All photography courtesy of Chopard

IF YOU HAD EVEN a passing interest in motorsport in the 1970s, you would know that Jacky Ickx was a force to be reckoned with. A six-time Le Mans champion, two-time World Sportscar Championship winner and two-time F1 driver’s championship runner-up, Ickx went head to head with drivers like Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda and Emerson Fittipaldi and frequently showed them up.

But Ickx was more than just a driver. While he never captured that elusive F1 championship, in his role as an ambassador for Chopard – a position he has held for more nearly 40 years – Ickx pioneered the luxury movement in modern motorsports. Partnerships between F1 drivers and luxury brands are commonplace today, but it was the style, charisma and flair of drivers like Ickx that paved the way.

Ickx was the perfect candidate to take part in our long running What I’ve Learned series. He has boundless wisdom to impart, a stack of knowledge to share and practically comes spring-loaded with frameable one-liners. Read on to find out 16 lessons he’s learned throughout life, from finding his passion to the feeling of winning.

THE MOST DIFFICULT PART is to start. For me with motor racing, that was because I had to convince my parents to let me do it.

I WAS VERY BAD AT SCHOOL. I must admit that usually I would sit in the back of the class by the window and not pay attention. My parents were desperate to know what to do with me, so they tried to convince me to get better by buying me a motorcycle. Surprisingly, it didn’t help me with school.

WITH MY FIRST MOTORCYCLE I finally didn’t have the feeling of being last, like I did at school. Suddenly, I was first.

RIDING A MOTORCYCLE gave me a feeling for the first time that it was good to do something well. It made me want to get better at something for the first time.

A RACING CAR is a winning car before the start. But to win, you need the stars to align. So much is out of your control, so the only thing you can do is compete.

SOME PEOPLE THINK that driving and motor racing are risky. I prefer to think of it as bravery. I love it because it gives me the freedom to do what I want, whether it’s risky or not. It’s a freedom in a way to have the acceptance of potential fatality.

IF YOU START to think about what could go wrong, you are already beaten.

THE DESIRE TO WIN is very basic. You don’t have to think about it. You don’t think about the risks, because if you do, even for a fraction of a second, someone will overtake you. The desire to win is what you must focus on to keep you going.

MOTOR RACING IS a battle. It is not a one-on-one competition like taekwondo or ping pong. It is not a team effort like football or rugby. It is all on you and it is against an entire field, not just one.

WHEN VICTORIES ARE too easy, you win without glory. The glory is in the fight.

EVERYONE IS ABLE to do something well. You just need some luck to discover what it is.

IF YOU HAVE something you want to achieve, you have to apply the rule of the three Ds: dream, dare and do it.

YOUR SUCCESS COMES from the work you do in the shadows. People are like icebergs: 10 per cent on top is what everyone sees, but the 90 per cent below is what matters.

ALTHOUGH I LOVE motor racing, I never did what I really wanted. I wanted to be a gardener or gamekeeper.

I HAVE NO NOSTALGIA for my past. It is a privilege to live the life that I live. Although I have reached a certain age, I have a chance to live in the present, rather than being at home waiting for the telephone to ring.

IT IS NICE TO KNOW that you’ve been an inspiration. Whether it is inspiring someone to go into motor racing or to follow a dream, the principle remains the same, and I hope I have inspired some people.

This story appears in the March/April 2025 issue of Esquire Australia, on sale now. Find out where to buy the issue here.

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