Motor racing legend and six-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Jacky Ickx will return to Australia’s Mount Panorama circuit this year for the first time since winning the Bathurst 1000 in 1977.
Ickx, 80, will be driving the Genesis X Gran Berlinetta concept car for a few demo laps around the 6.2 km circuit ahead of the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race from January 31 to February 2 as part of an ambassadorial role with Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis.
“I have always admired Genesis for its cultured elegance and design aesthetics and sincerely believe in a relationship that is founded on authenticity and admiration for each other,” Ickx says.
“I have also long admired Mount Panorama at Bathurst as one of the world’s great motor racing venues, and I can’t wait to put the incredible Genesis X Gran Berlinetta through its paces for all the world to see,” he says.
The Genesis concept was first shown at the 2023 Gran Turismo World Series World Finals in Barcelona, Spain, and has been available to drive since the Gran Turismo game in January 2024. However, this will be the race car’s first real-life laps on any racetrack.
The four-seat Genesis GV60 Magma concept, which won its class at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and is set to enter production this year, will also be present alongside the Genesis concept at Bathurst.
The GV60 magma demonstrated its capabilities on Goodwood Hillclimb and won a class win in the four-seater production car category, placing 16h overall in the weekend’s Shootout.
Known as the “Gentleman Disruptor” in Genesis, Ickx has an enduring motorsport career that spans formulas and eras. He started racing motorcycles in 1960 and entered Formula One in 1967, winning eight races and scoring 25 podiums.
The head of Genesis Motors Australia, Justin Douglass, says he was excited to have such a motor racing luminary on hand for the racetrack.
“With his phenomenal achievements over many years, unique knowledge, and a strong desire to influence the automotive landscape, Jacky aligns perfectly with our brand,” Douglass says.
“As a prominent figure who has been consistently ingrained throughout the evolving automotive performance landscape over the years, it is an honour to have Jacky on board to help shape the future of Genesis,” he says.
Meanwhile, Genesis is slowly accelerating its circuit racing presence. In 2026, it will debut at the top level of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) with triple Le Mans winner and current WEC champion Andre Lotterer and then in the IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA) in 2027.
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