Editing Jacky Ickx (section)

===Later career (1976–1979)===
It seemed that the end of Ickx's career was near. After [[Emerson Fittipaldi|Fittipaldi]] left [[McLaren]], Ickx was at the "top of the list."<ref>{{Cite web |title=A tribute to John Hogan |url=https://www.mclaren.com/racing/latest-news/mclarenracing/article/john-hogan-tribute/ |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=www.mclaren.com |language=en-GB}}</ref> However, [[James Hunt]] got the drive, allegedly because McLaren's chief sponsor [[John Hogan (motorsport executive)|John Hogan]] had known Hunt for many years.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-01-21 |title=John Hogan obituary |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/formula-one/article/john-hogan-obituary-ppclhd9cw |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=The Times |language=en}}</ref> (After Hunt's death, Hogan claimed that he preferred Ickx but McLaren leadership wanted Hunt.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k64rod5OVSY |title=John Hogan: Motor Sport magazine podcast |date=2018-11-12 |last= |access-date=2025-01-14 |via=YouTube}} (18:24-20:55)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Medland |first=Chris |date=2021-01-04 |title=F1 sponsorship giant Hogan dies at 76 |url=https://racer.com/2021/01/04/f1-sponsorship-giant-hogan-dies-at-76/ |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=RACER |language=en-US}}</ref>) In [[1976 Formula One season|1976]] Ickx began the season with [[Wolf–Williams Racing]] (then entering as "Frank Williams Racing Cars"),<ref name="ReferenceC">{{cite book|title=The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who|author=Steve Small|year=1994 |page=198|publisher=Guinness |isbn=0851127029}}</ref> but after three races signed with the new team of [[Walter Wolf Racing]], which had substantial financial backing from Wolf. The Wolf team were also running the [[Hesketh 308C|Wolf–Williams FW05]] which was essentially a rebadged [[Hesketh 308C]] from 1975 and was uncompetitive. However, at the [[Race of Champions (Brands Hatch)|Race of Champions]], Ickx was challenging Hunt and [[Alan Jones (racing driver)|Alan Jones]] for the lead, when Ickx's visor ripped off. In the world championship races he failed to qualify on four occasions,<ref name="ReferenceC"/> (a first in his career) achieving a degree of respectability only with a 7th in Spain and a good drive to 10th out of 19 finishers in the French GP in a car which, in the estimate of James Hunt and [[Chris Amon]], was worse than useless. Nevertheless, for a large payment from Wolf, Amon agreed to swap drives with Ickx and Ickx raced the rest of the season in the fast and fragile Lotus styled [[Ensign Racing|Ensign]] N176, in which design Amon had suffered horrific breakages at [[1976 Belgian Grand Prix|Zolder]] and in the [[1976 Swedish Grand Prix|Swedish GP]]. For most of the Dutch GP, Ickx moved through the field, running the third fastest lap and on most laps was the fastest car in the race. With a newer [[Cosworth]] engine, Ickx probably would have won, but the under-maintained engine expired ten laps from the end. In the Italian race, Ickx drove at competitive pace in a Grand Prix for the last time, when he finished tenth, only 30 seconds behind winner [[Ronnie Peterson]], hard on the tail of [[Carlos Reutemann]] in a works [[Ferrari 312T#312T2 (1976)/312T2B (1977-1978)|Ferrari 312T2]] in ninth. After a bad crash at the United States Grand Prix at [[Watkins Glen International|Watkins Glen]] which he was lucky to have survived with only ankle injuries, Ickx only competed sporadically. In 1977 Ickx competed in only one Grand Prix at [[1977 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]] for Ensign finishing tenth.<ref name="ReferenceC"/> In 1978 he entered four Grands Prix, again for Ensign but only achieved a twelfth place at [[1978 Belgian Grand Prix|Zolder]].<ref name="ReferenceC"/> In the [[1978 Swedish Grand Prix|Swedish Grand Prix]] at [[Anderstorp Raceway|Anderstorp]] Ickx failed to qualify.<ref name="ReferenceC"/>

In 1979, he ended his career as a Grand Prix driver at [[Equipe Ligier|Ligier]], standing in for the injured [[Patrick Depailler]],<ref name="ReferenceA"/> gaining a fifth and sixth, but finding the ground effect cars dangerous and disconcerting, ill-suited to his precise style. Outside of Formula One, Ickx continued to win races in various sports car series, which he had decided to concentrate on exclusively.