Porsche Legend Derek Bell Celebrates Milestone
Bell, who recently turned 80, enjoyed a tremendous career that spanned 35 years.
Legendary Driver
Derek Bell is easily one of the most legendary race car drivers of all time, and he enjoyed tremendous success behind the wheel of more than one Porsche-built machine. The Brit also recently turned 80 years old, which makes now a great time to discuss his many accomplishments as he piloted more than one Porsche to victory across a career that spanned three and a half decades.
Photos: Porsche
Multi-Time Winner
Born on October 31, 1941, in the London suburb of Pinner in Middlesex, Bell was 23 when he began his racing career at British club events. Just one year later, in 1965, he was competing in the British Formula Three Championship. His talent didn’t go unnoticed, and a promotion to the Formula Two European Championship and Formula One quickly followed. Bell entered his first endurance race at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 1970, and his final 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1996. He started Le Mans no fewer than 26 times and took victory on five occasions, including four times in a Porsche.
Photos: Porsche
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Unprecedented Speed
"I first competed for Porsche at Le Mans in 1971," Bell said. "During testing that weekend, they worked out that I was hitting 396 km/h on the Mulsanne straight. I knew we were fast, but not quite that fast, because I'd only ever experienced that speed before during take-off at Heathrow. So that was what my initiation with Porsche at Le Mans looked like."
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Dead Reliable
“In all that time, only once did something break," Bell said. "They always had the future in mind. It was just a matter of making sure the vehicle ran and was safe. That was their job." Bell names winning with the Porsche 936/81 in 1981 as his fondest memory of Le Mans, however.
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Special Opportunity
"Before the first practice session, I hadn't even sat in that car," he recalled. "But we got the pole position, led every lap, and eventually won the race. That was an unforgettable moment for me because it was a comeback of sorts. I'm very grateful to Porsche for that opportunity."
Photos: Porsche
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Lifetime Friends
Bell and his teammate Jacky Ickx won the endurance classic with a 14-lap lead. They were almost an hour faster than the runner-up. "No matter where I was seen with Jacky, he always attracted a crowd. I would sometimes joke: 'Hi, I'm Derek, I drive here too'," Bell said. "I always looked up to him and admired him. Even today, we’re still friends."
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Notable Accomplishments
Bell racked up multiple victories in the Porsche 956/962 with his teammates Stefan Bellof, Jacky Ickx and Hans-Joachim Stuck, and won the World Endurance Championship title in 1985 and 1986. "In my 52 active years in the world of motorsport, Derek has not only been a great friend but also my best and dearest teammate," Struck said. "It's no coincidence that our pit board said 'BeSt.'" In 1992, he shared the cockpit of a Porsche 962 at Le Mans with his son, Justin Bell, and Tiff Needell. Today, Bell lives in Florida, where he is enjoying a new, slower stage of life - retirement.
Photos: Porsche
>>Join the conversation about Derek Bell visit right here in the Rennlist Forum!
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