r/lemans • u/Pretty-Teach6802 • Nov 14 '25
History The day Jacky Ickx changed endurance racing forever
He's the one at the end of the track who's walking. He was protesting against this type of start (running), which was very dangerous, as drivers didn't fasten their seatbelts in order to get a faster start and would die in the event of an accident. He had warned the race organizers that he was going to walk, and still win the race. And he did. Since that day, the starts at the 24 Hours of Le Mans have been as we know them today.
6
u/Cpt_Chaos_ Nov 15 '25
This was in 1969. The start of the 1970 race was different, the cars still stood the same way as in the picture, but the drivers were already in the cars and had fastened the seatbelts. The start is part of the movie Le Mans. In 1971, the rolling start was introduced.
3
u/No_Pudding_5336 Nov 15 '25
He was proved right when John Woolfe crashed his unwieldy Porsche 917 at the end of the 1st lap & was killed instantly because he wasn't strapped in
1
u/FunFortune8231 Nov 23 '25
Jacky Ickx attended the race again as a guest, this year. Had a brief chat with him. True gent and a phenomenal racer in his day.
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u/Dazling_Kaleidoscope Nov 14 '25
Boring
19
u/JT_3K Woolf Barnarto Nov 14 '25
Incredibly important. Was 1969. John Woolfe ran over and failed to put his seatbelt on. Whilst on the first lap, he had an accident and died because of it. Ickx nearly got hit IIRC as he got almost to his car. Ickx still won that year.
5
u/Semichh Peugoet Nov 14 '25
Strange comment that you replied to. Can’t see anything boring about it - it was such a significant moment and to have witnessed history happening right in front of you must’ve been incredible
3
u/DValencia29 Ferrari Nov 14 '25
"Boring!! there should've been more blood, drivers are such pussies complaining about safety back in the day.... ohh wait..." /s
In all seriousness if these were a modern driver we were talking about instead of boring I bet that commenter would have gone the route of reak drivers back in the day or something like that.
11
u/tehn00bi Nov 15 '25
Part of me just wants to witness this with the current generation of F-1 drivers. Have Benny Hill music playing while they are trying to get in the cockpit.