both attract a full house of motorsport glitterati and to put Ickx, the son of a motoring journalist, in some rarified company. This will be the 13th annual honors celebration presented by the RRDC, which in the past has recognized the racing accomplishments of 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. That’s a spectacular crowd that owns more pro-level racing wins than we can count. As always, proceeds raised from the banquet will go toward funding the RRDC’s array of support programs for young drivers, which include its SAFEisFAST.com program, supported by the Mark Donohue Foundation, and the Team USA Scholarship, which the RRDC has backed since 1997.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 