Derek Bell
MBE

Bell in 2008
Born	Derek Reginald Bell (1941-10-31)31 October 1941 (age 84)[1] Pinner,Middlesex, England, UK[1]
Formula One World Championship career
Active years	1968–1972,1974
Teams	Ferrari,McLaren,Surtees,Tecno
Entries	16 (9 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Careerpoints	1
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1968 Italian Grand Prix
Last entry	1974 Canadian Grand Prix

Derek Reginald BellMBE (born 31 October 1941) is a Britishracing driver. Insportscar racing, he won theLe Mans 24 hours five times, theDaytona 24 three times and theWorld Sportscar Championship twice. He also raced inFormula One for theFerrari,Wheatcroft,McLaren,Surtees andTecno teams. He has been described by fellow racerHans-Joachim Stuck as one of the most liked drivers of his generation.^[2]

Bell grew up on a farm and helped to run the Church Farm caravan site, complete with its own pub, nearPagham Harbour, boarding atThe King's School, Worcester. He was encouraged by his stepfather Bernard Hender to take up racing with aLotus Seven in 1964. He won his first race in the Lotus atGoodwood in March of that year. He graduated toFormula Three in the following year racing aLotus 31 and in 1966 switched to aLotus 41 scoring his first victory, again atGoodwood. In 1967 he enjoyed seven wins. He enteredFormula Two in a privateerBrabham BT23C fielded by his stepfather's Church Farm Racing team and after several promising performances, which caughtEnzo Ferrari's eye, made hisFormula One Grand Prix debut for Ferrari at Monza in 1968. He contested the1969 Tasman Series in a2.4 Dino and was second at Lakeside to Amon and Rindt at Warwick Farm. In 1969 he raced the four-wheel-driveMcLaren M9A^[3] in its only ever race at theBritish Grand Prix atSilverstone.

Bell took part in the filming ofLe Mans (1970)^[4] starringSteve McQueen,^[5] and he and his family lived with the McQueen family during the filming, the two becoming friends. Bell had a lucky escape during the making of the film. TheFerrari 512 he was driving suddenly caught fire whilst getting into position for a take. He managed to get out of the car just before it was engulfed in flames and suffered minor burns. Although the car was badly damaged, it was later rebuilt and is still racing at historic meets.^[6]

Bell finished second in the 1970 EuropeanFormula Two Championship, driving a Brabham BT30 for Wheatcroft Racing. In 1972 he got a drive in the Tecno Formula One team, along withNanni Galli. He later raced a number of times for the Surtees team, including a sixth place at the1970 United States Grand Prix racing aSurtees TS7, which was to be his highest finish in the Formula One World Championship. He had a few further drives for Surtees in 1974 and finished 11th in the1974 German Grand Prix. Enjoying single seaters more than sports cars he accepted drives in F5000/Libre British Shellsport series and F5000 in 1976-7 the Penske PC7 March and also odd F5000 drives in the US and Australia.

It was to be in sports car racing, which he came to via a drive in Jacques Swaters privately entered Ferrari 512M in the 1970 Spa 1000 km, leading to a Ferrari works drive at the 1970 Le Mans 24 hours, where he built a strong reputation as a world class and world championship winning racer.

Bell won the Le Mans 24 hours race five times, in1975,1981,1982,1986 and1987, making him the most successful British driver in the race to date. He was teamed with the BelgianJacky Ickx in 1975, racing the GulfMirage GR8,^[7] again in 1981, racing aPorsche 936, and finally in 1982 racing a RothmansPorsche 956. Bell went on to win the1986 and1987 Le Mans teamed withHans-Joachim Stuck andAl Holbert racing a RothmansPorsche 962.

His first Le Mans was in 1970 in a works-entered Ferrari 512, with co-driverRonnie Peterson, his last in 1996 racing a McLaren F1 GTR. Bell achieved his highest ever speed at Le Mans at the 1971Le Mans 24 hours April test day, reaching a calculated top speed of 246 mph on theMulsanne Straight in the JW GulfPorsche 917LH.^[8]

Bell also won theWorld Sportscar Championship title twice in 1985 and 1986 and the24 Hours of Daytona three times in 1986, 1987 and 1989. He won the 1973 SilverstoneRAC Tourist Trophy racing aBMW 3.0CSL withHarald Ertl. In 1984 he won theNürburgring 1000km withStefan Bellof, racing aPorsche 956, with a notable fourth place in the 1974Nürburgring 1000km racing aGulf GR7 withJames Hunt on the longer 22.8 km circuit.

His first victory in theSpa 1000km came in 1974 racing aMirage M6 withMike Hailwood, going onto win the 1975 and 1984 editions, withHenri Pescarolo, in 1975, in that season's dominantAlfa Romeo Tipo 33TT12 on the old 14 km track and withStefan Bellof, in the equally dominantPorsche 956 of 1984, on the shorter circuit used byFormula One. He is also one of two drivers to win theSpa 1000km on both the original and current circuits, the other beingJacky Ickx.

Bell was hired as chairman for theSpectre R42 super car project between 1996 and its demise in 1997. In 2001 he was hired to consult for theBentley Speed 8 programme, helpingBentley to winLe Mans two years later. He now splits his time between the United States and his home nearChichester, UK, with his wife Misti. He is an after dinner speaker and motorsport commentator, and also races in historic events, and is a global ambassador forBentley. Bell is also an operating partner of Bentley Naples in Naples, Florida.

His eldest sonJustin Bell is also a racer. The two raced together in the 199124 Hours of Daytona, and the1992 24 Hours of Le Mans. Bell was to race in the2008 24 Hours of Daytona with Justin, however the car dropped out of the race early and Derek did not get to run in the race. Aside from winning at Le Mans five times, he claims his proudest moment was coming third with his sonJustin racing theHarrods sponsored McLaren F1 GTR in the1995 Le Mans on Fathers Day.

Bell is a patron for the charities Dementia Support,^[9] Hope for Tomorrow,^[10] Mission Motorsport and the Henry Surtees Foundation. He is also an Ambassador for the Fly Navy Heritage Trust.

He is currently the president of the oldestpram race in the world. The Pagham Pram Race^[11] started in 1946 and is run annually at 11am on Boxing Day.

Bell returned to Le Mans to race aPorsche 962 for the first time in 20 years in the Group C support race at Le Mans on 16 June 2012.

He was presented with Honorary Life membership of theAA in recognition of his 50 years in motorsport, commemorated by a plaque presented byLord March at the Moving Motorshow during the 2014Goodwood Festival of Speed in the presence of Chris Jansen, CEO of theAA, andEdmund King, the president of theAA.

Bell was the grand marshal at the 2014 Silverstone 6 Hours, 2010 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2021 24 hours of Le Mans.^[12][13][14]

• BRDC Gold Star: 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987
• Royal Automobile Club Plaque d'Honneur: 1985
• Guild of Motoring Writers Driver of the Year: 1982 and 1985
• Bell was awarded theMBE in 1986 for services to motorsport.
• Inducted into theMotorsports Hall of Fame of America^[15] in 2012.
• Inducted into the Le Mans 24 Hours Drivers Hall of Fame in 2013.^[16]
• Inducted in to the Motor Sport Hall of Fame UK in 2016
• Presented with Honorary Life Membership of theAA in recognition of his 50 years in motorsport at the 2014Goodwood Festival of Speed
• was made citizen of honor of the city ofAngoulême in 2017
• 2017Simeone Foundation Spirit of Competition Award^[17]

This list isincomplete; you can help byadding missing items.(January 2022)

^† As Bell was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)

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(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap.)

(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)

(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; results initalics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	Co-drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class pos.
1970	SpA Ferrari SEFAC	Ronnie Peterson	Ferrari 512S	S 5.0	39	DNF	DNF
1971	John Wyer Automotive Engineering Ltd.	Jo Siffert	Porsche 917LH	S 5.0		DNF	DNF
1972	Ecurie Francorchamps	Teddy Pilette Richard Bond	Ferrari 365 GTB/4	GT 5.0	301	8th	4th
1973	Gulf Research Racing	Howden Ganley	Mirage M6-FordCosworth	S 3.0	163	DNF	DNF
1974	Gulf Research Racing	Mike Hailwood	Gulf GR7-FordCosworth	S 3.0	317	4th	4th
1975	Gulf Research Racing	Jacky Ickx	Mirage GR8-FordCosworth	S 3.0	336	1st	1st
1976	Grand Touring Cars Inc.	Vern Schuppan	Mirage GR8-FordCosworth	S 3.0	326	5th	4th
1977	Renault Sport	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault Alpine A442	S +2.0	257	DNF	DNF
1978	Renault Sport	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Renault Alpine A442A	S +2.0	162	DNF	DNF
1979	Grand Touring Cars Inc. Ford Concessionaires France	David Hobbs Vern Schuppan	Mirage M10-FordCosworth	S +2.0	262	DNF	DNF
1980	Porsche System	Al Holbert	Porsche 924 Carrera GT	GTP	305	13th	6th
1981	Porsche System	Jacky Ickx	Porsche 936	S +2.0	354	1st	1st
1982	RothmansPorsche System	Jacky Ickx	Porsche 956	C	359	1st	1st
1983	RothmansPorsche System	Jacky Ickx	Porsche 956	C	370	2nd	2nd
1985	RothmansPorsche	Hans-Joachim Stuck	Porsche 962C	C1	367	3rd	3rd
1986	RothmansPorsche	Al Holbert Hans-Joachim Stuck	Porsche 962C	C1	368	1st	1st
1987	RothmansPorsche	Hans-Joachim Stuck Al Holbert	Porsche 962C	C1	355	1st	1st
1988	Porsche AG	Hans-Joachim Stuck Klaus Ludwig	Porsche 962C	C1	394	2nd	2nd
1989	Richard Lloyd Racing	Tiff Needell James Weaver	Porsche 962C GTi	C1	339	DNF	DNF
1990	JoestPorsche Racing	Hans-Joachim Stuck Frank Jelinski	Porsche 962C	C1	350	4th	4th
1991	Konrad Motorsport JoestPorsche Racing	Hans-Joachim Stuck Frank Jelinski	Porsche 962C	C2	347	7th	7th
1992	ADA Engineering	Tiff Needell Justin Bell	Porsche 962C GTi	C3	284	12th	5th
1993	Courage Compétition	Lionel Robert Pascal Fabre	Courage C30LM-Porsche	C2	347	10th	5th
1994	Gulf OilRacing	Robin Donovan Jürgen Lässig	Kremer K8 Spyder-Porsche	LMP1 /C90	316	6th	3rd
1995	Harrods Mach One Racing David Price Racing	Andy Wallace Justin Bell	McLaren F1 GTR	GT1	296	3rd	2nd
1996	Harrods Mach One Racing David Price Racing	Andy Wallace Olivier Grouillard	McLaren F1 GTR	GT1	328	6th	5th
Source:[20]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Year	Team	Co-drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class pos.
1977	Brian Foley Pty Limited	Garry Leggatt	Alfa Romeo 2000	Up to 2000cc	150	8th	1st
1978	Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing	Dieter Quester	Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback	A	5	DNF	DNF
1979	Brian Foley P/L	Phil McDonnell	Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV	C	145	9th	2nd
1980	Brian Foley Pty Ltd	Phil McDonnell	Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV 2000	1601-2000cc	16	DNF	DNF
1981	Peter Stuyvesant International Racing	Allan Moffat	Mazda RX-7	6 Cylinder & Rotary	119	3rd	1st

Wikimedia Commons has media related toDerek Bell (racecar driver).

• Derek Bell MBE – Official Web Site
• Derek Bell at Racing-Reference.info
• Derek Bell at DriverDB.com
• Derek Bell at eWRC-results.com