Motorsport legend Jacky Ickx is advising the Genesis Magma Racing Team on the construction of its hypercar – he wants to build something from the ground up
Motorsport legend Jacky Ickx will be lending his expertise to the Genesis Magma Racing Team as the South Korean luxury car manufacturer has ambitions to make a splash in endurance racing. The team has already unveiled the GMR-001 LMDh car in New York, which will compete in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and IMSA in the coming years under the leadership of former Renault F1 team boss Cyril Abiteboul.
For Ickx, the project offers a rare opportunity to help build a new luxury brand in motorsport from the ground up. He says: “When you join a team that is already winning, everything is easy. But challenges are the key to life – if everything is easy, what’s the point?”
“I don’t see myself in a situation where I’m just waiting for the next call. I love the idea of living in the present and in the future. I love the idea of dying standing up, surrounded by something I love doing – and surrounded by people who do a damn good job,” adds the 80-year-old.
The foundation must be right
The technical expertise of the team is already evident, but Ickx emphasized that success will depend above all on the project’s people-centered approach. The eight-time Grand Prix winner compared the team structure to an iceberg and praised the engineers, mechanics, and staff working behind the scenes.
“The drivers are always at the top, above the waterline. But below that is a large group of people you never see – and they’re the ones who get the job done,” he explains. ‘You’re nobody if you don’t have the right cohesion and human foundation below that line.’
Nevertheless, the project will not be a sure-fire success. “To build a perfect team, you have to deal with people’s natural egos – and overcome those egos to work toward a common goal,” says Ickx. “And we’re competing against the most talented and experienced companies that have been in the WEC and IMSA for decades. That’s our challenge.”
We’re building something completely new
Luc Donckerwolke, the creative mind behind Genesis, nevertheless sees particular advantages in the new project: “We’re under no pressure. We’re not trying to integrate new people into an existing team – we’re building a team from scratch,“ he said at the presentation of the first drivers: Andre Lotterer and Pipo Derani, both of whom have extensive experience in endurance racing.
”Everyone who joins the team does so on the understanding that they are fully compatible with the core team. That’s one of the basic requirements in a highly competitive environment,” Donckerwolke continued. Internal tensions between drivers or team members will not be tolerated. ‘It won’t be easy, but we want to make sure we have a strong, homogeneous team. I believe in that.’
