Legend to give concept track debut
Motor racing legend Jacky Ickx will return to Mount Panorama for the first time since his 1977 Bathurst 1000 victory to showcase the Genesis X Gran Berlinetta Concept in its global racetrack debut.
The Belgian driver, pictured above, will get behind the wheel of the concept for a series of demonstration laps across the weekend of the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race, which is being held from January 31 to February 2.
The concept, pictured below, first appeared at the 2023 Gran Turismo World Series World Finals in Barcelona, Spain, and was created as part of Polyphony Digital’s Gran Turismo series. It has been available to race in game’s virtual world since January last year.
Also on show at Bathurst will be the Genesis GV60 Magma Concept, which on its first outing in July won the four-seater production car category in the hillclimb event at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The GV60 Magma is set to enter production later this year, becoming the first Genesis Magma model to go on sale.
Genesis says it ultimately aims to develop a high-performance Magma model for each production vehicle in its line-up.
Ickx, a brand partner of the Korean marque, is helping launch the Magma programme. His motorsport career started with motorcycles in 1960 before entering the world of Formula 1 in 1967, winning eight races and scoring 25 podiums.
He simultaneously tackled endurance racing and the 24 Hour race of Le Mans a then-record six times, and in 1977 won the Bathurst 1000 at his first visit to the track, co-driving for Allan Moffat in a Ford Falcon XC V8.
Justin Douglass, head of Genesis Motors Australia, says it is an honour to have Ickx on board to help shape the future of the company.
Ickx is also excited about returning to Bathurst, more than 40 years after his victory in the famous race.
“I have 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 explains.
“What I loved the first time was the atmosphere of Bathurst, it’s very special. The people are really passionate for motor racing. The success of the event is created by the public and the spectators and that was what was so nice about Bathurst.”
Genesis also recently announced plans to enter endurance motorsport with the launch of Genesis Magma Racing team, which will compete in the World Endurance Championship in 2026, followed by the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2027.
