On October 26th, 2005, I received an e-mail of my friend Marc Devillers saying that Jacky Ickx chairs the RACB Renault Academy. Not knowing this fact, I asked him to send a copy of the press article and some minutes later, I was reading that Jacky will be in Zolder the next day. After confirmation read on the RACB’s website, it was decided, tomorrow I will go to Zolder.

After having published a News Flash on the website and knowing that he is as fool as I am, I call my friend Paul Hendrick (known as Popol) on the phone and I tell him “Jacky will be tomorrow in Zolder, you come with me ?“. He answers me “I must set some details, I’ll call you in a few minutes“. Half an hour later, Paul arrives at home and says to me “All is arranged, tomorrow, we go to Zolder !“.

Despite everything, I am not sure. Jacky Ickx is the chairman of the jury for the RACB Formula Renault Academy, will I be able to meet him ? Won’t he be too occupied? Won’t I disturb him? Oh well, I’ll take the risk !

For those who are unaware of what is the RACB Formula Renault Academy, it is a schooling given by drivers instructors to the ten best drivers resulting from indoor karting and to the twenty best drivers from outdoor karting, all old of less than 19 years. This rookie test is carried out on single-seaters of Formula Renault 1600. At the end of this training course, it is the driver who will have shown himself fastest and more “clean” which will be seen offering one complete season in Formula Renault 1600.

The following day at 9 o’clock in the morning, Popol comes to my house (he lives 200 meters from my home) and here we are on the way towards Zolder. About 20 minutes later, we penetrate inside the paddock of the circuit. We search for a Mercedes registered in Monaco but in vain. Did he already arrive ? Where is he ? I am still worry.

At this moment I see a young lady who belongs to the TEAM Renault Belgium Luxembourg (I remind you that I followed Jonathan Tonet during his two years in Formula Renault) and I ask her if she know when Jacky should arrived. She answers me while smiling “But he has been here since 8 o’clock this morning, he is observant in one of the turns of the circuit!“. One of the turns ?, yes but which one ? I’m happy to know that he is there, but we have to make the turn of the circuit to find the place where he is and if we do not have a chance, we will have to walk 9 km…

It is at this time that I say myself “and why not at the Jacky Ickx chicane ? “. We move towards this place which is only 300 meters far and Jacky Ickx is there, behind a wall of tires and a low wall, observing the young drivers who negotiate the turn which bears his name. We approach without noise but suddenly he turns over towards us and a great smile appears on his face.
He welcomes us cordially and seems very happy of our presence. But a double netting separates us. Who care ? just like when we were young, we climb the first barrier and find a passage which brings us to Jacky. As usual, we take each news of the other and the friendly discussions start.

I ask him why he agreed to chair the rookie test and he says to me that usually, it is Paul Frère who ensures this role perfectly. But for reasons of health, Paul Frère could not be present and Jacky could not, nor did not want to refuse such a mission.

All day long, under a splendid sun of back season, the discussions and the jokes continue, intersected with opinion on the behavior with such or such young driver which negotiates the Jacky Ickx chicane.
To this subject, I ask him a question that I often asked to myself: “Why did one call this turn “Jacky Ickx chicane ?”
Jacky answers me ironically:
– Because I asked it…
He continues :
– No, it is because at this place (which was and still is the pitlane entry), there was no chicane and there was always announced there in the loudspeakers “Jacky Ickx returns to the pits, Jacky Ickx does this, Jacky Ickx does that, and so on…” and when the organizers created this turn, they gave it my name.

Small anecdote, a ladybird had been posed on the sweater of Jacky and Popol would not miss making this photo.

Around 16h30, it is time to leave because we do not want to find us in the traffic of end of day. Jacky says to us that he was very happy of our company because he would certainly have been bored alone at this place during the whole day. His handshake is cordial and he puts his hand on my cheek while saying goodbye to me. He promises that we will meet at the end of November, at is return from vacations. A small blow of horn when we start makes him turned over and of the arm, he makes us large signs of good-bye.

Thank you Jacky for this day spent with you, it is always a great pleasure.

Thereafter, I learned that it is Jamie Smets, a 16 year old boy who gained the rookie test.