Derek probably won’t thank me for showing this picture of him as an impecunious 30-year-old at Brands Hatch back in 1971, but one of the world’s greatest sports car drivers is about to clock up his 70th birthday on October 31st, Halloween night.
“Derek Bell made motorsport history with Porsche. Whether it was in a 917, 936 or 956 – he was always one of the fastest and above all most reliable drivers. Derek Bell won the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times for Porsche. He won the World Championship twice. For that we owe him our gratitude and great respect,” said Matthias Müller, Chairman of the Board of Management of Porsche AG.
Derek Bell began his racing career with Lotus in 1964, and by 1969 had reached the F1 grid.
For the 1971 season, Bell drove the Porsche 917 and 908/03 for the Gulf team, forming a successful driver duo with Jo Siffert. This was followed by appearances in the Porsche 934 and 935 in 1976 and ‘77 before he took his place on the Le Mans grid as a works driver in a 924 Carrera GT.
In 1981, together with Jacky Ickx in the Porsche 936/81 Spyder, Bell won the first of his total of four overall victories at Le Mans in a Porsche. 1982 saw the beginning of the Group C era with the Porsche 956, during which time he made his mark as one of the most successful endurance drivers of all time. Together with drivers such as Jacky Ickx, Stefan Bellof and Hans-Joachim Stuck, he won, not only, numerous overall victories in the Types 956 and 962 but also the World Sportscar Championship in 1985 and 1986.
Derek Bell remains in close contact with the Porsche factory, continuing to undertake ambassadorial duties for the Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer; for example at the Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring and at this year’s Corso to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the car.
Bell has also remained faithful to the Porsche brand off the race track: he can often be seen on the roads of Britain driving his classic 1981 Porsche 924 Carrera GTS.
What this Porsche-sourced press release doesn’t mention is his time with Ferrari, his disastrous association with Tecno, his earlier success in F2 with the likes of Clay Regazzoni, Francois Cevert and Ronnie Petersen, his IMSA success with Audi and his role as a brand ambassador for Bentley.
Nor does it acknowledge the role he played in Steve McQueen’s ‘Le Mans’ epic film, or the respect and admiration he still has for him as an actor and, above all, a racing driver.
I first met Bell many years ago, and he always had time for hacks and was very astute at remembering names and faces even if he had just finished his night stint at Le Mans, was knackered and wanted a rest. He always gave you a useable quote.
But if I have one memory of time I spent with him it was a Bentley Continental GT drive from Malaga to Monte Carlo, a distance of just over 1000 miles. But that didn’t matter as we were setting off on Saturday morning and expected in Monte Carlo for dinner on Sunday evening, naturally having enjoyed a splendid dinner on Saturday night, and don’t forget the photographers: just one more…
That Spanish motorway hugs the Mediterranean coastline like the incoming tide, dipping and weaving through the mountains. Add rain and weekend motorists that don’t use rearview mirrors never mind indicate, and it was a daunting drive, especially at speeds approaching 150 mph and more for most of the time. Easy for ‘Ding Dong’, as he is affectionately known, but for a mere hack like me trying to keep up with him in a second Bentley. Well, let’s just say it was character forming…
I last saw Derek at the Festival of Speed earlier this year, with his son, Justin, who works with Jay Leno. Actually, he saw me first and called me over for a catch up chat. He’s that sort of bloke.
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