Derek Bell

Derek Bell is a British racing driver who has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times, in 1975, 1981, 1982, 1986 and 1987, making him the most successful British driver in the race to date. His first Le Mans was in 1970 in a Ferrari 512 S entered by Scuderia Ferrari, with co-driver Ronnie Peterson, and his last in 1996 racing a McLaren F1 GTR. Bell achieved his highest ever speed at Le Mans at the 1971 Le Mans 24 hours April test day, reaching a calculated top speed of 240 mph on the Mulsanne Straight in the JW Gulf Porsche 917LH.

Quick Facts

Birth name

Derek Reginald Bell

Born

31 October 1941

Birthplace

Pinner, Middlesex, England, UK

Relatives

Justin Bell (son); Oliver Bell (grandson)

Nationality

GBR British

Years

1968–1972, 1974

Teams

Ferrari
McLaren
Surtees
Tecno

Races

16 (9 starts)

Did You Know?

Bell's proudest moment was finishing third with his son Justin in the Harrods Mach One Racing McLaren F1 GTR at the 1995 Le Mans, which ended on Father's Day.
He returned to Le Mans to race a Porsche 962 at the Le Mans Classic event on July 6-8, 2012, marking his first time back in the car after 18 years (his last 962 race was in 1994).