Six-time Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx is helping Genesis prepare for WEC, connecting endurance racing’s defining past with its expanding manufacturer era.
Jacky Ickx won the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times between 1969 and 1982, setting a record that stood until Tom Kristensen secured his seventh victory in 2005. Ickx is now putting that experience to work for Genesis as the manufacturer prepares to enter the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The Belgian connects Genesis directly to one of endurance racing’s benchmark careers. His involvement also adds weight to a recurring G. O. A. T. debate over how achievements from different formats should be compared.
Ickx set the Le Mans standard
Ickx collected his six overall Le Mans victories with three manufacturers. His first came with Ford in 1969. He then won four times with Porsche, in 1976, 1977, 1981 and 1982, after driving Mirage to victory in 1975.
That variety distinguishes him from Kristensen, whose record nine wins featured seven with Audi, along with victories for Porsche in 1997 and Bentley in 2003.
Ickx also claimed the World Sportscar Championship drivers’ title in 1982 and 1983. Both championships came before the current WEC began in 2012, placing them within the series lineage rather than its modern statistical table.
Two eras resist a simple ranking
Kristensen tops endurance racing’s central metric with nine Le Mans victories from 1997 through 2013. Ickx ranks second with six, while Derek Bell, Emanuele Pirro and Frank Biela each have five.
The raw order is clear.
The wider comparison is tougher. Ickx competed in a period of greater mechanical attrition and won with several programs. Kristensen raced increasingly specialized prototypes and established remarkable continuity with Audi through the diesel and hybrid eras.
That produces two defensible measures. Kristensen holds the greatest Le Mans record by total victories. Ickx owns the wider winning range across manufacturers and decades.
Genesis gains proven historical judgment
Genesis will join a WEC grid that the official championship site lists at 14 manufacturers across Hypercar and LMGT3. Its GMR-001 program is entering competition that includes established winners such as Ferrari, Toyota, Porsche and Cadillac.
Ickx can’t carry a 1970s setup sheet over to a modern hybrid prototype. He can influence how a new organization tackles endurance racing, where traffic management and reliability matter as much as qualifying speed, along with decisions made across long stints.
A new chapter starts at COTA
The WEC’s immediate focus is the Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas on September 6, the first race following a two-month break. Fuji is next on September 27, then the season heads to Spain on October 18 and Monza on November 8.
Genesis continues to build toward its competitive debut. Its opening result will start a new statistical record, set against Kristensen’s nine Le Mans wins and the six victories that established Ickx as endurance racing’s original modern benchmark.
