Derek Bell (auto racer)
| 220px | |
| Derek Bell | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | English |
| Years | 1968 - 1972, 1974 |
| Team(s) | Ferrari, McLaren, Brabham, Surtees, Tecno |
| Races | 16 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First race | 1968 Italian Grand Prix |
| First win | |
| Last win | |
| Last race | 1974 Canadian Grand Prix |
Derek Reginald Bell MBE (born October 31 1941 in Middlesex, England) is a former Formula One driver who raced for the Ferrari, McLaren, Brabham, Surtees and Tecno teams. Bell was very successful in sportscar racing, winning 5 times at Le Mans.
Justin Bell is his son and also a racer. The two raced together in the 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans until the 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans.
He started racing in 1964 with a Lotus Seven. He graduated to Formula 3 in the following year and in 1966 scored his first victory at Goodwood. In 1967 he enjoyed seven wins. He entered Formula 2 in a Brabham and had several promising performances, which caught Ferrari's eye and made his Grand Prix debut at Monza. In 1969 he raced at Silverstone with Ferrari and also raced the four-wheel-drive McLaren M9A in its only race in the British Grand Prix.
Bell was also a runner in the 1970 European Formula 2 Championship driving a March. In 1972 he got the drive in the Tecno F1 team, along with Nanni Galli. He did a number a races with the Surtees team again but also spent some time building a strong reputation as a fine sports car racer.
He won two World Sportscar Championship titles (1986-87), three in the 24 Hours of Daytona (1986-87 and 1989) and five victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans:
- 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans
- 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans
- 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans
- 1986 24 Hours of Le Mans
- 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans
mostly with Jacky Ickx on one of the Porsche 936 and Porsche 956/Porsche 962 models. Ickx/Bell is nowadays considered as one of the most famous pairings in motorsport history.
Bell was awarded the MBE in 1986 for services to motorsport.
Bell was hired to consult for the Bentley team in 2001, helping them to win Le Mans two years later. He now split his time in the United States and the United Kingdom and does commentary on Formula One races and drives in historic events, usually providing an ambassordorial duty for Porsche.
Complete Formula One results
(Note: Grand Prix in bold denotes points scoring race.)
| Yr | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Ferr | SAF | SPA | MON | BEL | DUT | FRA | GBR | DEU | ITA | CAN | USA | MEX | Ferr | |||
| 1969 | McLa | SAF | SPA | MON | DUT | FRA | GBR | DEU | ITA | CAN | USA | MEX | McLa | ||||
| 1970 | Brab | SAF | SPA | MON | BEL | DUT | FRA | GBR | DEU | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | MEX | Surt | ||
| 1971 | Surt | SAF | SPA | MON | DUT | FRA | GBR | DEU | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | Surt | ||||
| 1972 | Tecn | ARG | SAF | SPA | MON | BEL | FRA | GBR | DEU | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | Tecn | |||
| 1974 | Surt | ARG | BRA | SAF | SPA | BEL | MON | SWE | DUT | FRA | GBR | DEU | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | Surt |