The legendary Le Mans pairing of Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell will team up again for a special appearance at the London Classic Car Show, scheduled for 23-26 February 2017 at ExCeL London. Ickx, one of the world’s greatest all-round racing drivers with Grand Prix and Paris-Dakar wins to go with his six Le Mans victories and two World Endurance titles, will be a guest of honour at this year’s exhibition.
A special display will showcase several of the iconic cars he raced and rallied while Ickx will appear live on stage to discuss his remarkable career with broadcaster and journalist Henry Hope-Frost. They will be joined by five time Le Mans winner Britain’s Derek Bell, MBE. Ickx and Bell shared the top step of the 24 Hours podium three times – in 1975 (Mirage) and 1981 and 1982 (Porsche).
As former Ferrari Grand Prix and sports car drivers, Ickx and Bell will also be talking about those chapters of their respective driving careers. Twenty Ferrari road cars will form one of the major displays at the 2017 London Classic Car Show to celebrate the legendary Italian company’s 70th birthday.
Ickx and Bell will also be guests at the show’s Gala Evening (23 February) where they will be joined by two other Le Mans superstars – Emanuele Pirro, who claimed five victories for Audi, and Jürgen Barth, who won in 1977 sharing a Porsche with Ickx. Together the quartet can claim 17 victories at Le Sarthe.
Bell said: “Sharing a car with Jacky at Le Mans was one of the high points of my career. I am looking forward to sharing a stage with him at the London Classic Car Show and remembering some of the great times we had together.”
Ickx’s timetable starts at noon on Thursday (23 February) when the Belgian officially opens the inaugural Historic Motorsport International, the London Classic Car Show’s new sister exhibition, which is staged in an adjacent hall within the ExCeL London complex.
He will then transfer to the London Classic Car Show when that opens at 3pm and, as well as joining in the celebrations at Thursday’s gala evening, he will appear live on stage on both Thursday and Friday to talk about his career which includes success in F1, World Sportscars and Dakar.
“This is a huge privilege for me to be a guest of honour at these two shows in the heart of London. Whether it was winning Le Mans three times with Derek or competing at Silverstone and Brands Hatch, I have always had a wonderful relationship with the British racing community and that’s why I am so thrilled to have these very special dates in my diary,” said Ickx.
Now in its third year, the London Classic Car Show will have more than 700 classic cars on display, some for sale from dealers in the classic world. And this year it incorporates a second show, Historic Motorsport International (HMI), which is devoted to historic racing and rallying and will include 50th anniversary celebrations for the Ford DFV Grand Prix engine and the birth of Formula Ford.
Entry to the London Classic Car Show incorporates free entry to HMI. Historic Motorsport International will open its doors at noon on Thursday, 23 February while the London Classic Car Show will burst into life at 3pm that afternoon.
Tickets to the 2017 London Classic Car Show/HMI are now available at thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk. Prices start at £24 for single adult entry (£27 on the door on the day). Gala evening standard entry costs £42 or for access to the Grand Avenue Club, where the interviews take place, tickets cost £70.
[Source: London Classic Car Show; photo: LAT Photographic]
